Speaking in general terms of ownership. Go simpler. Do you own a lighter? A pocket knife? A screwdriver? Silly putty? WD-40? A potato cannon? A personal computer?
These are all items that are perfectly legitimate to own, with perfectly legitimate uses in the hands of a private individual. They can also be used in the perpetration of heinous crimes, acts of burglary, vandalism, and personal injury.
It's not a crime to use these items until you use them in a criminal action. This is the distinction that needs to be made.
Break it down to basic contexts: possession and ownership of a tool. A gun is a weapon, a specific type of tool. It has one primary purpose: to kill things.
With a gun, I can: Rob a bank. Rob a person. Wound a person. Kill a person. Kill myself.
However, it is perfectly legal to own, maintain, and fire a gun without committing a crime. Mere possession is not a crime.
I don't see the difference between a piece of software and any thing else I'm permitted to own. If it's criminal to own a piece of software that allows users to transfer data between themselves, you've just criminalized the entire internet.
Something that most universities seem to be exploiting is the notion that they're in control. The only reason this is possible is because the student body is formed of people straight out of one controlled institution (public or otherwise) and into another institution where they in fact have more control and freedom, but aren't really encouraged to be aware of it.
I suggest you revisit the AUP for the dorm nets and see what rights you signed away when you signed up for service. I would also suggest looking into the existance of a student union, most especially if you're at a state funded institution. You're being punished for a crime you're not committing. This is the US, burden of proof is on the *accuser*.
Find a BT based public art distribution. Better yet, build one. Cementing BT's use in freedom of speech will go a long way to insure it's legality.
That's one thing I like about the business laser tag aspects. Indoor arenas, play in any weather.
Covering sensors. On purpose or accident, it sucks trying to shoot someone with a covered sensor.
I've been pimping LQ pretty hard in a couple of other posts, and this is one reason. LQ packs have 5 sets of sensors, where Qzar has two (the one down the barrel of the gun is so hard to hit as to not count). It's hard to cover all them at once, especially since there's one on each shoulder.
Range. You have none. Laser tag is great for simulating handgun battles, though.
I'm gonna disagree on this one. LQ arenas are 8,000 square feet, plus, varying by location. I think the one in Spokane is 11,000. The majority of LQ packs can put a beam across the arena with accuracy. Given the abuse they stand up to, there are some packs that simply won't, but even if you were to build an outdoor laser tag kit, there's no reason you couldn't get a laser to hit accurately on anything within direct line of sight. Granted, you're not going to haul a 3 foot collamater on the field with you, usually..
Corrective fire. You can't really see what you are hitting. Aim VERY carefully.
Most laser tag arena's are blacklight and neon painted for visibility, and then fogged to enhance the visibility of the beam. Some centers even use green lasers.
Popularity. Paintball is way more popular, or at least more organized.
Laser Quest has an annual 9 man tournament scene, with quad-regional and national events, forming teams of the best players from each of their 60+ US locations. There's also an active European scene. In addition, there are player run side tournaments, some of which have significant draw. I personally spend about a grand a year in hotels and travel expenses just going places to play in tournaments. It's fun, and it's an excuse to travel.
Both can be fun, though.
And that's the important part. Paintball is not Laser Tag, and Laser Tag is not paintball. If you want realistic combat, join the Army. If you want simulated combat, play paintball. If you just want to have fun and still be competitive, without taking home welts and shelling out for gear, play Laser tag.
I play laser tag (LQ) in a fairly hardcore fashion *because* I'm an endorphin junkie. A solid LQ game against skilled players is as much exertion (though less impact) than a 15 minute fencing bout for with the objective being most hits. Watching a pair of LQ players duel/dogfight is like watching martial arts sparring. There's an entire tournament scene devoted to it.
If you don't think you can get a rush from laser tag, you're clearly underestimating it.
I've played both. The problem with paintball is that the advantage is typically to the players with the most money to spend on gear. LQ at least offers some amount of balance by providing the gear for you. That said, hardcore LQ players will happily educate slow ass paintball players what real reflexes are.
They'll also teach you the folly of the 'pain gun tag' idea. Personally, I can tag you fast enough and often enough that A: Your pack will never come back online and B: You'll wish you'd stuck with paintball.
Simple facts: Paintball is high impact and low speed. LQ is high speed and low impact.
In LQ, it's about speed, consistant accuracy and reflexes (also known as skill) and not who can lay paint the fastest. I'll cut paintball some slack and offer the tactical experience is good. Then I'll take it back because LQ games can be far more complex and adaptive.
Average, decent LQ players can fire 100 shots a minute without resorting to (limited interval) rapid fire. Paintball players may or may not be able to lay down that kind of fire, consistently, without running out of ammo.
A good LQ player can lay accurate fire in a full 360 degree arc without ever changing stance. The same player can also translate this to a paintball field with stunning effect, in addition to being accurate from an off-axis firing position.
A fast LQ player can read body language fast enough to dodge a laser beam, forget about your slow ass paintballs fired from a limited arc posture.
In an LQ arena, running is a bad idea because you're playing in a literal maze. The best LQ players can move at full speed and stop on a dime, because they don't have massive beer guts to weigh them down, while depending on a 10+ shot per second paint marker to keep the other team at bay. Plus, there's kids in there, man, what are you thinking?
Speaking of other teams, most LQ competitions are *three* team games, in a 1v1v1 environment. Paintball tacticians would probably go 'tilt' with that kind of concept.
And as another poster mentioned, you'll never hear the best LQ players coming until your pack tells you they're there. A light footed LQ player is also not fun to play paintball with, for the exact same reason.
Pound for pound, LQ players stack up to paintball players with ease, but the reverse is not true.
No way, dude. It should be one thing, and one thing only, on an endless repeating loop:
The orchestral version of the Super Mario Brother's theme.
We already know anyone of our generation can survive repetition of that classic tune. Anyone from a previous generation (or older) will be happy it's vocal-less classical. And the geeks will keep calling back.
.. grown in a lab to do my bidding. .. low maintenance. .. shaped and molded into something useful. .. only around as long as they're needed. .. more useful than CowboyNeal
I like my women like I like my radio.. .. amplitude modulated. .. regulated not to interfere with others. .. if you don't like what she's saying, change the station. .. not one of Clear Channels' whores. .. she goes off the air at midnight and stays quiet while I sleep. .. AM may not sound pretty, but at least it's not dumb.
User: Hi, we'll be calling tech support today, I'm having difficulty with my internet. Operator: Dialing now, just a moment. User: Thanks. Operator: Automated menu, 1 for customer support, 2 for accounting, 3 for collections User: SHIT! SHIT WHORE! Operator: Sorry? User: Say that. It'll transfer you faster. Operator: If I say that, my boss will transfer me faster. User: Seriously, just swear at it. Operator: No. User: C'mon, if you don't we'll both be on hold forever. Operator: I'm not going to swear at it. User: Say, what are you wearing? Operator: What?! User: That's the spirit, let's continue. Gimme a good 'ASSFACE BUTTLICKER' so we can get to a tech. Operator: There's something wrong with you. User: Are you making fun of me because I'm deaf? Operator: What? No, not at all. User: You are, aren't you? Operator: No, I didn't mean it that way. User: Like I don't get enough crap from everyone else, now I'm being mocked by a bloody TDD operator. Operator: Sir, I didn't mean it that way, I swear. User: I'll forgive you if you say "PIECE OF SHIT, HURRY UP" Operator: Dammit, no, I'm not gonna.. oh, it's transferring me. User: What did you say? Operator: Nevermind.
I've worked tradeshows. For the mileage you put on during an 18 hour tradeshow day, I haven't found anything that ever beat any flavor of Rockport shoes. Network+Interop, Comdex Vegas, Siebold, Networks, Java Expo, whatever. You can't beat a pair of Rockports. Finding a pair without metal is easy enough. Even so, finding a pair that's cut low enough and carries a classic rockport sole, you could easily slip them on and off should security require it.
The sky on earth is blue due to atmospheric refraction of sunlight. The color might be different based on atmospheric make up, and likely, since the atmosphere is thinner, no matter what it contains, it will probably be a bit darker than what we'd expect on Earth, owing both to solar distance and lower atmospheric density. Also, the dust in the atmosphere *isn't there all the time*, so it's entirely plausible and possible to have a very clear view of the sky on a calm day.
If my understanding is correct, the blue of Earth's sky owes to the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere (Note, I'm not a meteorologist/astronaut/postal worker hanging out at Cheers). I'm not up on the latest analysis of atmospheric content on Mars, so I won't guess at what color it is/should be.
'SCO is trying to get the judge to declare all works released under the GPL for the last 3 years put into the public domain.'
There were early rumours about Microsoft having a puppeteer-like hand up SCO's collective ass when this whole mess started.
Everything released under the GPL over the last three years, ostensibly some pretty solid code and products, would suddenly be up for grabs without the viral GPL attachment, including the Linux Kernel.
"If you're tired of the virus wars, the Mac can be an island of serenity."
Until everyone else shows up, and you have to start voting them off the island.
It's mentioned in another thread that it's fairly easy to change a MAC address, but on most OTS AP's, that's not the case. Provided you have intelligent switches or at least machines with decent scripting kits, you can watch your ARP tables for common vendor MACs, like Linksys or Dlink. The downside to this, is that your ARP cache might not spot an AP in bridging mode, but a decent managed switch would, since it has to forward frames.
You won't be able to open a business account at a bank without your business license, which you can't get without the appropriate zoning review. Business accounts are generally done under 'fictitious names', which is how they term a business name, since it's an entity and not a person (even if the company is named after you!)
Start with your city's Commercial Licensing offices, whatever they may be called. Many of them have all the paperwork you need for running a business out of your home, which includes the zoning change. It's a fairly minor change, and in most cases isn't a hassle, unless you have some seriously strict HOA or city codes.
Seriously, it's easier than you think. Hit up your local Chamber of Commerce as well, there are undoubtedly more people running businesses from their homes in your area.
I find it interesting, especially from a 'weather' context. I've always been a big fan of the more elegant science fiction constructs: sail ships. Different writers have posed different concepts, from using a physical sail to harness the outbound particle wave (Star Trek tipped their hat to this in a couple of DS9 episodes), or the more practical/possible use of shaped fields to interact with the magnetic field (see Michael Flynn's 'Rogue Star/Fire Star/Lode Star' series, a highly recommended read. For what he didn't get about the internet, he made up for with his grasp of astrophysics.)
There's other possibilities that would stem from this kind of research as well. There was a piece in PopSci a few years back about dangling a wire from low orbiting satellite, to trail through Earth's EM field as a means of generating power. Similiar methods could be used to power extraorbital structures by tapping the solar magnetosphere, or even induce drag for low-g propulsion.
Yeah, yer a tard. As the person who replied to this first, it IS a Peter Pan reference. Log off and go read a book. The Internet will be trolled without you.
I did a road trip on my TL1000 a couple years ago, and ran into a similiar problem, wanting to power my Nomad Jukebox. What I wound up doing was installing a cigarette lighter plug in the (small) compartment under the pillion. Using a six foot extender, I ran the wiring through my chassis from the rear end, to pop up under the front lip of my seat.
I lopped the end off and attached a quick disconnect connector set at that point, even going so far as to cut off the plastic retention clip so it wouldn't snag in case I ditched and got thrown. The rest of the assembly tucked into the back pouch of my hip pouch, with my 6 gig jukebox in the large pack. Worked out well, especially at gas stops, since connecting and disconnecting from power was no hassle. With rechargable cells in the nomad, I could have non-stop tunes. With the noise-cancelling processor clipped to my armor, I could still cut out the tunes in case I needed to listen to something.
Caveat emptor, don't run your volume too high if you do this. You should still be able to hear what's going on around you. The NC-10's cut out almost all the wind noise, and overlaying music on that pretty much eliminated it, but you still need to be aware of your surroundings. I ran mine at a volume that I could still talk to people and understand them with my helmet on and my NC processor cut out. I've also got a Koss mini-headphone amp that I kept tucked into my pocket that had a volume control that was much easier to access than the one on my Nomad (at the time). Radio Shack carries these as well (also good for laptops on planes!)
This whole kit, combined with Sony NC-10 earphones under the helmet, did a lot to preserve my sanity for the couple thousand miles I rode. Storing my cell phone and car charge in the remaining space under my pillion also made sure I never lost it, and it was always charged. =)
When planning your trip, don't just plan for gas stops. Allot at least 10 to 15 minutes to a pit stop, take the time to stretch your legs and back. Don't plan on riding more than eight hours a day. Fatigue is far more deadly on a bike than it is in a car!
Camelbacks are a good idea, with a half and half mix of water and gatorade (I loaded mine with Sobe once.) Try and steer clear of soda and similiar, since the sodium is a dehydrator. Grab a few bananas now and then when you get the chance, it'll cut down on muscle soreness. I highly recommend a short haircut, too. After a while, that helmet jerking on your hair all the time actually starts to induce some follical pain. Make sure your boots are broken in before hand, too.
Most importantly, take a damn camera. Depending on your route, you'll get to see things you'll want to remember. I kept a little disposable in my jacket pocket for those fast quick shots that hauling my SLR out were just too much hassle for.
What? Bigger, stupider, but forgets nothing and thinks the best solution is to trample everything underfoot that can't be eaten? Oh, all that, AND a bad ass fro for the extra 'bad hair day' bonus?
Slashdot Mirror
Speaking in general terms of ownership. Go simpler. Do you own a lighter? A pocket knife? A screwdriver?
Silly putty? WD-40? A potato cannon? A personal computer?
These are all items that are perfectly legitimate to own, with perfectly legitimate uses in the hands of a private individual. They can also be used in the perpetration of heinous crimes, acts of burglary, vandalism, and personal injury.
It's not a crime to use these items until you use them in a criminal action. This is the distinction that needs to be made.
Break it down to basic contexts: possession and ownership of a tool. A gun is a weapon, a specific type of tool. It has one primary purpose: to kill things.
With a gun, I can:
Rob a bank.
Rob a person.
Wound a person.
Kill a person.
Kill myself.
However, it is perfectly legal to own, maintain, and fire a gun without committing a crime. Mere possession is not a crime.
I don't see the difference between a piece of software and any thing else I'm permitted to own.
If it's criminal to own a piece of software that allows users to transfer data between themselves, you've just criminalized the entire internet.
Something that most universities seem to be exploiting is the notion that they're in control. The only reason this is possible is because the student body is formed of people straight out of one controlled institution (public or otherwise) and into another institution where they in fact have more control and freedom, but aren't really encouraged to be aware of it.
I suggest you revisit the AUP for the dorm nets and see what rights you signed away when you signed up for service. I would also suggest looking into the existance of a student union, most especially if you're at a state funded institution. You're being punished for a crime you're not committing. This is the US, burden of proof is on the *accuser*.
Find a BT based public art distribution. Better yet, build one. Cementing BT's use in freedom of speech will go a long way to insure it's legality.
He, like everyone else in that other huge credit card processor dependant industry, would have a backup processor.
If it's really sunny out, just forget it.
That's one thing I like about the business laser tag aspects. Indoor arenas, play in any weather.
Covering sensors. On purpose or accident, it sucks trying to shoot someone with a covered sensor.
I've been pimping LQ pretty hard in a couple of other posts, and this is one reason. LQ packs have 5 sets of sensors, where Qzar has two (the one down the barrel of the gun is so hard to hit as to not count). It's hard to cover all them at once, especially since there's one on each shoulder.
Range. You have none. Laser tag is great for simulating handgun battles, though.
I'm gonna disagree on this one. LQ arenas are 8,000 square feet, plus, varying by location. I think the one in Spokane is 11,000. The majority of LQ packs can put a beam across the arena with accuracy. Given the abuse they stand up to, there are some packs that simply won't, but even if you were to build an outdoor laser tag kit, there's no reason you couldn't get a laser to hit accurately on anything within direct line of sight. Granted, you're not going to haul a 3 foot collamater on the field with you, usually..
Corrective fire. You can't really see what you are hitting. Aim VERY carefully.
Most laser tag arena's are blacklight and neon painted for visibility, and then fogged to enhance the visibility of the beam. Some centers even use green lasers.
Popularity. Paintball is way more popular, or at least more organized.
Laser Quest has an annual 9 man tournament scene, with quad-regional and national events, forming teams of the best players from each of their 60+ US locations. There's also an active European scene. In addition, there are player run side tournaments, some of which have significant draw. I personally spend about a grand a year in hotels and travel expenses just going places to play in tournaments. It's fun, and it's an excuse to travel.
Both can be fun, though.
And that's the important part. Paintball is not Laser Tag, and Laser Tag is not paintball. If you want realistic combat, join the Army. If you want simulated combat, play paintball. If you just want to have fun and still be competitive, without taking home welts and shelling out for gear, play Laser tag.
AVP and Highlander. =D
I play laser tag (LQ) in a fairly hardcore fashion *because* I'm an endorphin junkie. A solid LQ game against skilled players is as much exertion (though less impact) than a 15 minute fencing bout for with the objective being most hits. Watching a pair of LQ players duel/dogfight is like watching martial arts sparring. There's an entire tournament scene devoted to it.
If you don't think you can get a rush from laser tag, you're clearly underestimating it.
I've played both. The problem with paintball is that the advantage is typically to the players with the most money to spend on gear. LQ at least offers some amount of balance by providing the gear for you. That said, hardcore LQ players will happily educate slow ass paintball players what real reflexes are.
They'll also teach you the folly of the 'pain gun tag' idea. Personally, I can tag you fast enough and often enough that A: Your pack will never come back online and B: You'll wish you'd stuck with paintball.
Simple facts:
Paintball is high impact and low speed.
LQ is high speed and low impact.
In LQ, it's about speed, consistant accuracy and reflexes (also known as skill) and not who can lay paint the fastest. I'll cut paintball some slack and offer the tactical experience is good. Then I'll take it back because LQ games can be far more complex and adaptive.
Average, decent LQ players can fire 100 shots a minute without resorting to (limited interval) rapid fire. Paintball players may or may not be able to lay down that kind of fire, consistently, without running out of ammo.
A good LQ player can lay accurate fire in a full 360 degree arc without ever changing stance. The same player can also translate this to a paintball field with stunning effect, in addition to being accurate from an off-axis firing position.
A fast LQ player can read body language fast enough to dodge a laser beam, forget about your slow ass paintballs fired from a limited arc posture.
In an LQ arena, running is a bad idea because you're playing in a literal maze. The best LQ players can move at full speed and stop on a dime, because they don't have massive beer guts to weigh them down, while depending on a 10+ shot per second paint marker to keep the other team at bay. Plus, there's kids in there, man, what are you thinking?
Speaking of other teams, most LQ competitions are *three* team games, in a 1v1v1 environment. Paintball tacticians would probably go 'tilt' with that kind of concept.
And as another poster mentioned, you'll never hear the best LQ players coming until your pack tells you they're there. A light footed LQ player is also not fun to play paintball with, for the exact same reason.
Pound for pound, LQ players stack up to paintball players with ease, but the reverse is not true.
Oh, and you can play LQ in a tux.
</troll>
No way, dude. It should be one thing, and one thing only, on an endless repeating loop:
The orchestral version of the Super Mario Brother's theme.
We already know anyone of our generation can survive repetition of that classic tune. Anyone from a previous generation (or older) will be happy it's vocal-less classical. And the geeks will keep calling back.
What about one of the common themes sites used heavily by open source geeks?
.. grown in a lab to do my bidding.
.. low maintenance.
.. shaped and molded into something useful.
.. only around as long as they're needed.
.. more useful than CowboyNeal
I like my women like I like my radio..
.. amplitude modulated.
.. regulated not to interfere with others.
.. if you don't like what she's saying, change the station.
.. not one of Clear Channels' whores.
.. she goes off the air at midnight and stays quiet while I sleep.
.. AM may not sound pretty, but at least it's not dumb.
User: Hi, we'll be calling tech support today, I'm having difficulty with my internet.
Operator: Dialing now, just a moment.
User: Thanks.
Operator: Automated menu, 1 for customer support, 2 for accounting, 3 for collections
User: SHIT! SHIT WHORE!
Operator: Sorry?
User: Say that. It'll transfer you faster.
Operator: If I say that, my boss will transfer me faster.
User: Seriously, just swear at it.
Operator: No.
User: C'mon, if you don't we'll both be on hold forever.
Operator: I'm not going to swear at it.
User: Say, what are you wearing?
Operator: What?!
User: That's the spirit, let's continue. Gimme a good 'ASSFACE BUTTLICKER' so we can get to a tech.
Operator: There's something wrong with you.
User: Are you making fun of me because I'm deaf?
Operator: What? No, not at all.
User: You are, aren't you?
Operator: No, I didn't mean it that way.
User: Like I don't get enough crap from everyone else, now I'm being mocked by a bloody TDD operator.
Operator: Sir, I didn't mean it that way, I swear.
User: I'll forgive you if you say "PIECE OF SHIT, HURRY UP"
Operator: Dammit, no, I'm not gonna.. oh, it's transferring me.
User: What did you say?
Operator: Nevermind.
I've worked tradeshows. For the mileage you put on during an 18 hour tradeshow day, I haven't found anything that ever beat any flavor of Rockport shoes. Network+Interop, Comdex Vegas, Siebold, Networks, Java Expo, whatever. You can't beat a pair of Rockports. Finding a pair without metal is easy enough. Even so, finding a pair that's cut low enough and carries a classic rockport sole, you could easily slip them on and off should security require it.
The sky on earth is blue due to atmospheric refraction of sunlight. The color might be different based on atmospheric make up, and likely, since the atmosphere is thinner, no matter what it contains, it will probably be a bit darker than what we'd expect on Earth, owing both to solar distance and lower atmospheric density. Also, the dust in the atmosphere *isn't there all the time*, so it's entirely plausible and possible to have a very clear view of the sky on a calm day.
If my understanding is correct, the blue of Earth's sky owes to the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere (Note, I'm not a meteorologist/astronaut/postal worker hanging out at Cheers). I'm not up on the latest analysis of atmospheric content on Mars, so I won't guess at what color it is/should be.
'SCO is trying to get the judge to declare all works released under the GPL for the last 3 years put into the public domain.'
There were early rumours about Microsoft having a puppeteer-like hand up SCO's collective ass when this whole mess started.
Everything released under the GPL over the last three years, ostensibly some pretty solid code and products, would suddenly be up for grabs without the viral GPL attachment, including the Linux Kernel.
(Linux - GPL) + (Innovative Open Source GPL Products - GPL) + (Microsoft - Innovation) = ?
"If you're tired of the virus wars, the Mac can be an island of serenity." Until everyone else shows up, and you have to start voting them off the island.
It's mentioned in another thread that it's fairly easy to change a MAC address, but on most OTS AP's, that's not the case. Provided you have intelligent switches or at least machines with decent scripting kits, you can watch your ARP tables for common vendor MACs, like Linksys or Dlink. The downside to this, is that your ARP cache might not spot an AP in bridging mode, but a decent managed switch would, since it has to forward frames.
You won't be able to open a business account at a bank without your business license, which you can't get without the appropriate zoning review. Business accounts are generally done under 'fictitious names', which is how they term a business name, since it's an entity and not a person (even if the company is named after you!)
Start with your city's Commercial Licensing offices, whatever they may be called. Many of them have all the paperwork you need for running a business out of your home, which includes the zoning change. It's a fairly minor change, and in most cases isn't a hassle, unless you have some seriously strict HOA or city codes.
Seriously, it's easier than you think. Hit up your local Chamber of Commerce as well, there are undoubtedly more people running businesses from their homes in your area.
Actually, I submitted it with that title. =P
I find it interesting, especially from a 'weather' context. I've always been a big fan of the more elegant science fiction constructs: sail ships. Different writers have posed different concepts, from using a physical sail to harness the outbound particle wave (Star Trek tipped their hat to this in a couple of DS9 episodes), or the more practical/possible use of shaped fields to interact with the magnetic field (see Michael Flynn's 'Rogue Star/Fire Star/Lode Star' series, a highly recommended read. For what he didn't get about the internet, he made up for with his grasp of astrophysics.)
There's other possibilities that would stem from this kind of research as well. There was a piece in PopSci a few years back about dangling a wire from low orbiting satellite, to trail through Earth's EM field as a means of generating power. Similiar methods could be used to power extraorbital structures by tapping the solar magnetosphere, or even induce drag for low-g propulsion.
Yeah, yer a tard. As the person who replied to this first, it IS a Peter Pan reference. Log off and go read a book. The Internet will be trolled without you.
I did a road trip on my TL1000 a couple years ago, and ran into a similiar problem, wanting to power my Nomad Jukebox. What I wound up doing was installing a cigarette lighter plug in the (small) compartment under the pillion. Using a six foot extender, I ran the wiring through my chassis from the rear end, to pop up under the front lip of my seat.
I lopped the end off and attached a quick disconnect connector set at that point, even going so far as to cut off the plastic retention clip so it wouldn't snag in case I ditched and got thrown. The rest of the assembly tucked into the back pouch of my hip pouch, with my 6 gig jukebox in the large pack. Worked out well, especially at gas stops, since connecting and disconnecting from power was no hassle. With rechargable cells in the nomad, I could have non-stop tunes. With the noise-cancelling processor clipped to my armor, I could still cut out the tunes in case I needed to listen to something.
Caveat emptor, don't run your volume too high if you do this. You should still be able to hear what's going on around you. The NC-10's cut out almost all the wind noise, and overlaying music on that pretty much eliminated it, but you still need to be aware of your surroundings. I ran mine at a volume that I could still talk to people and understand them with my helmet on and my NC processor cut out. I've also got a Koss mini-headphone amp that I kept tucked into my pocket that had a volume control that was much easier to access than the one on my Nomad (at the time). Radio Shack carries these as well (also good for laptops on planes!)
This whole kit, combined with Sony NC-10 earphones under the helmet, did a lot to preserve my sanity for the couple thousand miles I rode. Storing my cell phone and car charge in the remaining space under my pillion also made sure I never lost it, and it was always charged. =)
When planning your trip, don't just plan for gas stops. Allot at least 10 to 15 minutes to a pit stop, take the time to stretch your legs and back. Don't plan on riding more than eight hours a day. Fatigue is far more deadly on a bike than it is in a car!
Camelbacks are a good idea, with a half and half mix of water and gatorade (I loaded mine with Sobe once.) Try and steer clear of soda and similiar, since the sodium is a dehydrator. Grab a few bananas now and then when you get the chance, it'll cut down on muscle soreness. I highly recommend a short haircut, too. After a while, that helmet jerking on your hair all the time actually starts to induce some follical pain. Make sure your boots are broken in before hand, too.
Most importantly, take a damn camera. Depending on your route, you'll get to see things you'll want to remember. I kept a little disposable in my jacket pocket for those fast quick shots that hauling my SLR out were just too much hassle for.
Lastly, enjoy the ride! =)
Unlicensed to operate in that spectrum, surely, but the devices have to meet FCC requirements. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough.
I see a new Republican mascot in this.
What? Bigger, stupider, but forgets nothing and thinks the best solution is to trample everything underfoot that can't be eaten? Oh, all that, AND a bad ass fro for the extra 'bad hair day' bonus?