fonz

Funny how nobody seems to consider bass guitarists or areas of music other than rock or metal (flamenco, anyone?). Anyway, since all the names that pop up are the lead-guitar rock stars, I'll focus on that. To me, a really good player: a) has mastered several techniques and styles; b) has several types of guitars (and other string instruments) and knows how to play them; c) has stage personality; d) can write catchy tunes; e) is creative and innovative with special effects; f) has a thorough knowledge of sound equipment and theory; g) knows how to balance between consistency and improvisation; h) can play rhythm as well as lead. Category A Nominees are: Slash, Brian May And the Oscar goes to: Slash, for being a strings centipede. Category B Nominees are: Slash, Ritchie Sambora And the Oscar goes to: Slash, because he shows it off on stage more. Category C Nominees are: Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Gene Simmons (bassist, I know) And the Oscar goes to: Slash, for his trademark dashing and jumping around whilst playing. Category D Nominees are: Slash, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Yngwie Malmsteen And the Oscar goes to: Mark Knopfler, for just being the better tunesmith. Honorable mention: Yngwie Malmsteen. His tunes are beautiful and dreamy, but way too complex to be really catchy. Category E Nominees are: Slash, Brian May And the Oscar goes to: Slash. Name a trick and he does it. Category F Nominees are: Brian May, Brian May, Brian May, Brian May And the Oscar goes to: professor B. May. Category G Nominees are: Brian May, Mark Knopfler, George Kooimans (Golden Earring) And the Oscar goes to: Mark Knopfler, for knowing when to play what's on the record and when to improvise. Honorable mention: Brian May, because it's a close call but there will be no ties. Category H Nominees are: Brian May, Slash, George Kooimans, Joe Perry, Ritchie Sambora And the Oscar goes to: Brian May. Overall Winner: Saul Hudson a.k.a. Slash. Runners up: Brian May, Mark Knopfler and Yngwie Malmsteen. Honorable mentions: Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ritchie Sambora, George Kooimans, Cristiano DaMatta (is better with racing cars than with the guitar, but hey), Chuck Berry, Joe Perry, Gene Simmons (bass), John Deacon (bass), David Gilmour, Alice Cooper and Keith Richards, just for being still alive. Audience award: Slash, for being a nice and approachable guy. Attitude award: Mark Knopfler, for being (or having been) the exact opposite of Slash. Air guitar award: Freddie Mercury. Sorry that this post got so long, I guess I got carried away a bit Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I think you're right. But I also wouldn't want to rule out the possibility that desorientation merely makes you think you're carving when you're not. Or that you try to fly straight, but your brain is temporarily confused about what is straight. I think that both theories (body position plus wind versus the brain stuff) can apply. Possibly even at the same time. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Haven't checked it out yet. I like to think that I know my physics, having been to university and all. But I'll have a look at it. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

reply]I think it's simply physics. Maybe not entirely. Some people have reported that it felt like they left in a curve rather than a straight line. I think that's mainly a matter of desorientation, which is physiology rather than physics. But I do believe we're on the right track: the jumper's body moves in a straight line but might still be rotating around itself. Thanks, Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

When I finally get my own rig (should be this spring or summer), I most certainly will! In my experience, exposure can work miracles when you try to learn a language. When everybody around you is speaking the language and nobody speaks your own native language, it seems like you are picking things up easier and faster. In fact, when I was in Perris too long ago (about 5 and a half years, sigh), it only took a few days before I found myself not just speaking english, but actually living english. No thinking in dutch first and then translating into english. Even when I was alone, thinking to myself, it was in English. Alphons (funny how such things can work) And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There's been a discussion going on over at the dutch forum for a while and I'm curious about what you people here at dz.com think about it. Question is: if you have a violently spinning mal on the main, will you stop spinning once you have cut it away (cleanly, no hangups)? My educated guess is that you'll get slingshot away in a straight line (the canopy no longer pulls you in a circular motion and you leave along the tangent) but depending on the situation your body itself might still be rotating. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Record an MP3 and post the link here. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Gee... I'm starting to think that maybe I should brush up on my foreign languages... English is okay but not perfect and I forgot most of my German, Italian and Japanese. And French... well, I've been trying desperately to forget all of that, but it didn't work and there's still "un petit peu" left so I might just as well bring the rest back too. Mince alors! Alphons (it's study time again, I guess) And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Charmed! When listened to in its entirety (rather than just the theme cut for the show), I just find "How Soon Is Now" a nice song. Alphons (besides, Charmed kicks ass anyway) And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I think you're right. And the track in the picture doesn't look one bit like Surfers' Paradise (where the ChampCars used to come) either. It looks more like Albert Park, the street course in Melbourne where the new F1 season kicks off in march. Given that it's normally just a public road and that according to his profile the OP lives in Melbourne, this is also the most likely. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see any purple... Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

One time I accidentally jumped a PD-230. It malled and I had to chop it. The reserve (not exactly sure what it was, but probably a Tempo of similar size) was hell. It opened fine and landed ok, but it flew like crap. It was almost impossible to get the damn thing to turn. A 180 degree full-toggle turn took about 15 to 20 seconds and lost 400 feet in the process. Boy, was I glad that I initiated the turn at 500 feet... Other than that, the worst main I ever jumped must have been the Manta. No bashing intended, but it's just too big, too slow and simply doesn't compare to the canopies I've jumped since. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Ehm... did YOU? Alphons (just curious) And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

A succesful chop might help here (been there, done that). As for me, I found the first couple of jumps to be quite scary BEFORE leaving the plane (I believe that's called door anxiety). On AFF level 6, the JM pushed me out in unstable position (it was planned that way!). Enjoying the tumble for a while, then arching and finding out that it actually works significantly reduced my fears and cured the door anxiety. When I had about 50-odd jumps I had my first mal (no, I didn't pack it myself). Succesfully cutaway and deployed the reserve. Knowing how and when to pull the handles is one thing but actually finding out that it really works might add to your peace of mind and your gear faith. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

It seems to work for Eric Cartman... Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Some loose thoughts: First, I don't think you can actually be scared of heights. Being scared of depths is another matter... Second, I think the idea of being in control (or not) is important. Personally, I can get quite jittery when I'm on a ladder. Not because of the height or depth, but because I somehow just don't trust ladders and expect them to topple down, taking me with them. I don't feel like I'm in control so I'm (somewhat) scared. Cranes, scaffolds and cradle elevators, on the other hand, I usually trust. When I'm on one of those, I don't give a rat's ass whether I'm 2 floors up or 22. I feel in control so I'm not the least bit scared. I also think that's the main reason why most people are not afraid to look out the window of an airplane. They feel secure in the knowledge that they can't just fall out of the plane. They feel in control, hence they're not scared. Note that I said most people! I also know people who don't want to sit at the window or don't even want to fly in the first place. So I'm aware that there are exceptions. Third: with height, our depth perception changes. As we get further AGL, we percieve increased height/depth, but at some point we get so high - and the world below us appears so small - that we lose sense of how high we really are, which decreases the fear factor. Fourth: there are additional factors that can increase our fear of heights/depths, such as noise, wind or the swinging/swaying of a structure. For example, being in the door of a jump plane takes some getting used to. The wind blast increases the fear factor if you're not accustomed to it. All in all, I'm inclined to say that fear of heights/depths is a complex matter and it's perfectly normal to be scared in one situation and not at all scared in another situation. Our minds can play funny tricks with us sometimes. I'd like to conclude with another illustrating example: a former colleague of mine is kind of a tree-surgeon. He can fire away with a chainsaw 100 feet up a tree when secured by ropes, but he breaks out in sweat when he's 10 feet up the same tree standing on a ladder. He trusts his climbing equipment (harness, ropes, etc.) but doesn't trust the ladder. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

What makes you think it has to be a "him"? Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Ah, the Aphonopelma Chalcodes. Mostly true. Some of the more venomous species can kill vulnerable humans such as small children, sick people or those who are excessively allergic. The latter is rare, but not nonexistent. Those species don't live in the U.S. though, they are mainly to be found in Africa. [edit: But generally speaking, yes, tarantulas are indeed not dangerous to humans] Also partially true. Most American/Mexican tarantulas indeed have barbed hairs that they can brush (in dutch it's called bombarding), but many other species don't, e.g. most African or Asian types. Mostly true, but there are a few (very few indeed) species where the female isn't agressive towards the male. Anyway, tarantulas rock! Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

On my CRW risers I'm going to get both, actually. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

As far as I've seen, frontriser diveloops are usually located on the back of the riser (facing the jumper, so to say), but some people seem to prefer having them on the front. facing away from the jumper. Which do you prefer and why? Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I'm a snake. Now, did I win the coffee machine? And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Cute thing. What species is it? Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I ain't buying that, either. I find it to be totally different from skydiving, but equally good fun in its own way. Never had one. I've been told that it's rough and injury-prone, but that a good PLF can go a long way. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I'll post a more elaborate answer if you're interested, but the short answer is: 1. No, paragliders usually don't have a release system. Some do, but those are few. 2. A paragliding reserve is usually something completely different than a skydiving reserve. Most are round and do NOT like terminal openings. 3. Most paraglider pilots don't skydive and therefore have zero freefall skill. 4. Most paraglider pilots don't want to freefall, or even think about it. If you'd like to know more, just holler. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Here in Holland it roughly works as follows: To get an A license, one needs to make 5 hop&pops from 7,000 feet (or more), on which you perform canopy flight exercises. These jumps are briefed and debriefed by an (assistant) instructor or canopy coach. There is a suggested programme, but the exercises in there are (imho) very basic and there are no formal requirements to meet. To get a B license, ditto. To get a C license, one needs to make 5 CRW jumps. However, docking is not required, just flying in close proximity is sufficient. On top of that, your total number of jumps and your number of jumps in the past year determine a maximum wingload, a minimum area and a range of allowed canopies. Alphons And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes. -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy