gerrcoin

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Posts posted by gerrcoin

  1. Quote

    Hi gercoin,

    Quote

    The Birds eye view is adds something new.



    Seems to be just taken at an angle so it is different. I looked up my house and the photo is at least 3, if not 4, yrs old. :|

    The images are a little dated but you can rotate the angled view using the buttons on the left and have a look from 4 different sides.

  3. Quote

    Wow, I feel like I'm from a whole other country... I have no idea what you're talking about. MTO's?



    Lol, same here. Dry humping would imply something totally different here....or maybe my mind was just in that groove after checking out the boobies and NSFW threads:D

  5. Various visual cues can give you an altitude reference,eg. noting the altitude of the cloudbase on the climb :) ,the sight of the 2-way that exited before you deploying at your level :$ , or using nearby mountains as a level reference.

    If you are very familiar with a particular DZ you will build a mental image of what the ground should look like at pull height - which can be surprisingly accurate with practice. This can cause problems when visiting a different DZ obviously. Also one should be aware that varying atmospheric conditions (low level haze, the angle of sunlight at different times of year/day,the visability on a frosty winters day) can all influence your dept perception.

    In short, your altimeter is a very good reference that you should use as a back up to using your eyes. Altimeter needles have been known to stick or over/under read from time to time and realising that there is a problem rather than just being trusting your life to it is a nice skill to have.

  6. This probably isn't the problem that you are having, but what the hey, there's no harm in checking. Does your container have adjustable MLW and if so are they set evenly. This can cause a built in turn the same as unevenly tightened leg straps.

    Just a thought sparked by another thread.

  7. I wear attenuating earplug - that is ones that are designed to mostly reduce the decibel level of certain frequency ranges rather than just blocking all noise. They have a tiny hole which allows pressure equalisation across the plug which allows your ears to pop normally, almost as if you weren't wearing them. They are a little more expensive than disposable plugs but as you can wash and reuse them this make them worth it. They are very effective and the cool thing is that while they block out most of the engine noise it is still possible to talk to people (if they speak up a bit). As I am usually one of the last out this means that I usually sit up the front between (and in the plane of) the props, which can get uncomfortable after a bit.

    I have also taken to wearing them in nightclubs because I find the decibel levels practically painfull, darn kids and their rock musak. Does that mean that I'm getting old?:S

    Here is where I got mine, but I'm sure that there is a similar product in other countries.

  8. Are you planning to use it as mobile data storage as well. If so opt for the Flash based one. Yes you get less space but also less headaches when trying to connect to your pc.
    I have the Creative Zen Xtra 40GB which I planned to use for both music and storage. For audio it kicks ass (especially with proper headphones) but as a mobile hard disk it is really crap. It requires special drivers to connect and then you need extra software to actually browse the drive. Flash drive based players are plug and play with Win XP/2k and are installed as removable drives in Explorer. Also because there is no motor to spin up they are much easier on batteries giving you longer play time.

  9. Firstly, your programs menu in the Start menu only contains links to those programs. If the program gets moved then the link is useless and also it cannot find the icon that it uses, hence the standard unknown program icon ("white rectangle with a blue bar across the top").

    Ok, the Notepad app normally resides in c:\winnt\system32\ (or %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32\ if you want to be pedantic). If you are sure that this is in fact the correct app then simply moving it back to this folder will fix the link. The question is: how did it get to WINNT\??? Sometimes viri masquarade as legitimate windows apps, but not in the correct folder (usually in the system path). Check that app with an up-to-date virus scanner, it may well be working as expected but that's no garrantee that it's not infected.

    Next, Autoplay for audio CDs is not related with notepad in any way, as notepad is a self contained program for text editing. To fix your problem use Regedit to edit the registry and navigate to
    HKLM\Software\Classes\AudioCD\Shell\
    and create the string value @ if it doesn't already exist.
    Set it to PLAY
    and exit and reboot.

    If you don't know what the Registry is or have never used Regedit before then you are safer using something like Kai's Powertweaks (guessing at a vaguely familiar name) or Xteq's X-Setup tool to change it.

  10. Quote

    >170 lbs in US ? :)

    Well, at least it was a long time ago, the last time I checked. Reality is probably closer to 200 lbs nowadays. Of course, changing it would cut into airline profits, so there is a powerful incentive not to change it.



    Have you noticed what's happening to baggage allowances lately, especially on the no-frills carriers.

  11. No, this wont (or shouldn't) happen in freefall. When you are practicing on the floor your back, neck..etc muscles have to put a lot of effort in to get the arch and all your weight is placed on your abdomen, but in freefall the air pressure supports your entire body and you simply relax into the arch so your back muscles do very little work. Some people recommend laying on your back on one of those beachball things that gyms have as this is a closer representation of what you feel in FF than what you are trying now.

    When I graduated static line, for the first few freefall jumps I found that I had a sore back but discovered that I was trying too hard to get a big arch. When I just relaxed and when with the flow it all came together and the pain went and my stability and control increased dramatically.

  13. Definately BS. They claim to have been in operation since at least 2000. There is only IPC, GoSkydive, Falcons and The Wild Geese (in NI). They seem to have more staff than the IPC which seems odd. Currently only The Wild Geese operate a turbine (Caravan), although IPC is looking into buying one.

    They also claim to have a turbo 206, I'm not even sure that there is one in the country although IPC have a NA 206 all right. There are no twin Caravans, and what is a "Cessna Caravan 675" anyway. The 600 series are Citation Biz Jets. Maybe they mean the Grand Caravan 208B with the 675 shp P&W PT6A.

    The site claims that they operate out of "Ros a Mhíl, deep in the Cos Fhairrge (sea-side) region of Connemara". This is referring to Minna airport in the Inverrin/Rossaveel area. This is the grass strip that AerArann operate out of to the Arann Islands, and no paradrop has ever occurred there to my knowledge. I wouldn't like to jump there - the winds coming off the Atlantic rarely drop to anything near acceptable levels.

    The IAA will not not be of much help as they seem to be trying their best to inhibit the growth of GA in Ireland, I doubt that the would be very interested in dealing with skydiving any more than is absolutely necessary. [:/]
    Drop the PAI a line and you may get a more positive response. This site may be the work of a student for a project but looks a little too ligitimate for comfort. I tried filling in junk in the registration info form and it accepted it.

  14. Quote

    it sounds more likley that having the same unit do three different jump modes is more cost effective......but it needs to be idiot proof so to speak,as to not put jumpers in danger.



    It says the mode the unit is in right there on the display. How can someone miss the word TANDEM on their AAD display during a gear check, not once or twice - but on 14 seperate occaisions. This seems less of an equipment issue and more one of a jumper getting complacent and failing to perform a complete system check before every jump. Do people check their Cypres before every jump (yes, even if you have already jumped it that day) - if not, why not?

    Quote

    Complacency is the core issue here, not training. It's clear that he should have caught the error, but he didn't. Every one of us is capable of making the same mistake.

    AndyMan



    Exactly. This is the lesson that we should take from this, and that every one of us is responsible for our own safety in this sport.

  15. Quote

    Imagine if you start fumbling for the pud or reserve handle at 1000 feet, everything just sorta slowed down and stopped, and they had to get out the long hook to get you out of the sky.



    Skydiving has a perfect record - in over 60 years of skydiving activities we've never left anyone up there....yet.

  16. Regular TVs (not these new-fangled plasma or LCD screen jobbies) will only display at 800 x 600, any bigger than that and the picture will be larger than the TV screen area. You should be able to pan around by running the cursor to the edge of the screen, so don't panic if you can't see your icons or taskbar. Just knock the screen resolution back to 800 x 600 @ whatever colors you like. The display properties should be able to change the way you use your dual monitor setup and the option to duplicate the desktop will be there somewhere.

  18. Quote

    Trying to artificially increase lung pressure via a muscle contraction will not be effective either. To few oxygen molecules to compress and you can't hold the contraction long enough to be effective anyway. (It's actually counterproductive) Your useful conciousness time will be reduced due to increased metabolic function from the muscle contraction. ie., your burning oxygen to increase oxygen transfer?


    I didn't say anything about using muscle contraction to artificially increase pressure in the lungs. In fact I considered the opposite to be effective - ie. relaxation of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm, which would allow the ribcage to return to its normal position. In addition with constricting the trachea (or however the body prevents exhalation) this might cause a slight increase in static pressure in the lungs over the ambient and thus provide a more favourable differential and delaying the effects of of hypoxia. The deeper the breath the greater the deflection of the ribcage and thus the greater the compression when relaxed. This is just my theory, feel free to shoot it down.

    Of course meditation techniques demonstrate that slow deep breathing relaxs the body and can slow the heart and metabolic rate. The factors you have also mentioned would have a drastic effect too.

  19. Although I don't have very much knowledge on the subject, I seem to remember hearing from a comercial pilot who was also a scuba diving instructor about the partial pressure of oxygen at altitude having an effect, in addition to the lower air density. This is why hyperventilating does nothing to increase your oxygen saturation.

    Deeper slower breathing on the other hand may well help. When you take a deep breath and hold it you tend to relax the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm, which may increase the static pressure slightly in your lungs and allow a greater exchange of oxygen.

  20. F-111 is a type of Ripstop Nylon woven fabric. That means that the material is woven from Nylon thread in such a way that should a tear appear in the material it will not spread - the fabric is not weakened by a small rip.

    As to the name, well here I am just guessing but:
    The fabrics are specified by their thread thickness in denier (den), which is thread weight specified over a thread length of 9,000 metres. This means that a 9,000 metre long 600 den thread, for example, would weigh 600 grams. Thus for each 9000m length the nylon thread used in F111 would weigh 111 grams. (please read further before flaming)

    From BillVons post #4
    Quote

    F-111 is a trade name that no one uses any more; it's become a term like 'xerox.' This comes up because the modern fabrics used in reserves (like ExactaChute) do not behave like F-111. This is why the old argument "Does F-111 rip like ZP?" is hard to answer accurately; no one uses F-111, and the type of fabric used is critical in answering that question.



    From The Base Jumping Forums:
    Quote

    Low porosity ripstop nylon fabric (F111, Exactachute, whatever) goes through a process called calendering. This involves passing the woven material through two heated rollers, which press the individual yarns together. This achieves a low fabric porosity. This process is done AFTER the dyeing process. By the way, zero-P fabrics are treated with additional coatings, usually silicon based, to fill the remaining "holes."

    With F111-type material, It is known that water submersion will undo the calendering of the fabric and "open up" the small gaps in the weave, increasing porosity and hindering canopy performance. Dyeing may have a similar effect.



    It is light and strong and its ripstop capabilities make it invaluable in parachutes. It is also degraded by exposure to water and to UV light (eg from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight) as this breaks down the Nylon polymer. Ripstop fabrics such as F111 were also used in clothes manufacturing and were sometimes seen in shell suits from the 80s.

  21. I've only used DAP and didn't really find that much of a speed increase. However I have a really crappy connection and found it useful as a queue manager, I can't handle sumultaneous downloads so I just queue and schedule them to start at night when the calls are cheaper. I used it so rarely, mainly for drivers and skydiving clip downloads, that I don't really bother any more. I can't remember now if it was adware supported or not, but it's likely it is. KGet is pretty good in Linux.

  22. Quote

    Everytime I see a bidet now I imagine him giving his feet a good wash - just after I have used it for its correct purpose! B|



    What, you mean to tell me that those things are not drinking fountains?

    And the ones in the park....oh no!! :o

  23. Quote

    Also, both of these systems have a ton of wires running from the radio. How would these be routed, to stay away from the important item on your back..?? I'm guessing inside your suit, and a ton of zip, or other ties holding everything in place.



    Why not embed the radio into the helmet itself. You might not like the idea of having a transmitter that close to your head, but most people have no problem holding a fairly high powered transceiver against their heads for long periods every day - cell phones. In fact given the range that these things are expected to work over the transmittter wouldn't need to be that powerful at all say 500mW or less.

  24. Quote

    I heard about this but I thought that there were more countries thinking about this other than justGermany. I think its crazy to use the presently low profit airlines for developing countries. There are so many things that they could tax instead which would be better suited or over looked.



    Or they could cancel the outstanding debt of those countries who's governments make a genuine effort to improve the welfare of their people and demonstrate consideration for human rights. By simply stopping funding and covert arms trading with impoverished waring nations, such as many in Africa at the moment, they could do a lot more good for these people than any amount of taxation would achieve - even it were all actually sent there. Call me sceptical if you will.