TomAiello

Greetings from KL! We're all out here having a great time. We've made around 500 jumps in the last three days, with zero injuries and one incident. Matt's fine, though, and he's kept part of the hand rail as a souvenir. Aside from the demo tomorrow at midnight, we've got two days off now, with two more Petronas days and two KL tower days to follow. Big fun. Wish you were here. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The center rib should definitely be an off color. It is critical to be able to identify the center of the nose when packing. Also, I'd recommend stealthy colors if you jump somewhere that law enforcement can be an issue. Colors will need to vary, depending on your jumping environment, of course. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

No, it would be pretty darn close to the holy grail. 180? No problem, just fly backward. There's been some good theoretical designs, but no one has had the wherewithal to actually try building one yet. Get one of those built, and I'll worship you. Plus, you'll save a lot of lives. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I would, but I'm off to jump.

That's a big one for me too. I think it can often compromise safety. But then, anyone who read my Boyfriends and BASE rant probably already guessed that. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I should be on a plane to Malaysia. I'm very sorry to miss Eloy, but those towers are just too tempting. Once you turn to the Dark Side, forever dominate your destiny it will... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ah. Now I understand. Thanks much! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

OK. When I view your responses in this thread (or any other), in the upper left corner of the box that displays each response I have various options, primarily "quote" and "reply" (but in some places I also get "edit" and "delete" and such--which I assume everyone gets for their own postings all the time). If I hit "reply" from this screen, my response text box starts out with the entire message I am responding to already appearing in it. I can then edit that text to reply to certain parts of it, without having to either re-type or copy and paste it. I don't see the "quote" and "reply" options on the incoming private message display. There are buttons on the bottom of the text input screen which say "code", "quote", "reply" etc (just as there are under the text input box when posting). But those buttons just provide shortcuts so I don't have to manually type [whatever] and [/whatever]. I still have to cut and paste (or re-type) the actual text I am responding to. I are so confused... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Where do the options appear on your PM screen? I've tried all four options in "Default Private Message Style" and still can't see them. I suspect that I am simply overlooking them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hmmm. Is that the same glassblowing BASE jumper who blows some other interesting glass objects? "No, DJ, make them BIGGER..." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

OK, I've got to be the densest guy ever. I click on "Edit Profile" and I see "User Profile" and "Display Settings", but no "Display Profile". In "Edit Profile", I have "Allow Private Messages" set to "yes" and "Send Private Message Notification via Email" set to "no". In "Display Settings", I have "Default Private Message Style" as "Markup and HTML". I've got no clue what I'm doing... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

OK, I'm dumb. Why can't I find it? Someone help me? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Boosters are Aussie speak for what Americans call booties. They're just extensions of the leg fabric down over the top of your foot, and wrapping around the toe. They tend to make your track a bit better, but take some getting used to. If you want more info on them, try searching for "booties" in the RW forum, or elsewhere. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd love to have a "quote" reply feature for PM's. I often find myself copying and pasting reply verbage into PM exchanges. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There is a black canopy in the video, which appears to have a ZP foreskin. It's in the first "Rigger Mortis" shot, and I believe I saw it again in some of the legal span footage. I was just looking at the pressurization pattern. Is that canopy an Ace or a Blackjack (assuming I've correctly identified the topskin composition)? Or something else entirely (if I haven't)? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It's no real help, but here's a story that might amuse you. When I started skydiving, I met everyone at the DZ, hung out, etc. Three months later, I went to my ten year high school reunion, in the town I grew up in, five hours away from my home (and home DZ). And I saw one of the cameramen from the DZ. We had the funniest conversation. "Hey, what are you doing here? Did you come with someone?" "Uh, no, I graduated in this class. Who did you come with?" "Uh, I was in this class, too." "Huh?" We never met in high school. His grandparents still live across the street from my parents, though. "It's a small world, after all, it's a small world after all..." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Wow. Talk about cool. Gets his girlfriend to post pictures of him groping another chick (and her obviously loving it), and then gets his girlfriend to defend him and say "oh, no it's an illusion..." Love your work. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think this might be a problem with the embedded color profiles from Photoshop. The problem appears to be fixed by removing the embedded profiles, or by using a simpler jpeg viewer to re-save the files without the Photoshop color profiles. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Morpheus Technologies also offers a course there. There are some reviews of FJC's in the BLiNC Reviews Section. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Just keep them burning somewhere else, please. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I prefer big holes in the ground. They're amazing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

As a general rule, BASE jumping is legal in the U.S. It's specifically prohibited in a few places (for example, in National Parks) and from a few specific objects (for example there is a specific ordinance prohibiting parachuting from a well known span in Northern California), but that's it. So, as long as you don't commit a real crime (trespass or reckless endangerment, for example), there is no reason not to parachute from whatever you like (and/or whatever you can gain the permission of the owner to jump from). That said, would I be willing to pursue a legal battle in a specific arena (like the National Park System) to the Supreme Court? Sure, given sufficient financial resources to do so. The truth is, I doubt we'd win that case on it's merits. Precedent is pretty clear that the NPS may disallow particular activities on their land (see snowmobiling in Yellowstone, for example). We might have an argument that the clear public interest (preserving the parks) is not incompatible with our use (parachuting), but I think it's probably a long shot. However, the real battle is probably not to be had in court, but in the electorate. All it will take is one sympathetic President (or presidential appointee at the head of the NPS), and the policy will change. I bet we could even do it with one sympathetic Senator (see Slade Gorton and the the NPS about-face on the climbing fixed anchor ban). Will it happen in my lifetime? I kind of doubt it. But we can always dream... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This weekend: Jumps: 0 Beers: 1 (right now, actually) Tickets to fly to Malaysia and jump some of the world's tallest buildings for a week: 1 Sorry to miss Eloy, but KL turned out to be an offer I just couldn't refuse. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, am I the only Han Solo? I guess I'm keeping all the reward! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hmmm. I've used Marijuana (Holland, Switzerland) and Hashish (Holland), some "designer drugs" (Switzerland), Amphetamines (Ritalin, Adderol, Dexadrine [U.S., Mexico]), Narcotics (Vicodin, Percocette, Oxycontin [U.S., Mexico]) Psilocybin (Mushrooms [Holland], Liquid [Switzerland]) and Mescalin (Switzerland). These were all legal at the time, in the places indicated. Illegality is a function of jurisdiction--and there is no reason to confine yourself to one jurisdiction when it's so much fun to explore them all. If it's the bust factor that spooks you, you can always just travel and sample. I'm sure that you've hurt the feelings of many fine recreational substances by categorizing them as "illegal". You really ought to apologize and attend some sensitivity training to broaden your mind. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com