Slashdot Mirror
Flying Humans
mlimber sends us to the NYTimes for a story about flying people who jump from planes or other high locations wearing a wing suit akin to a flying squirrel's. Their efforts have potential military and Xtreme sports applications. The story profiles, with video, one guy who wants to be the first to jump from a plane and land without a parachute (and live). Here's a YouTube video of another of these fliers skimming six feet above skiers in the Swiss Alps. Quoting: "Modern suit design features tightly woven nylon sewn between the legs and between the arms and torso, creating wings that fill with air and create lift, allowing for forward motion and aerial maneuvers while slowing descent. As the suits, which cost about $1,000, have become more sophisticated, so have the pilots. The best fliers, and there are not many, can trace the horizontal contours of cliffs, ridges and mountainsides."
The best fliers, and there are not many,
That is because the bad one die.
Darwinism in action
...from Acme products. Tragically the roadrunner continues to elude me.
Faith: n. -- That human impulse that drives them to steal appliances when the power goes out
The best fliers, and there are not many
Darwin in action.
Weeks of coding saves hours of planning.
The principal difficulty seems to be in throwing oneself at the ground and missing.
Of course it would! Just put telescoping poles on each limb and increase the wingspan about 20 feet or so... then add an engine and a propeller... maybe incase the guy in some kind of lightweight metal to protect him from the wind and such and to make him a bit more aerodynamic...
"That's not flying, it's falling with style"
Woody, Toy Story
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Sorry, I didn't mean to jibe. I know what you're saying and I agree, althought I think the quote is more about making huge risks for huge gains (but also potential losses). Sometimes it just feels like Godwins Law somtimes on slashdot though, except like this: As a Slashdot thread grows longer, the probability of a comparison to the benefits of open source approaches one. In fact I name it Aneurysm's law :)
Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
I don't think so... Vesna Vulovic was female. ;)
After the accident, at least...Yeah, the Russian commanders probably told them that they didn't have it so bad - the guys who were drafted in the summer had to do it without snow.
And here I thought it was Python...
Perfectly good airplane?!
Have you seen jump planes? No seats and there's a huge hole in the wall.
I can honestly say without caveat that of the hundreds of rides I've taken on Twin Otters not once have I safely landed in one.
I find being offended by me offensive.