NWFlyer

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Everything posted by NWFlyer

  1. Have you stopped beating your boyfriend yet? So long as he listens. I just figured I'd try the corollary poll (though I about cringed to have to copy/paste the poll structure since "I do" and "I don't" aren't proper response options to a "Why?" question) could be interesting. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  2. There seems to be an awful lot of people who really vehemently detest poor people. And they usually can't give any good reason for it. This has always baffled me. There are plenty of poor people who aren't detestable. Just because they have less money than you isn't a good reason. I may be poor someday myself, and wouldn't consider that a good reason for people to hate me. So why do you hate the poor? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  3. Well, 9:32 for me. Hey, it was actually 3 full days late... so blame one of the other slackers who didn't post it (I can usually count on drdive or TallGuy to be on this like white on rice the very day that it's allowed to be posted!). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  4. I've really lucked out in that regard; I've been able to get fair deals (of course, other than my very first purchase, all of my other used gear purchases have been opportunistic - I see a great deal and jump on it vs. needing something right now and taking what's available) and have found that when I get fair deals, the used gear holds its value far better than new gear will. Also, one thing to always remember... the price listed in the ad isn't necessarily what the person will get. Most sellers will start high (somewhat high or very high) anticipating some level of negotiation. Like anything you'll find the buyer who wants their price no matter what and is willing to sit until they get it (or don't). Some buyers are super-motivated to sell, maybe because they need the cash from this sale to apply to a purchase. Most are somewhere in between. There's also what I call the "friends factor" where you'll knock off some of the cost to sell to someone you know, especially if it's someone local and the transaction just got way easier for you, the seller. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  5. This. I've always had an AAD and an RSL. I think they're smart choices for the overwhelming majority of skydivers on the overwhelming majority of skydives. I think some (but certainly not all) of the arguments against them rest mostly on the I'm too cool to use one factor, the I'm too smart to need them factor, the I'm old school factor, or some combination of those factors. I think those are all fairly silly arguments for not choosing a backup device. All that said... I don't think we (and who is "we" anyway, but a collection of national skydiving associations/aeronautical regulators who make rules for skydivers in their country) should move towards mandatory use of such devices (other than for pre-licensed jumpers, as they currently are in the U.S.). Of course it's the right of a DZO to decide how he/she wants to do business and manage risk and if he/she wants to make them mandatory (or mandatory up to a certain experience level), that's their business. Instead, I think we need to wake the fuck up and learn what we need to learn from these incidents - that altitude awareness (and taking action based on that altitude awareness) is your #1 job from the second you leave the airplane till the second your feet touch the ground. Everything else is gravy. And we need to constantly reinforce it - as instructors, as mentors, as friends. We need to have the tough talks with people who lose altitude awareness and are fortunate enough to get away with a close call. (I had just such a conversation with a jumper with 53 jumps just a couple weeks ago... I was busy training 4-way but she scared the shit out of me and I talked to her as we walked in from the landing area, and later asked the S&TA to follow up. That's the kind of mentoring we all should be doing on a regular basis... but so often we don't because we get way too caught up in our own shit.) Arming yourself with the best available backup devices is a great thing, and I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone who asked me for advice. I've had friends saved by AADs - I strongly prefer to visit friends in the hospital than in the morgue. But making them mandatory isn't going to solve the problem of low cutaways. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  6. Fair enough, you didn't directly say it. I'll retract my statement. However, your rhetorical style is, I believe, strongly biased towards new(er) equipment, without a lot to back it up other than "I like new better." No one's trying to talk you (or anyone else) out of buying new gear. As you and others mentioned, there's some great tangible and intangible benefits. If you can afford it, go for it. But people (me included) are trying to provide a fair representation of all sides of the argument. Frankly, though, I'm starting to feel like I should just STFU when jumpers march around and proclaim loudly to anyone who will listen that all new gear is the way to go, because that just means there'll be more great stuff on the used market in a couple of years when they move onto something else or life changes and they no longer jump (because, statistically speaking, most will, that's just kind of the way it is in this sport). I'm mildly intrigued by this message from Precision, though not interested enough to do my own research as I sold my Precision reserve a few years back. TBH a blanket "I won't pack anything over 15 years old" coming from a manufacturer of reserves could be interpreted as an opportunistic attempt to get older used gear off the market in hopes of moving more new gear. Another major manufacturer of reserves requires that reserves be sent to the factory for inspection after a certain number of pack jobs or jumps. That, to me, is a more credible policy from a manufacturer than a blanket "I won't pack old reserves" statement. And my answer remains the same. Take emotion out of it. We don't know anything about the hypothetical 20 year old reserve; is it a closet queen that had one pack job before its owner quit jumping? Or was it used in a student program where there was an average of a chop a month? Or somewhere in between those two extremes (the most likely scenario)? Again, it's worth the cost of an inspection by a trusted rigger to let me know what condition the actual 20 year old reserve is in. I bought a 20 year old reserve a couple of years ago; the only reason that I sold it was that it turned out to be too tight of a fit in my container. Had it fit better I'd have happily kept it and jumped it without worry if I'd needed to. That's because I trust my rigger. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  7. What she said. Except I might not have worked as hard in school as NWFlyer. Except for school, yeah, I was born on or close to third base. I did run with the ball after that, but I knew which way to run, too. I think both of you are overstating your situations if that's 3rd base. Sounds more like a nice lead off first. It all depends on what you're comparing it to I suppose, but if all you got out of that post is a desire to quibble over where on the diamond I was born, you kind of missed the point (besides, that was a tongue-in-cheek throwaway line that I didn't even make up!). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  8. Somewhere, over the Prairie, Skyvans fly! That's right, the flying toaster will be back at Lost Prairie this year, along with two, count 'em, two Otters and the fabulous SDAZ air and ground crew that keep the most beautiful boogie in the U.S. running smoothly every year. All the details (still being finalized) are at the link below. For now, get your asses in gear figuring out how to get yourself to beautiful Northwest Montana for "Summer Camp for Skydivers." http://www.meadowpeakskydiving.com/lost-prairie-boogie-2014/ The infrastructure for the boogie continues to get better and better each year. Set up your tent or RV right next to the landing area, walk to the brand new shower/bath houses, pick up some food from the on-site vendor, wave hi at the beautiful manifest goddess on your way to the big circus tent that doubles as a loading area. One thing that will never changes is the fact that the weather is terrible, the skydives suck, the beer is warm and there's too many damn Canadians! But you should show up anyway. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  9. Do you think you are doing better off than the median for people with your set of circumstances? Do you think you put in a higher level of effort than the median for your set of circumstances? And if so, why do you think you don't deserve it? I didn't say I don't deserve it; I'm just no more or less deserving that someone who wasn't born into my set of circumstances (American, native English speaking, white, above average IQ, with parents who valued and prioritized education, raised in an intact family in comfortable economic circumstances, in an area with excellent public schools, with a college fund adequate to cover 4 years at state university provided to me by my parents). I had nothing to do with any of those things other than to be fortunate enough to be born/raised in them. As for my set of circumstances... by objective measures back in the day (grades, college/grad school acceptance) I suppose you could say I put in more effort than the median, but not the highest level of effort. Since then, I never jumped on any "boom industry" gravy train. I've reached my current level of economic success in a relatively slow and deliberate way. I've always valued work-life balance over a ridiculous paycheck, and I work in an industry that isn't really geared towards ridiculous payouts. I work hard, but certainly no less hard than people making significantly less money than me. There's probably plenty of people who make way more than me that don't work any harder than I do. Others have made a different work-life balance choice and are willing to put in 80-100 hour weeks for a larger payout. I currently work for a (very large) not-for-profit organization. I'm paid well and I have excellent benefits, and so long as I stay employed there, I should always be able to maintain a comfortable upper-middle-class lifestyle. But there won't ever be any giant payout like I might find at a company that offered me stock options and later went public or was sold for a princely sum. I also happened to choose an industry and a skill set that (thus far) the market continues to value. I can't claim that was any kind of deliberate plan when I started working in this industry 22 years ago, and when I stayed in it after grad school ended 17 years ago. I have friends from college who chose differently, and they find themselves in their 40s having to reinvent themselves, to varying degrees of success. I haven't had to do that - because my industry has grown, I've been able to just grow my skills in the same general areas. Point of all that is... I don't feel undeserving, but I'd never pretend that a different set of circumstances and any number of choices made/not made along the way might have set me on a very different path. I'm grateful for where I am, and happy that the choices I've made have led me here, but I don't pretend to be any kind of extra special person to have gotten here. (TL:DR version: I was born on third base but harbor no illusions that I hit a triple!) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  10. That's it mister. No more burger & brat invites for you! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  11. I don't hate the rich. I really try hard not to hate groups of people in general. In fact I reserve my hatred for individuals, and even then I try to limit the hate, since hatred doesn't really hurt anyone but me. All that said, while I don't harbor any ill will towards the wealthy, I do harbor some ill will towards those who paint the wealthy as hard workers and the poor as lazy. I'm not a fan of the messaging that those who are wealthy are somehow more deserving of wealth than those who are poor or middle class. I am, by world standards - wealthy, and by American standards, doing well, though I'm hardly wealthy. I have worked hard and taken advantage of opportunities that have come my way, but I don't feel that I am inherently more deserving; a lot of the opportunities that were available to me were pure luck based on the circumstances of my birth. I'm also pretty disappointed by the systematic dismantling of the American middle class that's taken place over the last few decades because of a whole host of economic forces, and political and social choices we've made as a nation, because I feel that is more likely than anything to be the undoing of this society, and will continue to breed hatred and resentment ... aimed in all different directions at all kinds of groups. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  12. You confuse me with your constantly changing statements and questions that get reworded every time you post. I'm trying to remember the last person I saw use that tactic to see if they could get a different answer out of someone. Oh yeah! It was one of those people in the courtroom when I was a juror a couple years ago. That was an interesting technique for sure. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  13. NWFlyer

    Dust Devil

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/04/04/fire_tornado_best_footage_yet_from_australia.html "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  14. It's worth the cost of an inspection by a trusted rigger, which varies by rigger & market but usually goes in the $50-75 range (including a repack). That inspection will give me the information I need to know whether the reserve in question (be it 2 years or 20 years old) is safe to jump. This is the second (at least) thread where you've tried to argue that newer is always better than used. You can say it as many times as you want, but it won't make it true. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  15. With a new name and a couple posts.. now who might this be Except for the Registered: Oct 24, 2003 part... "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  16. Now you're just coming off as a petty bully. Give it up already. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  17. wow! That is probably one of the best stories I've read in a long time about our sport. Thanks so much for sharing. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  18. Yeah I don't want to blame the victim here, but jesus christ. How often do people get their gear stolen from anywhere but a car? Sometimes it's unavoidable as you're going from point A to point B and need to stop somewhere; who knows what the situation was with this jumper. I do my best to avoid those situations (even if it means going out of my way a bit) but it does happen. But once you get home, or to your hotel, or wherever you're staying... bring your shit inside! There have been several times I've come home at the end of the day, dog tired, and I don't feel like schlepping itin , and I thought about leaving my stuff in my trunk, but even with the car in a garage, I still know that it's at a higher risk than when it's inside. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  19. Wow! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  20. 206... 182... calculated like a true skydiver. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  21. Unfortunately, no, we had a jam packed agenda already and only an hour to spend. But I did go and look him up that night. As with most things TV there's lots of obsessive internet coverage. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  22. I'd base myself somewhere (somewhere along the Mediterranean Coast) where I could have a home base and do lots of day/weekend trips. I've considered a trip like the Squeaks (and others I've known) have done, and I realize it wouldn't fit well with my own personality and travel style. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  23. Your profile says you jump at Skydive San Diego. Get yourself into Gravity Gear and ask Bonnie (who posts as GravityGirl on these foums) to help. She'll help you make sure you get something appropriate (size, condition, value, etc.). None of us on the internets can properly evaluate this purchase for you - you're very lucky in that you've got someone like Bonnie who's got years of experience in gear sales and who has helped tons of new jumpers get into the right gear. She has a great reputation for doing right by her customers. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
  24. So I was in a meeting a couple weeks ago with one of my coworkers and a couple other folks from my company that we'd never met before (but we're considering partnering with them on a project). We're having a great meeting, the other two are really cool and interesting, and at one point (I don't even remember the context) the woman points to the guy and says "It's like that show you were on!" Which of course, meant my coworker and I both had to say "Wait, what show were you on?" Turns out we were in the room with an Amazing Race contestant from (I think) Season 9. I've always said that Amazing Race is one of the only reality shows I'd consider being on... cool to meet someone who'd done it! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke