Haute Haberdashery
Posted by Thomas J. Brown at 1010 hrs
I have finally created a Zazzle store! There isn't a whole lot there right now, but I'll be adding more stuff as I think of it. You can always find it using the link in the nav links on the left.
The first shirt I made was this one:
Porn is a story with a happy ending
I think that's pretty self-explanatory. The other shirt I have is:
X is △ is a joke I accidentally came up with while playing Rock Band. I know the description says we were drunk, but I think we may actually have been sober, which makes my gaffe even sadder.
My Hang Gliding Accident
Posted by Thomas J. Brown at 0922 hrs
A couple of days ago, I tweeted about a major crash I had during my hang gliding lesson. People have been asking me about it, so here's what happened.
I was out on the training hill in Fishtrap. It was my fourth lesson, and things had been progressing well, so my instructor wanted to put me on a wing I had never flown before. It was supposed to be easier to steer (which sort of translates into, "slightly harder to control").
My first flight was extremely short. I managed to get no more than about 10 feet in the air before quickly landing and being dragged for several feet (the control bar has wheels on it for just that purpose). These kinds of landing aren't scary; they're mostly just annoying and disappointing. My instructor gave me some pointers, and we dragged the glider back up the hill to try again.
My second flight started out much better. Although the same conditions that grounded me on the first flight appeared again, I flared, which popped the wing up and got me some air. I managed to get up to about 20 to 25 feet, and at that point, the wind shifted on me, and instead of flying into the wind, it was now coming at me from my left. This lifted the left side of the wing, which caused me to start moving to the right.
The correct response here would have been to steer to the left, thereby pointing the nose into the wind again. Trouble is, I was quickly losing altitude. I flared again to try to get more air, which would give me more time to correct. Unfortunately, that was the absolute wrong thing to do.
When the wing isn't level, flaring causes the lower half of the wing to stall, which slows it down. The upper half of the wing now has no drag on it, causing it to speed up. The net affect is that the upper part of the wing is moving significantly faster than the lower part, and the wing goes into a spiral. At least, it would have, but I was only about 10 feet off of the ground at this point.
The right side of the wing hit first. I could hear the cheatgrass crunch as the wing dragged across the brush. I watched the ground speeding toward my face, and I gripped the control bar tightly as I braced for impact. Suddenly, my right hand moved forward as the control bar bent and gave way. Before I knew it, I had come to a stop.
The first thing I felt was the pain in my knee, but my thoughts were of the control bar. "Damn it," I thought, "I broke his hang glider." As I hung from the wing, suspended inches above the ground, I thought about what to do next. There was no doubt that my instructor was on his way over, and usually the very first thing you do is unclip your harness from the wing. As I thought about how to do that, I realized that I wasn't going to be able to stand up without some help. As I hung there waiting, I thought about my head and realized that it didn't hurt at all. It's a good thing you wear a helmet when you go hang gliding; I've hit my head even harder on past landings and been just fine.
My instructor came running up and righted the wing. He noticed the control bar and commented on it. I apologized, but he wasn't mad. "That happens," he said. If anything, he was a little disappointed in himself for not bringing a spare control bar. "If you're up to it, we can set up the other glider and keep going," he said. I told him that although I was fine overall and didn't think I needed medical attention, I also didn't think I could walk properly, which proved to be the case. I limped back to the staging area and did my best to help him break down the glider, and then he took me home.
After icing my knee and taking it easy, I feel much better and expect to be back at 100% within several days.
When I tell people that I had a hang gliding accident, their heads are immediately filled with images of the wing crashing into the ground or some horrible thing like that. Although I did technically crash from the air, it wasn't a 70 mph crash, and I managed to walk - well, limp - away with only minor injuries.
This sort of thing isn't evidence that hang gliding is dangerous; you have to keep in mind that what happened to my knee was nothing more than a sports injury. I would argue that hang gliding is safer than many other sports, such as football. In football, you're almost guaranteed to get beat up several times per game. In hang gliding, you shouldn't get hurt at all unless something goes wrong.
Even if something goes wrong, there are safety measures. For starters, you're wearing a helmet, and as I said before, it really does help. The glider has crumple zones just like a car to absorb the force of a crash, so although I broke the glider, it wasn't that big of a deal - the glider was just doing its job. In fact, my instructor said he probably would have broken both control bars had he been in the situation (both, because he would have crashed while flying level). For high-altitude flights, you actually wear a parachute; if something goes wrong, you just ditch the glider and float down to safety.
My point is that people assume the worst when they hear "hang glider accident," and that's not really an appropriate response. The problem is that hang gliding accidents only get reported when they're particularly devastating (like the guy who died recently, or the daring Coast Guard rescue of a hang glider pilot who crashed into the ocean). These are sensationalized accounts where something has gone horribly wrong. Keep in mind that there are thousands of successful flights happening all over the world every single day.
Often times, these "accidents" are caused by bad equipment (hang glider technology has come a long way in the past 20 years, and people flying old wings are really taking unnecessary risks), over-zealous pilots, or simple ignorance. Sometimes there are causes that are beyond the pilots' control, but most of the crashes can be chalked up to human error. Like any sport, a few idiots can make things tough for everyone else, but if you keep a level head and strive to be safe, hang gliding can be a safe, enjoyable sport.
The Loan Consultants
Posted by Thomas J. Brown at 0805 hrs
Below is a strange comment that was left on my Cancer Cards and Greeting Cards Are Too Impersonal post the other day. It's quite clearly spam, but it's kind of entertaining, so I've published it here for you to read (since I'm going to delete it from the original post). I have left the comment as posted, with the exception of the line breaks, which were all wonky.
Posted on 20 September 2009 by RobertCeccarelli <lynn.henderson18@gmail.com> (188.92.74.22)
The Loan Consultants
Does anyone be enduring any circumstance with ripoffreport.com? It's basically a non-edited database of consumer complaints. Anyone can enter a "narrative" and rumour just about anything scarcely you regardless of the realize or validity of the identify (thick companies be tribulation with things posted like "The CEO is a pedophile"). The anecdotal is then posted and repayment in spite of assorted companies instantly shows up on end 1.
Swindle opprobrious Prosper purposefulness not liquidate the report. They commission you to amassment a riposte - or on a worth, the "redactor" pressure postal employ something next to the exact stating that it is false. What is purportedly a suitable usefulness to consumers is basically nothing more than an extortion scheme.
I am wondering what the choicest feeling to give birth to in mind something like this touched in the origin the foremost runner of google results. It seems like a established would be subjected to to judge measures such as releasing steam releases and other documents and multiply the amount of in-bound links in consist ency to whack the pilfer off the insigne detonation too abandon in the SERP. I'm virtuous wondering if anyone else has any see with with this website. appreciation you !
There can be benefits from having a unresponsive judge or two on all to get there, as lengthy as what they're saying isn't ascetically mortification (i.e. "the CEO is a pedophile"). If the unaccommodating reveal is an right to time customer lap site, resolving the job and posting a experienced, serious advent detailing what you did to commit oneself it can as a matter of fact be a positive . But assuming set aside after whatever why and wherefore that's not an election, the tactics you're looking in vicinity of would drop into the list of "online noted someone is concerned management."
Here are links to Andy Beal's "beginner's conductor" seeking esteem ed directing, and his 10 Ways to Manage a Google Stature Management Nightmare. Perhaps there hanker after be some ideas profitable for you in there. It's not a slam-dunk -- you can't trust any of these things yearn solve to sufficiently "compress down" the offending admission to make b marshal it far the foremost ripen -- but the nice of steps Andy outlines are maybe your most excellently hazard if that's your aim.
It's not axiomatically a topic of predominant perestroika rights - what this rib is doing is protected further the Communications Decency Instruction, which basically says that you can be au fait of bitter glad online, do nothing here it, and self-possession not be defame as a replacement an eye to it. Since he is not the anybody exactly literature the extent - he can't be held libel. The person who started the plat has been dodging court cases to make off to years - there is an article encircling him here : Reasonably nutty clobber - but it looks like some SEO's are directing their incident toward companies who compel ought to been listed on the encourage b operator nutty bang - there are PPC ads that be broached up when you search "remove integument disappointing inquire into" and their are undamaged companies who are selling SEO services to "liquidate" or basically secrete the listing in the SERP.
It is amicable of like what Scott said - people have all the hallmarks to be using the very tactics to withdraw c give rise to them down - and of development, there are people into the free hauteur there who are using the all the same tactics to then again scam the already scammed.
I accede to that having substandard publicity is not as feculent as it may sound. As they report: gambler execrable publicity than no person knows if you ends b body at all. We procure our allocate of heinousness publicity instigated about some morons because our editors rejected their “scraps” trap sites or because they were too torpid to proceed with our Raise the white flag Guidelines in the basic place. Sole factor you categorize to reminisce once again that all negativity in most cases viewed as rants fashion they had slightly dominate credibility if at all but as eternally there purposefulness be some people who intention gather up creditable what they are reading and commitment made their minds about your new zealand or pinpoint but then again they believe that skies are falling too .
Here's a thought... What happens when you plenty there as a client and post a snitching tell on their own (convoy) tactics and what they suppose ($$$) as a prescription for you to scrutinize and godlike it up and still it is on no account removed? Be known a SCAM on the scam that it is . All the same if they emend or transport it, then it goes to your Reporting Article (on your website) that they keen not post Nicking Reports there themselves? Unreduced could in all strong get a fix on a hysterical send for careless that partnership and wager nigh course of their rules...
Once on the prime chapter of Google (your execute on them), I'll have fun they would be avid to talk, strikingly if they took the verbatim at the same era rights they cd controlled at near and did not concede you to distend someone in on against them (removed theirs, but participate in guidelines in compensation everybody else who can't do the anyhow).
Mendacious to assert the least, huh? Oh!, and when they DO call? Comprise your terms in the interest of appendum likely or fetch of ammending all layed out cold looking for them... with a dividend $$ benefit of all YOUR trouble . I like it!!! But then again, I am unendingly a see skewed in some of my thoughts. (But some of them get been wholly booming) Double edged sword, this Internet can be... (adoY) I cogitate on that would be more the chump if it was on a install with a more unaffiliated pre-eminence - e.g. "Issue Reviews".
In summing-up to what amberto described conceptual ok, a cardinal charge kettle of fish is that it's on a plat called "ripoff reports" to rather commence with. Whether noticeably or not, unconscious or headstrong, the classify conclusion here is that every assemblage mentioned on this website is a "ripoff". In other words, most if not all businesses would less be trial with no somebody on the locale than emphatic comments. Trained and civilized replies are a admissible viewpoint, but that's a double-edged sword because it noble helps the occupation and page-boy rank higher . No reservations there are disposed to reasonable complaints on there, but how to justly arrange it out? Anyone can achromatic rush at on there and pomposity bankroll b reverse anything they can contemplate of (with no answerability) because a dealing wouldn't concede them to swop a show after the stated proceeds period .
The landlord "Ed" pulls in a allotment of affluence from donations (methodical no matter what it's not a non-profit), extorting businesses, and advertising revenue. The extortion corner is "Ripoff Communication Corporate Advocacy Program". I don't recant how it's explained on the ordering, but businesses possess been charged $50,000 and more with a impression this "designation".
It's from a to z a moral scam actually . Furthermore , anyone who posts there is not crack wrest their own grouse removed or edited . The ripoffreport.com spot isn't what it seems, so ironically ripoffreport.com is a ripoff. It's a dexterous scam, but it's clearly a scam . There are some ways in which the place games/has gamed the search engines (specifically Google), to immodest as fabulously as they do, so with any luck they'll wake up to that. This superior be less of an issuing when Google stops giving them so much clout in the search results .
At near the fall down, I infer from where people did experiments and tried to send "reports" on the precincts all unembellished ripoffreport.com, Google, or sponsors at ripoffreport.com, and the reports were not ever approved.
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What I've Been Up To Lately
Posted by Thomas J. Brown at 2035 hrs
A whole month without a post. Sad. Since everyone else who has been neglecting their blogs has updated, I guess I will as well.
Working from home has been great, although it still feels a bit like the weekend all the time. I have a schedule that I've been trying to follow, although sometimes things come up that mess up the schedule, which tends to make the rest of the day rather shaky in terms of getting work done.
Work itself is plentiful. In fact, we have a ton of stuff going on and are meeting with new clients rather frequently. It sometimes makes me a little worried about the volume of work that will be placed on me, but so far I've managed to keep my head above water. I think things will smooth out a bit more once we establish a pattern (and once I get a few more things sorted out with the CMS).
Kingsly is settling in quite well. He's learned most of the rules we've taught him, although we still don't trust him home alone, so he gets put into his crate whenever we leave the house. During the day he hangs out with me in the office and follows me around whenever I go anywhere else (except the bathroom, which he seems to understand now is only ever a short trip). Once Morah gets home, he couldn't care less about me.
The house is great, but as with everything else, our lack of time keeps getting in the way. The things we want to do get pushed back by the things we need to do (like mow the lawn. Also, vacuuming takes twice as long). What we really need to do is start making lists and, as with work, establishing patterns so that those required actions are more predictable.
I recently joined Oz Fitness, which killed a little part of me, but having access to all of that equipment is nice, especially the racquetball courts, which Morah and I have been wanting to play since we graduated from college about 6 years ago. I also have a personal trainer who seems to like kicking my ass every time I come in. It's cool, though, because she makes it fun.
In case you hadn't already heard, I'm taking hang gliding lessons. A guy I know is a hang gliding instructor and wanted a website for his business, but couldn't really afford to pay for a quality job, so he and I worked out a trade deal where he gets a great website and I get my novice rating. I've had 2 lessons so far and it's a ton of fun! It's also a lot more safe than it seems, and after my first lesson I had a much easier time understanding how people can just run off of a mountain with a hang glider.
I guess that's about it for now. Morah and I are planning another vacation for our anniversary, but I'll save all those details for another post.
