BikerBabe

But people ARE changing...look at the sheer popularity of hybrid cars. Now, i'm not saying that hybrids are the answer, and their impact is probably overhyped...but it's what the average Joe sees, that hybrids are gonna cut his gas cost, and hey! maybe help the air quality, too...so he goes and starts to think of a hybrid as a legitimate choice for a new car. On a personal note...you will now find my husband riding a bicycle to work 2-3 days a week. and it's not that we live next door to his office. it's about 15 miles away. But he found that not only do we save money...he LIKES IT! *gasp* What i don't understand about pedants like George Will is why they are so ADAMANTLY against lessening our dependency on oil. Unless he's a paid shill for the oil companies...what the HELL is so wrong with lessening that dependency? I'd love to hear a GOOD argument as to why we shouldn't promote fuel efficiency, and less dependence on oil (note i didn't specify where it comes from). "Quality of life" is not a good argument. I think there have been countless examples of how we can still maintain a decent standard of living being less dependent on oil. Think of him what you will, but Billvon is an excellent example of that. If anything...i would love to save a lot of that petroleum that we're pumping into our Hummers for things that WILL degrade our quality of life if lost...such as plastics. What is so wrong with needing oil less? Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I didn't vote. I love my infinity, and will probably never buy a different rig...so comfortable, simple, AFFORDABLE, and they have the best customer service out there, as far as i'm concerned. If you REQUIRE a skyhook, i have found the odysseys to be a better fit on smaller people, if that is a factor for you. Good luck! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I believe that god gave us a rational, logical, thinking mind because he wanted us to use it. It pains me to see so many "christians" or "muslims" or whatevers shutting down their brains. Take that for what you will...but to me, that means science is also of god. By science i mean what dorbie says here...a process. a method. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I need to get a hold of some of Moxie's pics. We're cuter by far! Of course, Bill, you DO realize that an intense rivalry between Moxie and whatever you guys are going to call yourselves is destined to develop...If the results of Laser Tag are any indication, you boys better watch out! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Everyone looks at this from one side, but how about the other? I don't believe religion and science are mutually exclusive. I believe in God. I am also a "scientist" (I think that way, i was taught that way, and i "believe" in science, heh). I wasn't given the ability for rational thought just to not use it. Unfortunately, many "religious" people seem to forget this and just throw their brains away when they find religion. Science is how we learn and discover more about god and his "creation", if you want to call it that. That's what i believe. Apparently, that makes me an idiot. You are correct. Religion doesn't explain the laws of nature. But I think science reveals more and more about the nature of god. And please, don't confuse "religion" with "spirituality". If anything is mutually exclusive here...it's those two things! lol Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Let me tell a little story. A college graduate, american, female, etc etc...decided to apply for grad school at a major US university. Now, this grad's undergraduate degree was in aeronautical engineering, but she wanted to get a masters in electrical engineering. She had ONE EE class during her undergrad education. She was missing many fundamentals that every other EE grad student would be expected to have. She applied, but didn't think she'd get in. She did. When she attended the orientation session, the EE department head said that over 600 people applied that year, and only 35 got in. How the hell did she make it, as unqualified as she was? Because out of the 600 applicants...wait for it...only FIVE (yes, i said FIVE) were american citizens. FIVE. Those five got an automatic slot. Five. Out of 600. Yes...it's ominous. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Gonna have to be the old military gear i used for my first 5 jumps...rounds with belly mounts...ugh. Behind that, i'd have to say the newer talons. the way the risers are attached make it so the back of the container is behind my head after opening. It's VERY difficult to look up or around that way under canopy. So it's not so much that it's uncomfortable PHYSICALLY, but it's uncomfortable mentally since i feel limited under canpoy. PS...Hi Adam!!! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Bill- Trust me, you CANNOT stay in the beam. The only way i could remotely fathom anyone being able to ignore this would be if they were so drugged that they couldn't feel any pain whatsoever. Your body thinks it is burning and reflexively does anything it can to get OUT of the way. The same reflex that causes you to jerk your hand away from something hot. This has been tested on thousands of people (and animals before that) in hundreds of scenarios, and no one has EVER managed to stay in the beam for more than 6 seconds or so. I suppose the person zealous enough to place their hand on a hot burner and leave it there could walk through this, but i HIGHLY doubt any of these people are that committed. Death is one thing. Ongoing pain is quite another and the fear of such is oftentimes more psychologically debilitating than fear of death. Not to mention, if the beam didn't stop a bomber at the range the ADT works at, then there's always the back up plan. they get too close...sayanora. One other thing to consider: it's highly probable that a hostile walking toward this thing then getting hit by it won't really know what's going on...confusion might cause them to stop or hesitate, as well. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

This has been in development for several years. I worked on it at the Air Force Research Lab in Albuquerque. I know a lot about this. I was even a test subject when they first started testing this on people. You know when you open a hot oven and you get that blast of hot air? that's what this feels like, but hotter. You could try to make a suit to prevent it, but it would have to be 100% absolutely seamless over your entire body. It just isn't practical, nor probable, that anyone, especially the intended targets of such a technology, could make a suit to block these waves. Finally, this technology has a LONG range. longer than you'd think. The enemies/insurgents/crowds/whatever will NOT get close enough to these to take them out, especially if the operators are on top of things. This has been in development for 10 years or so, gone through numerous static and live tests, operational usefulness assessments, etc. etc. It is basic human reflex to jump out of the way. You cannot stay in the beam. The longest any test subject stayed in the beam by sheer force of will was somewhere around 6-7 seconds. Most of the test subjects were my coworkers. None of us were burned, harmed, damaged, nothing. We had senators and 4-star generals volunteering to be test subjects, because this technology is so groundbreaking. We also had protesters at the gates when news of this first broke. "It's cruel!" they yelled...but i ask, would you rather us shoot them instead? How many innocent lives could have already been saved had this technology been deployed sooner in iraq? I for one can't wait to see it deployed, not just because i worked on it. Directed energy weapons, most of which are non-lethal, are going to revolutionize the way we fight wars in the future. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Ahh, i can always count on DZ.com folks to be better googlers than I am. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Yeah, i read the thread. Shoving aside the off-topic dross, i shall strive to answer the original question. "Is there such a thing as a soul mate, one person you are meant to be with forever? If so, please tell me who mine is..." Of course, I'm sure everyone's question for god is heavily influenced by their personal situations at the time of the asking. Were I in a different place in my life, my question could, in fact, be quite different. "What is my purpose in this life?" is a good one. Or I might ask him/her to solve one of life's greatest mysteries: "What is Steve Miller really saying in the 4th line of 'The Joker'...i mean, 'pompetous' is NOT a word, so what did he really mean???" Please, if you are one of this thread's self-appointed spokespeople for god, i already know your answers to my questions, so no need to try. Oh...except the last one. please, by all means, if you know what the "pompetous of love is", don't hold back on my account! let the world know! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I'm so sad to hear this! As a former Eloy regular with tons of friends still there, Tom was a staple of the dropzone that I always looked forward to seeing and saying hi to every time i visited. He was always reading! I loved that. And that photo by Mike McGowan is an amazing tribute. Blue Skies, Tom. Andi Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Perris Storm! not bad for 20 training jumps and no expectations! We had a blast, and the entire advanced class was really very evenly matched this year. I think we went from 3rd to 9th to 5th in two rounds, just because the scores were so close. I want to give a HUGE hats off to Perris Fury...they had an awesome meet! Clean, smooth, and calm, this is the next team to watch, I'm telling you all now... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

There's the rub. The argument is that the consultants used data from airports like yours to draw up its numbers, rather than taking a look at the real and unique situation in Eloy. This should be interesting to follow... Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

There have always been fun jumps going on during nationals, and I'm sure this year at Eloy will be no exception. You really shouldn't miss it if you're around and can spare the time. The DZ vibe is like no other...and it really is the best "boogie" of the year! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

A lot of the west coast advanced-level folks have been concentrating on 8-way this year. It's been great fun and an awesome learning experience for everyone involved in the Fury 8-way project teams. Keep your eye on Octagon in open 8-way...if they skydive to their potential, they'll be in medal-hunting territory! And if Moxie doesn't medal...well...we're still the greatest bunch of chicks out there. I agree...there might be some good pickup teams in advanced this year, but I love that surprise element. It seems that a lot of teams are heading into the Open class this year. Me...I just want to see how Storm's improved training theory works out. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Storm is: Mike Anderson - Point Bill Morrison - OC Alan Lo - IC Andi McNew - Tail Due to other committments, etc, we have a whopping 3 training days and 20 jumps together, along with about an hour of tunnel time. It's important to peak at the right time. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

..Perris Storm has some to share! We have 1 hour booked, 12-1 on Saturday. We are looking for a team to split it with, since flying for an hour straight would probably kill us. We've had a tough training season and we're looking to ramp down. I mean, 3 training days and 20 jumps is just killer...but we didn't want to peak too soon! Anyway, please contact me via PM or post here if you're interested. There may be a coach available, pending their schedule. Andi Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

went there every summer as a kid...some of the best memories of my life. It's an amazing place. We always stayed at the north end, the Duck/Southern Shores area. it's beautiful, the beaches and people are great, and it's not nearly as crowded as some of the other mor popular places like Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach. Have fun! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Nice pic Lew! Post the spiders, post the spiders! Seriously, you did some awesome work this weekend, even though we only got 20 jumps total. go Perris Moxie! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

4 votes for "asexual". interesting. should be interesting to see these results. Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

i FINALLY found a good picture of Ascension.

Congratulations to both of you! 'specially, you, Bink. tear it up! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Christy Frikken Uli Stuwe Josh Hall Chris Farina Lewmonst on video Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Oakenfold is so bleh now. Yes, some of the older stuff is good. But now? No thanks. Give me Sasha or Digweed anyday. Man, Sasha just lights me up. everything he's done I like. But BT is still my favorite. Not so much a DJ as a creator of the original stuff, he's still one of the best in the business. =) Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!