460

man, I just disoriented that the calculations came out ok. it was a multiple year effort and i cried when the calculations came out ok. Regardless, Felix is the man, my hero, like Joe Kittenger and when I talked to him, it was so cool, like almost talking to Neal Armstrong. I just so astonded it worked. Don't spell check me on this post 'cause second word is missing a 'm.

The ground personnel heard a sonic boom.

thank you.

thanks y'all. i shed a tear when I saw him him open his canopy. it was really neat that missile defense knowledge could be applied for something like this. what was really cool was when I talked to Joe Kittenger back in 2010. Joe is my hero. It was like talking to a fellow daredevil - it was awesome!

I am the aerodynamics scientist on this project. His speeds (once confirmed) matched my calculations. This was like watching a moon landing I'm told. I shed a tear that all the work that went into this project with me (I did a lot less than the rest of the team) actually worked!

Chris Stokely
Physicist
Jumper of some sort or another.

Quote

Quote

> . . . and some semblance of a background
>check to know that they won't try to blow up our new WTC going up in new
>york.

We didn't have that in 1909; no one blew up the Statue of Liberty. Indeed, even today, I don't think even a thorough background check will stop a 767 flying at over 500 MPH.

We've been conditioned to live in fear of immigrants, and that's dumb. We are all descendents of immigrants (with very few exceptions) and today's immigrants are no more or less evil than immigrants in the 1900's were.

>Or are you OK with people identified with the drug and kidnapping rackets
>Mexico freely going across our borders?

No more OK with that than you are with rapists who are US citizens going freely amongst our people. And yet being US citizens do not stop them, nor does it bring them to justice.

But now a days we do have the technology to identify people who would want to detonate 100lbs of C-4 strapped to a container of Cobalt 60 or Cesium 137. So we should identify them.

We didn't have mass produced Radioisotopes, 747's, or other WMD's 100 years ago. They had to kill people the old fashioned way, 1 at a time.

.

mustard gas, nerve gas, botulism, plague infested fleas... just saying. All of which were not unavailable to smart people in that era.

What jumper?

It would be great if we the people could jump El Cap legally. It appears though at the current signing rate that we are not going to get the 5000 signatures required to make it an issue to White House.

It seems like we are going to have to start multiple voting. Vote often.

Shah - Are you of Iranian descent?

What if I claim I'm black but "look" white? I could claim it was a mistake on the form or I could claim someone crap about genetics and traits.

So, man leaves... Woman keeps business and must own more than %50 of it to qualify for the benefit. It's a twisted form of corporate affirmative action. I've dealt with affirmative action on an individual level but this whole SDB thing annoys the crap out me. It appears the way to rid ourselves of that system is to politicize it and have it reduced or removed. Or I could just marry a woman and start a business with her with a iron prenup.

I cannot put on makeup every day to attend work or school, like C Thomas Howell did in his movie Soul Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZFTSCLzGTE&feature=related

I know, but it's much more rampant in the government sector from what I've observed over the last 20 years.

Something has always irked me. I am a scientist and I have worked at national laboratories and NASA. What irks me is that a majority of the contracting agencies that provide people for these jobs are so-called "small disadvantaged businesses." Aka, SDBs. Let me explain: if you are not white OR not a male, then you can form a staffing company and GET INCREDIBLE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT from the government. Almost every staffing company around the government brain centers are SDBs. One of the schemes male scientists/engineers would do once they got married was to have their wife start the company with her as president. This worked well until their was marital strife and the man was kicked to curb. In Houston, when I am currently, I am in the minority. Same thing when I was in Atlanta. Why in the hell am I still federally discriminated against for being a white male?

What do you think about such lucrative preferential treatment?

George Bush sucked as a president. What worse things were done to mock Bush?

The engineering women at Georgia Tech back in early 1990s were atrocious. Only 1 in 5 students were women so their egos went wild. And 90% of them were unattractive. It would have been more pleasant going to all mens school to avoid this situation.

Please do then. I don't understand what your thesis is.

Quote

Quote

Quote

Yeah, we get it. You hate successful people and want them to pay for everything while you get a free ride. So tell us bridgedweller: what specifically would you change in the tax law?

According to mnealtx in another thread, the richest 1% pay 28.8% of taxes. The right wingers repeatedly tell us the bottom 50% isn't paying its way. Since the richest 1% own some 40% of the nation's assets, it seems that the rich and poor alike are freeloading on the middle class.

That top one percent only has 13.8% of *income* - you know, that stuff that *income* taxes are levied against?

Of course, I understand that you can't mention that since it destroys your supposed 'argument'.

I cannot believe that the issue of letting the Bush tax cuts end is equated to class warfare. The richest 1% of the US own much more than 40% of national assets. I don't understand where 13.8% is coming from.

Quote

Quote

Thank goodness I'm white though.

Why? Is Texas a racist place?

The cops are the most racist I've encountered in the country. I'm white so it only works to my advantage. But beware if you are black. You can get pulled over and searched for "DWB" -driving while black. I've lived in New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. I've also traveled to almost all states of the U.S.

I actually love Texas. Thank goodness I'm white though. I moved back to Texas as soon as I had the chance.

Do you know that in Huntsville, Texas, there is a "prison museum" with one of the original electric chairs known as "Old Sparky." http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/

I recall that even in the town square, they have a statue of an electric chair.

And it's the whole last meal thing is most likely going to be overturned at the next meeting of the legislature.

The biggest growth industry in Texas during the 1990s was not oil, but in private prisons. Dick Cheney had a significant hand in this... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3485581/Dick-Cheney-charged-over-abuse-in-private-prisons.html

Unfortunately, prisons have become big profit and has perhaps consciously or subconsciously resulted in an expansion of penalties in Texas.

A question:

Just a few years ago, some in the Louisiana state legislature proposed the death penalty for sex crimes, without the death of a victim. Is that justifiable? If so, what other crimes would you consider for capital punishment?

Federally, espionage is punishable by the death penalty. Spies die. Perhaps so, since they have so much potential to destroy a country. But further assassins such as Oswald have used the Fuchs for example as martyrs to justify future political assassinations.

On a side note, I have an acquaintance who was a public defender for death row cases. He said he believed the vast majority had committed their crime while pursuing exoneration for their crimes - were - guilty as hell. However, he said he encountered a few cases where that was not the case and he fully believed that innocent people were executed. He quit his profession because of this.

I once read years ago that the following countries lead in the number of executions:

1) China
2) Iran
3) Congo
4) Texas

Is this something Texas should be proud of? Not really in my opinion and I consider myself a Texan.

I'm looking to use this round on a BASE jump into a vertical cave with a flat grass landing area. Spotting won't be an issue. Just that I can have some forward speed and land it without issue.

I have heard a various stories about the 26 foot round Lopo canopy. Have you jumped that canopy? If so, how was the landing? PLF or standup? How much forward speed did you have?

Thanks