simon021

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Everything posted by simon021

  1. I might have missed it, but I didnt ever catch the point that you were refering to the DZO or S&TA pulling the handle. If thats the case, I can retract just about everything I said, and agree with you fully. I have no problem with a DZO or S&TA pulling the handle of someone who has been repeatedly warned and or punished for repeatedly endangering others and as a last resort before completely banning the person from the DZ. Thats fine with me. Will it do any good? I highly doubt it. It's just going to cause confrontation between the individual who pulled the reserve, and the individual whos reserve was pulled. I think by that point it's obvious that they are not getting, nor will ever get, the message. I also agree with what you said up above. If the S&TA had authority to ground someone, that would eliminate some of the DZ politics involved in the DZO himself banning someone. That sounds like a very effective system.
  2. Normally I'm pretty onboard with Popsjumper, but not 100% this time. I come from the "entitlement generation" and, amazingly enough, I understand ethics and morality and work ethic among other things missing from a big majority of my generation. Pops, you are being very thick headed about what he's trying to say. You are saying that this hypothetical jumper "knew the consequences of his actions." So is it just common practice at your DZ that if someone doesnt like what you are doing, they can just pull your reserve handle? Thats what you are making it out to be like. We all know that what you are really referring to is an extreme case in an extreme situation with an extreme individual involved that has already been exhausted all forms of reason and pulling their reserve to ground them is about the only thing you can do to give yourself and everyone else a save place to jump. How about you just come out and say that, instead of you two bickering back and forth arguing semantics. It's very obvious that pulling someones reserve is not in the normal everyday situation at the DZ. It's an extreme case where your DZO obviously wouldn't fix the problem, and the S&TA wouldn't fix the problem, so now instead of just leaving (the grown up thing to do ), you pull the guys reserve handle. Or are you saying the DZO or S&TA should pull his reserve handle after he doest listen to their instructions? couldnt they just ground them at this point? Pulling their reserve handle is just as immoral and immature as them punching you in the face after you do it. How about this. A hypothetical person is speeding through your neighborhood endangering all your kids. You go let all the air out of his tires (not slashing them, not destroying them, similar to pulling a reserve handle). You think this is morally and ethically the correct way to go about it? Is this the lesson you want to teach your children? If you have a problem with something, take it into your own hands instead of taking it to the proper authorities? I think that vigilante mentality could be argued to be just as bad as our "entitlement generation" to which you keep referring. The proper course of action would be to call the cops and let them deal with it. Thats the DZO and the S&TA are for. They are our police at the DZ. There is really no reason why you should be pulling their reserve handle, or touching their rig at all without their permission. If you dont want to jump with that jackass, go home. If your DZO and S&TA arent addressing the situation, or grounding the individual, then LEAVE. Thats the grownup thing to do. If your DZO and S&TA are not grounding people like this before it even gets to the point of you thinking you need to open their reserve, then do you really want to be jumping there anyways? Seriously? I know I wouldn't.
  3. That and also you're projecting meaning into words and behaviors that don't have that meaning. Being straightforward and saying what you mean doesn't make one simple or dumb. Or being indirect and unable to say what you mean doesn't make one intelligent. It has more to do with being able to stand behind what you say and taking responsibility over what you're saying. Women being indirect and unclear with what they're saying leave the responsibility to the listener over what they've said and should something they've said have some negative consequences weasel they're way out of what they've said. Men being direct with what they're saying leave no room for interpretation which forces them to stand behind what they've said. Wow. And there I was trying to inject a bit of humour... Dude, it really sounds like you have a beef against women... You keep writing those kinds of negative generalisations all the time. And frankly I find it ironic that you also keep bringing up "feminism" as though it were the problem... Feminism is at its roots a movement to bring about equality between the genders; to highlight the fact that sexism exists and it shouldn't. If you're the kind of person who thinks one gender is better than the other, you are part of the problem - not those who seek a more balanced view. The problem with MOST feminists is their message is lost in their poor presentation. Feminists look just as extreme as people that thing women have no place in the work force and should be at home tending children and cooking dinner.
  4. Well, then I guess the only thing I think we disagree on is how literally we are to take the argument. Literally speaking, that is all he is saying, yes. However, I believe (it is only an opinion) that it goes deeper. So yes. Blame vs. taunt. We can't be sure of the dude's intent, and we can read further into it or not. I think even in it's most simplistic form, it's a very fine (and dangerous) line... (Dangerous because it will piss off a lot of angry feminists!! ) Thats because you're a woman. Men can read a piece of text or hear someone talk and get the message being portrayed. Whereas women always, without exception find some hidden meaning or read something between the lines. Usually something that happens to fit their world view/mental state at that moment. Men, for the most part, are fairly straightforward and say what they mean with plain words. Women on the other hand talk a lot and assume that the receiver can decipher their mental state and the true uncommunicated meaning behind their words. While I dont completely agree with either side of this discussion, theres not much to dispute about that. I'll go ahead and put a disclaimer first. I'm talking about the Majority of men/women. Of course there will be exceptions to this. I know one woman that is about as strait forward and blunt as you could possibly get. No ESP needed with this girl :D Anyways, take this example: A husband is thirsty. He asks his wife if she would get him a glass of water please. Now the wife is thirsty. She makes an obscure comment about how she is thirsty, and expects the man to decipher her thoughts and come to the conclusion that she wants him to get her a glass of water. Thats just how men and women are. Someone that dress's like a gangster should be expected to be treated like one. Same as a woman that dresses like a big whore. She should be expected to be treated like one. Now I'm not saying she deserves to be raped, but SHE damn well better expect the attention SHE IS DRAWING TO HERSELF, and the negative/positive attention that comes from that. I get real sick of women putting themselves on display for everyone to see, leaving nothing to the imagination, and then trying to act like men are such pigs for looking at them. On the flip side, a lot of the younger generation is being poisoned by society to think dressing like a whore is the in thing or acceptable. I think parents fall to blame for this one. 7-8 year old girls in miniskirts doing dance routines that are far more provocative than Dirty Dancing ever was and all the parents thinking it's just so cute. It sickens me. Flame on!
  5. After quite a bit of research, I ordered a pair myself. The gun forums along with the car/motorcycle racing forums tend to swear by them, and these are the guys wearing them pretty much all day. I think my hearing is worth the 12 bucks, and I'm at least going to give it a shot. Being able to hear under canopy is a big concern for me, so that will be the real test.
  6. I love my revolve, and Bonehead went far above and beyond to get it to me in time for me to jump it before the end of last season. My vote goes for the Revolve. Very comfortable, very easy to close the visor, and you can open it with one hand even with gloves on with a little practice.
  7. I'm trying to figure this out myself...Did I miss something in the thread?
  8. It's pretty obvious he included that statement to show credibility. IE Last I knew, which was last night. Not that difficult to figure out... As far as 7 vs 9 cell, I am a noob and just received my A at the end of the last season. I was in the same situation as you, so I can offer my thoughts. Take them for what they are worth (not much). I did the first 20 jumps or so (would have to check my log book) on a 9 cell 220 Navigator. I have since been jumping a 7 cell spectre 190. I am very happy with the change. It seems much easier to land accurately (after a few jumps of getting used to the change of glide angle), and also seems a bit more stable in turbulence (again very little experience) Granted, I have only flown it 15 or 20 times since then, but from the limited experience I have had, I dont have any regrets about going with the 7 cell. Again, I'm brand new to all this, but I personally would have no regrets buying a 7 cell that was in decent enough shape to get a few hundred jumps out of it. Especially at the prices you can pick them up. Best advice would be to talk to your instructors. Dont forget to smile!
  9. Anyone going around advertising that tandems are the safest way to skydive is most definitely not going to get my business. That particular sentence wasn't worded well; but if you look at the context of the entire page, and not just that one sentence, it's pretty obvious that he's talking about the safest way to skydive for first-time jumpers. I know many instructors who I respect greatly who agree with that narrow point. Point taken, Andy. I can also agree with that narrow point. I went back and read through it again, and it doesn't make it sound much like I had initially thought it sounded. My apologies. I just think that kind of marketing is what gives people the false sense of security on tandom rides. I guess that phrase just kind of irks me a bit. I'm new around here and this is only my humble opinion, and in no way am I intending on arguing with you. I usually stay pretty quiet ;)
  10. Not to mention his site says Anyone going around advertising that tandems are the safest way to skydive is most definitely not going to get my business. Anyways, Thanks a lot Sangiro! I'm newly lurking here over the past year or so, and want to thank you for all the hard work you have put into this website. I work for an ISP and I have some appreciation for what it takes to run something of this caliber, both financially, and personally. Good to see that you obviously have your priorities strait with the family. I wish the best of luck to you in all your future endeavors.
  11. I'll check this when I get home. I hadn't thought of the cotter pin being in the way. I would think I'd have noticed some scratches on my protrack, but it's pretty beat up to begin with :D Thanks! Hey! Make sure that your audible isn't resting on top of the cotter pin. That should fix the problem. PM me if you need any help. Thanks!
  12. Mine never had one. Maybe because it was a pre production and was probably shown around a bit or something and not just strait out of production right into the box.
  13. With the full face it's pretty quite (compared to the protec I was wearing) I had to really modify the audible hole for my protrack, the helmet wasn't nearly as comfy after i stuck that thing in there. Once i finally got the hole big enough, it's much better now. It's uncomfortable for a few minutes when I first put the helmet on, but after the foam kinda settles in between my head, the protrack, and the helmet, then I can't even tell it's in till it beeps at 1000 ft. I planned on jumping it with the visor removed, but I'm not sure if I'll get to it this season. Weather is making the downhill turn finally :(
  14. ^ I literally laughed out loud at that empty list :D
  15. At our DZ one of the guys bought a WDTV and they just plug the USB from the gopro/contour right into the WDTV. Then you can browse and play the clips on the TV just like you would on a PC. Works great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136472&cm_re=wdtv_live-_-22-136-472-_-Product There a link to the "Live" version, but if you can find the normal version it's about 10 bucks cheaper but does not have the network streaming features. Seems to work very well for the non LCD type cameras. It should play just about any camera format right off the camera (in theory)
  16. I just wanted to add a few things now that I have jumped the helmet a few times. It's very comfortable, although it's a bit hot in the sun. I wouldnt change anything about the lining though. It's incredibly comfortable. I have a large shell with the medium liner, and it's extremely well fitting. My head measures around 22 1/8", which says small on their charts, but the medium is perfect, and is borderline too tight. I definitely wouldn't want it any tighter, but thats good in my book. On my first jump, my head most definitely felt heavier than with the open face pro tec i was using as part of student gear. I noticed this the first jump, but didn't seem to notice it on any other jumps after. The visibility is exceptional. I can my handles perfectly. I love that whoever I'm jumping with can see my mouth clearly. If nothing else they can at least see the shit eating grin on my face when we stick the exit. The ratchet mechanism works much better once it wears in some. Initially I opened and closed the visor over and over while watching tv for about 30 minutes. It really helped to make it easier to open with one hand. Initially it was a very tight and tough to open without using both hands, but now it's very quick and easy. My glasses fit perfectly under the revolve, and they are unaffected when I open or close the visor. Thanks again to everyone at bonehead. They really went out of there way to help me out, and gave me a really great product.
  17. Let me rephrase my statement. I should have been much clearer. I did not mean that solo jumps have no value what so ever in skydiving. I guess I was just saying that as a student, maybe it's better to use coach jumps to help develop our skills. Jumping with a more experienced person is going to be more beneficial than jumping alone (from full altitude) I was also not considering hop n pops. I do feel there is always a benefit to this for canopy control. This is actually one of my main focus's as a student. I intend on spending a lot of time on canopy control. I'll admit I was not thinking about canopy control when I posted this, I was thinking about freefall since he was asking about having a coach or not. I stand corrected. I should not have made such a blanket statement.
  18. Is the video posted somewhere? Being a new jumper (and one that absolutely does not plan on wearing a camera any time within the next couple years) I'm always interested in seeing malfunction videos. I am under the impression that since I can't experience it first hand, the more times I can see them, the more likely I am going to be able to react quicker and recognize the issue quicker, and hopefully complete EPs quicker. The more times I can sear that image into my brain, the more equipped I will be to handle the situation when (not if) the time comes.
  19. Not that Im picking one side or the other on this debate, but do any of you people realize that it IS POSSIBLE to listen to an ipod without it being so loud that you can't hear anything going on around you? They do have VOLUME CONTROLS that can be adjusted to suit whatever volume you choose. It's pretty standard these days for music playing devices. I'm pretty sure DSE is not listening to this thing blasting in his ear the entire ride to altitude nor during freefall or under canopy. Granted, I dont exactly agree with his thoughts on the matter, as in my (humble) opinion, there is plenty more to be worried about on skydiving day than music. But thats just me. If thats his gig, and he's safe about it, thats fine. If he's that guy on the plane that is never paying attention to instruction, or holding up the green light, or messing with the ipod while climbing out of the plane, thats one thing, but it really doesnt sound that way at all. Relax people. DSE is obviously not some punk kid ignoring everyone on the way to altitude listening to his ipod before exiting on jump number 25 on his velocity 84 swooping in a 900 on his landing pattern. I may not know shit about skydiving, but I am capable of understanding when someone does their homework about something, and it's extremely obvious that DSE has done his homework. I mean, seriously, a break-away ipod?
  20. I was cleared for solo and coach jumps after AFF. Although there is really no point in doing solo jumps, as you learn much more with another person. I only did one solo jump, and it was mostly a gift from my instructor just to let me have a single no pressure jump doing nothing but looking around enjoying the sites and staying altitude aware. It was a nice break after having a structured dive plan every jump previous to that one. But after that it was right back deep into the learning process :) I have no idea about jumping at other drop zones. I was kind of wondering this myself, but honestly probably wouldnt jump anywhere else unless it was traveling with people from my home DZ.
  21. Bonehead went the extra mile to get me into one of these helmets before my season was over. 12:45AM on a sunday night, they made it happen for me. I got the helmet on the following saturday. I love it. Fits nice and snug. The visor is easy to open and extremely easy to close. If by chance you were to exit the plane with the visor up, it would only take half a second to snap it down, and it automatically locks as you pull it down so no fumbling with anything. Fits perfectly over my glasses, and I can open and close the face easily w/o smooshing or moving my glasses around. I will note though, the sizing seems a bit off. My head measures 22 1/8 inches, and the Large Shell with Medium liner fits me extremely snug. It's perfect in my eyes, but someone else may think it's a bit tight. The sizing chart has me in a small, which is a different shell than the medium, and would definitely not have worked for me. I have not had a chance to jump the helmet yet, so I can't comment on it's performance in the air, but the service I received from bonehead, and the fit, comfort, and ease of use put it on the top of my list. Bonehead has a customer for life.
  22. Very intersting. It makes it easier to understand the video of the skydiver crawling out the door and falling out the door while everyone watched and did nothing to stop him. In fact they helped him! Seeing this guys reaction to the hypoxia really makes sense of that. It's incredible how he was SURE he gave the correct answers, and even mentioned how he thought he was outwitting them lol. Pretty enlightening. Thanks for the links Lou.