TomAiello
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Everything posted by TomAiello
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Memorial Day Boogie (cross posted from the BASE Board)
TomAiello replied to JohnnyUtah's topic in Archive
Johnny is totally right here. We see so many people coming out to Idaho and figuring "what the heck, it's a bridge, I'll try my first aerial..." I can tell several horror stories about first aerials here, ranging from "can't believe I walked away" all the way up to helicopters and hearses. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com -
If you have a wireless network, read this...
TomAiello replied to ChasingBlueSky's topic in The Bonfire
I actually appreciate people who leave their wireless networks open. It allows me to get on-line while travelling. There was a group running around in the bay area a while back trying to convince everyone to leave their wireless open, to create a sort of ad-hoc citywide wireless network. You can take precautions to keep your data safe, while giving access to poor wandering souls (like me), who need it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com -
Memorial Day Boogie (cross posted from the BASE Board)
TomAiello replied to JohnnyUtah's topic in Archive
Have you practiced off a diving board (into a swimming pool)? I did my first aerials from terminal towers, where there was enough distance and airspeed that I could recover from virtually any flail. I think the key is to do a lot of practice in a non-life threatening environment (like a swimming pool, trampoline, or diving harness). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com -
Pm Sent. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Since the majority of my parachute jumps have been illegal, that's not really much of a dilemma, for me. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Count me in. Any idea as to cost per unit? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Thanks Jimmy! Can't wait to check it out. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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You might do a search through this forum. This thread is fairly on topic, as is this one. But a search for "gps" turns up a ton of information (seven pages of posts). You might also contact Kevin over at FlyBirdMan, as I know he's done a bunch of GPS stuff. I like OziExplorer, but it's been a while since I played with it. Perhaps Outrager or Cpoxon can chime in with more current information? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Hmm. Interesting. That might explain why some short skinny people (Petter comes immediately to mind) are such phenomenal wingsuit pilots. There's obviously a lot more going on here than just wingloading. I guess it's time to start watching what I eat and exercising. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Not directed at mattsplat: I remember when I wanted to learn to BASE jump. I posted some similar messages on BLiNC (perhaps a touch more articulate, because I'm an overeducated nerd). I got flamed a bunch by experienced jumpers. I vowed that should I ever become an experienced jumper, I would not flame those posters, but rather try to help steer them toward proper training, attitudes and mentors. Come on guys, would you rather he decided we were all a bunch of arrogant jackasses and just went out and chucked himself off of ? Directed at mattsplat: PM sent. Most of us are much nicer in person than on the internet. Do read the "Getting into BASE" article that skydawg linked. There isn't a totally safe way to get into BASE, but there are safer and less safe ways. Feel free to drop me a PM or email if you want my advice. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Capitalism doesn't provide equal opportunity. Doing that would require incredibly strict totalitarianism, along with genetic engineering that is beyond our current technology. Capitalism provides a certain minimum level of opportunity. Some people get more, yes. The point is that everyone has at least some minimum level. The real question is whether a more socialist system (plenty of socialism in the US) would raise the shared minimum level of opportunity (perhaps), and whether any potential increase in the minimum opportunity level would be worth the costs (I don't think so). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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In my opinion, a span is a much safer first jump than a cliff, even a big wall with good instruction. There is a relatively friendly span in southern Europe. Robert Pecnik has taught FJC's there. Try PMing him (or emailing him). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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When I was in Norway last summer, I got a call on my cell at about 3am. It was from a telemarketer in the states. To add insult to injury, the calls cost me about a dollar a minute. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Hmmm. Diane Feinstein is a right-winger? I had no idea... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Not really. The Chinese have pretty much given up on it too. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I can't interpret that data. There just isn't enough data to interpret. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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No, I think she's saying the article is genuine. The second half of that is what _you_ said. Personally, I think that smart people who have PhD's are probably totally responsible for everything that's wrong with the world. And if their doctorate is in physics, that makes them even more responsible. I guess that means that BASE 460 is responsible for about 40% of the world's ills. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I know that in theory glide ratio is independent of wingloading. However, I've also observed that skinny people, or people with long frames, tend to get better glide ratio on their wingsuits. This means that my observations tend to contradict the physics of the situation, which makes me think something else is going on here. Can anyone explain why this might be happening? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Quote...2 million Iraqi and Syrian dinar... You'd have to convert this to dollars to get an idea if it was a reasonable amount or not. Anyone have any idea how much 2 million dinars is? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Yeah, but which side actually "declared" war is not always that relevant. For example, the Japanese "declared" war in the pacific, but the US and UK had pretty much already forced them into it by forcing them to sign a treaty that was massively unfavorable to them, then choking down on their natural resource supply lines. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Wendy, The Economist comes in different regional versions, with the order of the sections re-arranged. The article might have been on p.44 of the Euro version (which puts UK first, instead of US) or the Asian version (you get the idea), etc. You might just want to have a look at the US section and see if it's in there anywhere. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Generally, no. But I know pretty much jack about Iraqi customs. For all I know, that's normal behavior over there. I mean, in a place where daytime temps climb over 110, it might actually make sense to do our "normal" daytime things at night. Anyone know for sure? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Off topic for this thread, but I'd say it has allowed her not to live in a nation where her (relatively low by US standards) quality of life would be the envy of 99% of the population. Sure, you can pick out people who are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder here and say they are disadvantaged. That ignores the fact that the entire ladder is placed orders of magnitude above the corresponding ladder in other places. The benefit of capitalism is not that it rearranges the rungs on the ladder--it is that it moves the entire ladder (including the bottom rungs) upward. Since my income in the last two years has totalled around $20,000 (total--not per year), I'm definitely aware of my position on the lower rungs. I still feel that I'm better off with a capitalist system. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I wonder what the AP would say about a wedding in the US that involved celebratory firearm discharge? Is it really the Iraqi custom to hold weddings at 3am? Maybe because of the heat in the desert they do things at night? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Your comment in another thread. Something to the effect of "what has capitalism done for her?" -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com