narcimund

Outlook, like most Microsoft programs, are incredible susceptible to viruses and other malicious programs. It's self-destructive to run any of them. Eudora and Netscape Messenger are two excellent alternatives that do not open you up to the same dangers. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Frontpage is, in short, an abomination. To expand on this a little, it's a hegemonic trojan horse devised solely to leverage the low-end website creators' gullibility towards an eventual Microsoft monopoly on all Internet software and functionality. It also makes seriously crappy results. Not just a little bit crappy. SERIOUSLY crappy. Dreamweaver is just a little bit crappy. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Those buggy markup buttons! First Class Citizen Twice Over

Calling manifest and asking about the weather is a sure way to hear, "It's sunny and blue skies. Come on down!" First Class Citizen Twice Over

I jump there occasionally and my boyfriend did his first jump (AFF) there. We really like SDO and enjoy it because it's close and usually more active than our other home DZ which is Eugene Skydivers. Eugene Skydivers is a longer drive, but it's a more close-knit group. It's easier to get to know people and feel included there. The prices are also much lower than SDO. Both are excellent choices depending on which style you prefer. First Class Citizen Twice Over

with, or without jump doors? Without. Standard forward-opening doors. You have to push, but it's not going very fast. It's a 152 afterall! Just ask the pilot to go slow, unlatch the door, push, and slip through. Yeah yeah yeah, be careful of your handles and whatnot. It's not rocket science. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Tom, please don't let this become a nightmare or all the value of your forum will quickly be lost. Quick, thorough justice. No compromises. Thanks. First Class Citizen Twice Over

I've jumped 152s. It's not that hard. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Tom, Your warning is probably one more people should know about, so thanks to bringing it to everyone's attention. In this specific instance however keep in mind that these towers haven't been built and don't look like they are going to be. Nobody can get hurt or killed jumping off a beaurocratic cancellation. I think it was simply a joke. First Class Citizen Twice Over

I can't figure how a 350' tower would affect skydiving. Was it going to be right at the end of the runway? Dead center in the landing area? Or maybe they meant it would ENCOURAGE skydiving-like sports... First Class Citizen Twice Over

Don't look to the rules and regulations to replace honor. In fact, there are no rules and regulations. There is no authority. Do as you like. Live with the consequences. First Class Citizen Twice Over

And jumping is 5000 times more dangerous than not jumping. Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane at all? In fact, why not just stay home and watch tv? Oh right. We do it because we each decide the risk is acceptably small compared to the rewards. Some jumpers do things I wouldn't risk because the reward is worth it to them. Other jumpers are more conservative than me because my risks are unacceptable to them. Isn't personal responsibility great? First Class Citizen Twice Over

Assumption that a question was posed by a troll might explain (thou not excuse) an initial biting response, but hardly explains the persistant pissiness we see often continuing. I think it's just funhating, safer-than-thou, more-rule-abiding-than-thou ego monsters. It's competition among the sheep to jockey for the position of head sheep. But I'd never say it so bluntly. That would be telling. First Class Citizen Twice Over

There's a pervasive culture which discourages creative thinking by ridiculing those who mention creative thoughts. There's a recent example here in this forum, but there are also examples in all the forums. It makes no sense to snipe at each other for exploring an interesting concept. So what if someone's curious if they can pop their reserve intentionally? So what if it's not a well thought out dive plan? So it would be dangerous without modification? That's not obvious and deserves a respectful discussion. I celebrate people who think about non-obvious combinations like this. I want them to feel great about coming up with the idea. I try to help them get wiser by discussing it with them -- NOT CHASTISING or RIDICULING them. Poisoning your message with ridicule makes your message go unheard. All you guys are doing is destroying the fun of skydiving. If people don't enjoy coming up with new ideas and batting them around (and occasionally pushing the boundaries of the sport by trying them out) they won't have fun. By the way, to those who will respond, "It's worse at recdot or blinc," don't even bother. The excuse that somebody else is more awful than we are is cheap and useless. First Class Citizen Twice Over

To give another perspective, there is a way to do this, although it's controversial. People do sometimes perform intentional cutaways as training. You can theoretically modify your harness to accept a clipped-on belly mount round reserve. Then you're carrying a third parachute which with extra training, luck, and your favorite diety's cooperation, can be your extra last chance. This jump would require a fair amount of training, planning, and oddball equipment and will likely get you a mixed reaction from the bystanders at your DZ. Some will probably get nasty at me for even mentioning it as there seems to be a conspiracy of silence about oddball jumps. By the way, I am NOT recommending this jump to you. I'm just letting you know that it's possible and other people have done it. It's better to know what's really out there than just the short list of socially approved ideas. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Sorry, Josh. Your history's a bit off. To give you a little perspective, Macintosh came out with its first model in 1984. Other desktop computers had been already around for years. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Chewing gum? First Class Citizen Twice Over

Oh, now that's low to steal the video from them as well! First Class Citizen Twice Over

Don't forget Eugene Skydivers (2 hours) and Skydive Oregon (1 hour). Good weather might be south instead of north. First Class Citizen Twice Over

What a clear analogy. Go Bill! I was in debt after working, borrowing, and paying my way through college without a penny from my parents. The debt was nasty and sometimes didn't get paid on time. Made the last payment last year and had a party to celebrate. Has my overall financial liquidity been lower during the last ten years because of this? Perhaps somewhat. On the other hand, I'm far better prepared mentally and morally to commit to debt and achieve financial success than several sons of the wealthy I knew whose annual college bills were sent to their parents' addresses instead. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Now THAT'S funny! First Class Citizen Twice Over

Nopem, jraf, I disagree with your premise. While having a college degree might somewhat improve one's overall income (on average) I propose that being given a college degree will not. Anecdotal evidence: My friends in college who mostly never saw the inside of the college's business office are currently working mundane jobs they hate and wondering why life is so unfair. I own a business I love and make pretty good money. Nothing looks like it should be free to me. My testable proposition is that people whose parents bought them another four years of vacation so they could really get down and study without distractions train their kids that even the adult world can be approached like they were still dependent children. More anecdotal evidence: My parents were both bought college degrees (and much, much more) by their parents. I'm doing far, far better than either of them ever have -- in the work world, that is. First Class Citizen Twice Over

Sounds like you've got something personal here. My parents didn't send me to college. I sent myself. Paid every penny. Hurt like hell to be at work while my college buddies drank and screwed. But I made it. Never been in an unemployment line. Never got food stamps. Learned to be responsible for myself, as it should be. First Class Citizen Twice Over

I don't know about male and female, but in my relationship for four years we have joined our money into one pile of money and there's no such thing as "I pay" and "he pays". First Class Citizen Twice Over

No I can't, or rather I won't. The decision will not be a better one because I got a little bit of information and participated in something I'm not qualified for. If 100 weakly educated votes dilute 10 wise votes, then 101 weak votes will dilute them even more. I sincerely don't understand the great pressure people give to vote in elections. Why are you so vested in having people with little motivation, little information, and lousy reasons piss in your carefully considered and deeply felt contributions? Why do you feel ANYTHING would be better by encouraging the least capable and the least interested to make decisions for you? First Class Citizen Twice Over