Thinker

I think daisys are often used improperly and dangerously. For instance, how many of us know that any biner should clip only one loop on a daisy? A common (and dangerous) practice I've seen is for a climber to clip the end loop and then shorten the daisy by clipping an additional intermediate loop to shorten the system. The proper (and only safe) way to shorten the daisy is to unclip the end loop and clip the intermediate loop by itself.

An interesting sidebar (speaking of using the lead rope to the max): Somewhere I picked up the technique of clipping the biner I use for my ATC through both the belay loop and the loop formed by the rope/fig8 knot while belaying. It adds a bit of redundancy to the system with absolutely no extra gear.

the other side of the coin: and a little more for those that missed the show.

Jesus, get some frickin' perspective! Those who choose to base their beliefs on a moldy old book that's been translated and transcribed hundreds (or even thousands) of times need to look at the hard evidence of what that process involves. Translation, by its very nature, introduces the biases of those doing the translation. A classic example of this, ironically, deals with the very topic of Christianity and Evolution (as long as one accepts the premise that Catholicism falls under the blanket of Christianity, which, in itself, is a debatable point). From this web page: Speaking in French, the Pope addressed the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on October 23, 1996 in which he addressed the subject of evolution. English translations of one key sentence include: "Today, more than a half century after this encyclical [Pius XII's 1950 encyclical Humani generis], new knowledge leads us to recognize in the theory of evolution more than a hypothesis." and "Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical, new knowledge has led to the recognition of more than one hypothesis in the theory of evolution." My point is this: It's very easy for 2 people to translate a sentence from one language to another and come up with sentences that mean the exact opposite of the other. Imagine how many times this must have happened while the Bible was being translated from Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek to Latin to the vernacular languages by 'scholars' who weren't necessarily native speakers of the languages the 'scriptures' were originally written in. In addition, the oldest versions of the scriptures available are copies that have been transcribed numerous generations from the originals (read numerous opportunities for introduction of error or addition of any particular scribe's personal views into the texts.) On another note, the order of the creation of the species does not match the fossil record. If memory serves me correctly, man came at the end of the creation account, the ultimate earthly creation of God. The fossil record clearly shows man branching off the evolutionary bush before hoofed animals.

CBS, I almost posted a similar comment the other day, but then I realized that the perlon can often have double duty use, too. It can be used as a rap anchor or a sling, and is cheaper to leave than a spectra sling.

so is creationism.

no, but the 125 dirt bike got crashed too much while we were in our teens.

A low-tech low-cost system I've seen used where one can set up a toprope is a series of fig8s or butterflies tied 5 to 10 feet apart, rope anchored at the top, 2 cowtails on the harness leapfrogged up the loops as you climb. Just make sure the cowtails aren't longer than your reach. One really old fart told me he used to dangle a rope down a cliff (anchored at the top) and when he felt like he was going to fall he just grabbed the rope with his hand to stabilize himself. Either he had brass balls or it was fairly low angle.

Sobo, we stalked each other with bb guns thru haystacks that had been moved into a corner of a field near the sileage bunker, and thru cornfields. A long grazing scar underneath one of the cuz's eyes put a stop to that game. My most notorious fire involved a haystack. It was my great grand father's funeral day and we were out playing with magnifying glasses and corn husks on top of a stack...pure genius. It was a bit humiliating for us kids when the vollunteer fd had to come out and assist our grieving family. More great fun: tying our home made go carts to the hitch on a pickup and cruising down the gravel roads. going thru chutes in the river in canoes and trashing the hell out of them "skiing" with a water ski tow rope tied to a bumper on snowy roads where there wasn't a hill in sight. tipping 12' sail boats over 180 degrees in the lake just for the hell of it...and for the fun of uprighting them again. Once the mast stuck in the muddy bottom when we weren't out far enough. driving in the hay field with my cousin when neither of us were tall enough to push the gas pedal, steer, and see out the windshield all at the same time. we took turns steering and pushing the accelerator.

My argument would stand if it were assumed that the casing WAS blown apart....which has been my whole point on this pointless thread.

My hunch is that it's a matter of TIME. If the powder burned slowly and released it's energy gradually, then the force could dissipate out the end of the casing. But, if the power burns quickly there may not be time for that to happen and more force would be exerted against the sides of the casing. Consider the extreme case where a flammable substance contained in a compressed gas cylinder ignites. The pressure plug could blow and/or the valve/regulator could blow off the top of the tank if the combustion is slow. If the combustion reaction is fast (which most are) the tank could be ripped open because there just wouldn't be enough time for the energy of the reaction to dissipate thru the end of the cylinder. Again, it's just my hunch on this point...I'm nearing the end of my desire to pursue this much more.

It really sucks to argue with Issac Newton. Nice try Cracked. Anybody who was awake in HS Physics realized you were refering to Newton's 3rd Law in your original post. I'm not debating whether or not the slug will move, there most certainly will be a small force exerted on the slug, but I still say it will 'stay put' (for all intents and purposes, within the boudaries of the fire). To a certain extent, it's semantics. Does moving an inch in a bonfire constitute 'staying put'? That's an open-ended question. Regarding your application of Newt's 3rd Law, please consider the fact that the casing in not elastic (in fact far from it)...that is a significant factor. In addition, force is applied outward all throughout the casing, as well as to both ends. The ratio of inside surface area of the casing compared to the surface area of one end of the slug would be a rough approximation of the ratio of the total force that would be exerted on each 'body' (casing and slug). I don't have the time or inclination to look up the densities of brass vs lead to look at the whole F=ma concept. More important that the relative densities would be the fact that the brass is thinner and easily fragments while the lead slug tends to remain a single body. The small chunks of brass can come screaming out of the fire when the gunpowder ignites.

Sure, a little of the energy resulting from the combustion of the gun powder is used to separate the slug from the casing, but what happens to the rest of the energy? It either accelerates the casing, ruptures the casing, or both. edit: and all the force normally used to accelerate the slug as it travels down the length of the gun barrel is used to accelerate the casing, rip it apart, or both.

Cracked: I beg to differ with you about what happens in acutality. The principle you cited is true. However, given the very LIGHT nature of the brass casing of the cited .22 caliber round compared to the relatively HEAVY lead slug, the casing (or fragment of the casing) will have a much higher velocity and move further (on the order of at least 2 magnitudes in my estimation). The lead slug will most likely not move significantly given the probability that the slug is oriented 'down' after being tossed into the fire. Being in contact with the ground further reduces the likelyhood that the slug will move. In effect, even if the slug moves as much as an inch or two inches, it essentially stays put....compared to shrapnel ripping out of the fire and causing damage. Given a larger round with thicker (and heavier) brass your assertion may be more true.

I love physicists who live in the nether realm of theory. He's full of crap! The heavy lead slug will stay put. What he didn't consider is what happens to the brass casing. In reality, the casing catastrophically expands, rips apart, and fragments of it fly through the air in many cases. The scars on my cheek and hands testify to that fact. Lummox, what did your experiment indicate? edit: I miss read legs original post. I though it was a physics instructor, not a firearms instructor. I still call bullshit on the guy.

Or just take that space blanket out of your kit of 10 essentials and put it to good use.

BOY........I"m glad I read all that Timmy.... wtf?

cleaned greasy bike parts in gasoline....and enjoyed breathing the fumes. stayed home alone under the age of 13...when I didn't mind the rules I was locked out of the house between the time I got off from school and the time my mom got home from work If it was winter she at least gave me a key to the (unheated) garage. climbed trees and onto roofs every chance I got. My mom had to hose me down out of trees a few times when I got stubborn.

my cousins and myself shot each other with bb guns we rode horses bareback and unbridled, unsupervised and way out sight of any adults I broke a few teeth on the school playground and nobody sued anybody I got my ass kicked in 3rd grade by the older sister of the kid I was actually fighting with (she smacked both of us around a bit and told us each to go home.) my parents actually spanked us, on numerous occasions, and CPS didn't give a damn....we'd never even HEARD of CPS. tossed .22 shells into a bonfire and survived the shrapnel hits....learned alot from that one! started numerous fires in improper situations......but that's another topic.....and I think that's why I'm afraid to have kids....I'd hate to go thru what I put my parents through.

glad they found your car and stuff. those boots are HOT so understandably the theif kept those and nothing else *sigh* you'll be punished appropriately for losing those. -Mistress Minx oh no..... not another session of spit shining your boots while I'm blindfolded and gagged! the last time nearly pushed me over the edge......

SPD called and said they'd recovered my car. It was parked in permitted street parking near 15th and NE Ravenna, the tire was chalked and I suspect that parking enforcement identified it as stolen. No body or wiring damage. I got in, put the key in the ignition, and it started right up. It runs and sounds like crap, vibrations in the engine area, but it was too dark to look it over too closely. It's pretty clear that the thief has a bunch of old Saab keys or some kind of a master. I'm just grateful I didn't lose any climbing gear or anything else really expensive. My fav Vuarnets were still in the dash, fav SS coffee mug on the floor, fav beefy jumper cables I made in jr high school still in the back, POS stereo and speakers still there, fav blues and 80s alt rock cassette tapes thrown all over the car. And Minx, I'm sorry to report that the dancin' shoes were nowhere to be seen. Maybe we'll have to hook up and go shoe shopping together....

ahh.....I didn't know he'd left town.

Make that Erik...with a K.

I want to see if he's still got his POS Subaru for sale, but he hasn't been posting or reading (my) PMs. Someone email or call him and give him a 'heads up.' If he's been banned, too, someone send me his email address.

It sure does!