MikeFB2764

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Posts posted by MikeFB2764

  9. Carl Nelson Sr., father of Carl Nelson (FB #1) and Roger Nelson (FB#2), passed away yesterday (1/2/2010).

    I met Carl back at Skydive Sandwich in the 80's when he and his wife, Pat, ran a little deli on the DZ. He was a great guy who always made time for you.

    Thanks for the memories. Blue Skies.

  12. This post is a little self serving, so I apologize in advance.

    I entered a Nikon photo contents and one of my photos made it to the finals. Now everyone get to vote to determine the winners.

    If you have a chance, check out...

    http://www.ashtonsd60.com/gallery.aspx#/?category=all&sort=finalist&page=4&image=1772

    ... and if you like the shot, please vote for it. I am not sure how long the link will be valid, but it is a photo from the 10 way competition during the 2000 nationals.

    Thanks for your help!

    Mike

  15. Normiss, Skymama,

    What browsers are you using. I am not seeing the same results. I see one listing for Z-hills and one for Skydive Tampa.

    Thanks,

    Mike

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    Aren't they links to 2 different pictures?
    one in front of manifest and one in front of city hall?

    and you said that like we didn't deserve to be listed twice!;)

  16. You're right. Like I mentioned, this data is not accurate. I used a listing that I came across about 2 years ago (from the first cut of this map).

    This data is by no means a comprehensive source of DZ information. It is just a means of putting together a proof of concept.

    When and if, this project gets off the ground, a more comprehensive source of data will be put together.

    Thanks,

    Mike

    Quote

    I'm not sure where you are getting your dropzone information from but Waynesville Sport Parachute Center in Ohio hasn't been around for a few years at least (if not longer...)

    Although they might still do soaring at that airport...

  17. I could see payment options for the DZ being listed, sure. I need to figure out the scope of data that would be listed and more importantly, who would maintain it.

    Quote

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    Could you highlight which DZ's are accepting Skyride Certificates?

    THAT would be helpful.



    Great idea, turtle.

    TripleF

  19. Some time ago I posted a link to a DZ Map project that I was working on (http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2150435). Now that mapping technology, specifically satellite imagery, has improved, I have revisted this project.

    You can check out the revised DZ Map at: http://aerialdynamics.com/dzmap/ .

    I have switched mapping providers from Google Maps to Virtual Earth. While the mapping functionality between the two is similar, Virtual Earth seems to have better satellite imagery. Granted, I havent confirmed this with all of the DZs, but the few that I have, it was the case.

    Disclaimer: The data that I am using is old and incomplete. This project is more of a proof of concept and will be improved on.

    I look forward to your feedback.

    Mike

  23. By now everyone is aware of the situation with gas prices. The price of gas continues to creep up, especially around the holiday season. Though the price does come down afterwards, it does not fall quite as far as it crept up. When prices creep up again, they seem to go up higher and again, do not quite fall as far. I noticed today that gas prices in my area were about $3.65 a gallon, which is the highest that I have ever seen them in this area.

    In talking with my father-in-law, he pointed out while gas prices are high, consumers are paying a lot more, per gallon, for other consumables. After looking into this in detail, he’s right! Here are a couple of examples.

    Bottled Water: Everyone these days seems to using bottled water. While, from my perspective, it is not the “fad” that it use to be, it is still prevalent today. One can purchase a 20oz bottle of water from a vending machine for a dollar. While a dollar might not be unreasonable, here is how the cost of that one dollar bottle of water compares to a $3.65 gallon of gas.

    There are 128 ounces in a gallon. A 20oz bottle of water that cost one dollar, breaks down to approximately 5 cents an ounce. At that rate, a gallon of the same water would cost $6.40 per gallon.

    Let’s say that you are a little frugal and by your water in bulk. A retailer (who shall remain nameless), sell a 6 pack of 24oz bottles of water for $4.99. This breaks down to approximately 3 cents per ounce. At that rate, a gallon of the same water would cost $3.84 per gallon. Even a 12 pack of 12oz bottles would break down to the same price.

    In order to get your “per gallon” price for water below the current gas price (of $3.65 per gallon), you would need to purchase the 24 pack of 16.9oz bottles. This would break down to approximately 2 cents an ounce or $2.56 per gallon.

    Looking at it from this perspective is the price of gas unreasonable. We, as consumers, seem willing to pay, in some cases, a lot more for water than we are for gas. It gets worse!

    While figuring all of this out, I was enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee (again, brand to remain nameless). I though to myself, “How much does this coffee cost per gallon”. In doing the math, a 24oz cup of coffee that cost $2.25, breaks down to a whopping 9 cents per ounce or $11.25 cents per gallon.

    While there are a lot of arguments that can be made about this analysis and how buying more should cost less and frequency of purchases and all that other fun stuff, you have to admit, when you start looking at how much consumers are willing to pay for goods, the price of gas doesn’t seem that bad…