rasmack

We just got a couple of brand new Icon Student containers, and as with everything new at a DZ, the instructors have some issues with the design (our other rigs are Javelins and old Vectors). The most serious is that the reserve handles are rather small compared to the other rigs. So, while we are waiting for a response from Aerodyne, I thought I'd check if anyone else had an opinion on this. Perhaps there is a good reason for the handle being shaped like it is. I can't really seem to master the flash shopping system on their webpage, so I can't see if the handles are listed under options as something that can be varied. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

I prefer this one. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Dude, whatever you guys are smoking in the states, I want me some of that... HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Ah yes, a little specificity (is that a word?) might help. The conf. is late August, so it should be well within the season. Sounds from your description like both DZs have reasonable lift capacity. The RW organization speaks in favour of PST. Public transportation speaks for ST. Choices choices... Anywho, sounds like bringing the rig isn't an unreasonably crazy idea. Cheers and thanks, /R

Seems I'll be crossing the Atlantic again, this time heading to a conference in Toronto. Any word on which of the nearby DZs might be best suited for a weekend of RW relaxation after a week of high-energy physics? The reviews in the DZ database seem mostly concerned with instructing and student progressions. Oh, and if someone could fill me in on being a foreign jumper in Canada, I'd like to hear about it. Are foreign licenses recognized? Do I have to conform to Canadian or Danish repack cycle? How the h**l do I get from Toronto to a DZ? Rent a car? Public transportation? Thanks, /R

OK, sounds like I'm reconstructing up to 5 inches or so above the reinforcement. I found a pretty tough fabric that is fairly close to the original colour. I'll just tell myself it looks cool. Thanks.

OK, I'm trying to understand how "adding new fabric" is not the same as "sewing on a patch". Do you mean that the patch should not just be sewn on to the fabric but be integrated into the seams of the area? If so, I guess I could just put it on the inside and reduce the colour clashes to threads across the fabric... or is that uglier? HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

OK, freshly home from my first trip to the tunnel. My trusty old RW suit thought it was bit rough, though. I have reinforcements on the knees (cordura?) but the fabric tore cleanly at the seam above the reinforcement (see picture). How should I go about fixing this? Put on a cordura patch? It goes without saying that I don't want to shorten the length of the front length as that will only increase the tension from the booties. I am also a bit wary that any stitching I do in the not-so-strong fabric might contribute to tearing it. Any suggestions are welcome. My legs are rather wide btw, so it is actually possible to get down there with a sewing machine. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

He just made the statement that bandwidth was a problem and backed it up with the observation that encrypted data are hard to compress... I guess I should have called his statement incomplete instead of plain wrong but now I think we are entering the realm of who-said-who semantics. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

No, he's not. Once it's encrypted, compression would corrupt the datastream. Ehm... read my post again. Other way around. Run whichever compression algorithm you will (say mpeg4), then run the resulting stream through an encryption algorithm. Exactly where am I corrupting anything? HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Unless encryption in itself adds significantly to the data-size, you're wrong. One could just compress first, and then encrypt. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

+1 This is the simplest explanation to throw at anyone. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Does that mean I have to update the web page? HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

You can tell the difference? The prostitute is cheaper? HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

I agree wholeheartedly with your post. My point was merely an objection to the fact that this guy's job was being used to affix a stamp of authority to the review when in fact his job and his academic credentials were entirely irrelevant. People should make up their own minds instead of "listening to that guy, because he's a professor"... oh wait... Obama was a professor. *ducks* Oh, and apart from this meta-discussion I am not going to touch the US health care debate with a 10 foot pole. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

From the link: Makes his credentials rather moot. I am a research physicist. I would not expect you to pay extra heed to my opinions on sociology or law for that reason... HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Why would they go quiet? My reaction would be along the lines of "Wow! Lookie there! Shiny!" HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Please take discussions of tools to Gear and Rigging. Please take discussions of vaginas to Bonfire. Vaginas + bonfires = witch burning! Doesn't that fit SC just fine? HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

As Bill Hicks said it: HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

'Eunt'? What is 'eunt'? It's wrong!!! That's what it is. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Reagan kissed Gorbachov. Does that mean they were lovers? Even if he did bow, why do you construe it as a sign of submission? In many parts of the world it would be seen as a sign of respect, nothing more. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Next time I'm in the states I'll just go through this thread and look up a couple of you guys for hands-on education. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

Aside from the 44 mag, and the 50 for the Desert Eagles, which calibers are you talking about? Not much is bigger than the 357mags. The .40 S&W, the .41 Magnum, the .44 Special, the .45 Colt, Auto and GAP, the .454 Casull, the .500 S&W.... I think the magnum trumps the wider diameter on most of these. He said caliber, not power factor. And he used the word "beyond," not bigger then. Since that is open to interpretation, I asked him to clarify. Why are you wasting my time? YOUR OWN RESPONSE to him talked about calibers - why are you wasting MY time? Ehm.. wow. Didn't realize what I was starting here. Never bothered to read up on anything bigger than .38 and .357 magnum as .40, .44 and so on are not allowed here. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

No, it is a common assumption but it is very much up for discussion. True, but I was referring to the incarceration rate: Percentage of the population in prison. This number is independent of the size of the population. Edit: Damn you nerdgirl! HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...

It's too bad the justice system in the U.S. can't seem to do that. Cops are overworked and the courts don't bury the bad guys like they should. The result is that if a person in the U.S. wants to stay safe, they must take it upon themselves. And for that, we have the second amendment (which some want to take away). Ehm... a couple of unfounded assumptions here. You assume that harsher sentences would in some way cut down crime. The incarceration rate in the US is approximately five times that of the average European country (source). At the same time your gun laws are a lot looser. However, your homicide rate is still nearly seven times higher than in Denmark as the_sarge posted. I consequently see no evidence for neither of your assumptions. I will give you this, though. The strict gun laws make sense here because it has always been so. There just aren't that many guns around. In the US, on the other hand, you have had hand-guns floating around forever. There you are right that it shouldn't pose too much of a problem for a criminal to get hold of a firearm. I guess what I am saying is that loose gun laws make sense in the US because there are so many bloody guns everywhere. On the other hand I am perfectly content with the Danish rules... in Denmark. For the interested reader Buying a gun is not that difficult. It will be stored in your gun club. To store it in your home you need to have been a member of a gun club for two years and the board of your club need to co-sign your application for a permit Storage is in a safe Carry permits practically don't exist. A firearm must always be disassembled when being transported (oh, and as a civilian you are not allowed anywhere near calibers beyond .357 magnum) For the record, I like shooting hand-guns myself. Preferably revolvers. HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227 “I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.” - Not quite Oscar Wilde...