catbirdseat

Right, but the Magic X format is subject to extension if any of the pieces fail. Extension can shock load the system in a way that might cause the remaining pieces to fail.

Sure, there is a place for your second to clip into. The Power Point still exists, it just isn't defined by a knot. He would have to clip in through the same strands that your original tie-in locking carabiner was placed through.

I know about that trick. Let's focus on the clove-hitch method.

How about boredom, curiosity, and always looking for a better way of doing things?

The most common way to use a cordellette is to draw all the legs from each piece of pro together and tie a figure eight knot, creating a "power point" that becomes the tie in point. If one leg were to fail, there would be no extension. The load trasfers to the remaining legs. A friend of mine showed me a different way of doing things. You first set up the cordellette like a sliding X, by introducing a twist on each of the inside pairs of cord. Then, you tie a clove hitch to the carabiner attached to each piece of pro. If any one piece fails, there should be no extension. Because of the clove hitches, the anchor doesn't redirect itself automatically the way a Sliding X would, but it seems to me that it would redirect to a small extent because of slight give in the clove hitches, etc. Anyone care to comment on the pluses and minuses of this method? The first thing that comes to mind is that it takes longer to set up.

Hey, I suck at proof reading. Just ask Michael Layton.

I'd like to see mortality versus weight broken down by age group. I suspect that if you are older, being skinny would hurt you with regard to surviving prolonged illness. A skinny, younger, active person, would have greater resistence to disease.

If they die people can say they were doing the thing they loved best- playing video games.

Dr. Crash told me that he was leading the first pitch on Midway and someone on the first part of the second pitch dislodged a flake. I'm a bit surprised, because that route appeared to be pretty solid on the few times I've done it.

You ruined your post by putting that lonesome comma in there.

I found it interesting to see the term "dumbed down" applied to the environment, but it fits. It means essentially the same thing as homogeneous, and boring.

cheap, cheep, cheep

Dean says, "eeeeeeeaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!"

I think our current president has done a wonderful job of limiting access to all but synchophants. It has had the desired effect.

You and I may not thing that Wacko-Jacko is not newsworthy, but there must be many people who do. I think the media knows its business well enough to know that lots of people are interested in that sort of garbage. Or am I wrong about that?

I believe that it is the mission of the media to be liberal in the traditional sense of the word. I mean "liberal" as opposed to "biased". Outside of opinion, the media should strive to present all sides and let the public make up it's mind. It's not the job of the media to persuade or to support the government's view point. In fact, it is the job of the media to question the government. The media is supposed to be the watchdog of our democracy.

A great Andrew Sullivan quote, courtesy of dryad: THE POLITICAL ANALOGY "I was trying to explain last night to a non-Catholic just how dumb-struck many reformist Catholics are by the elevation of Ratzinger. And then I found a way to explain. This is the religious equivalent of having had four terms of George W. Bush only to find that his successor as president is Karl Rove. Get it now?"

If I had to guess, I'd have to say it is probably involved in stowing your spare tire or car jack.

why didnt YOU cut in front of him too instead of glomming on to his ass bumper and then crying about it? What makes you think I didn't do that?

That is a classic cc.com quote. I only wish I'd thought of it first.

How about the guy in the BMW who was using his PDA as he was driving over the ship canal bridge in the left lane with a big gap in front of him. He was letting all the lazy dickheads cut in front of him (and me). Screw that. I don't let those SUV get in front of me.

Muffy, Alex, and Pope are still around. The others are gone. Many have wished for a more polite cc.com and they got their wish, but it is also a much less compelling cc.com.

Do you think the FS would allow amateurs to work on the road? They may have liability concerns.

I met a couple old timers on TUIB, which I had hoped to climb. I told them I'd done it once before. They said, go climb Air Guitar, 5.10a. I said, "I've never led at that grade before." They said, "Oh, Air Guitar is easier than TUIB. You shouldn't have any trouble with it if you've already done TUIB". They were right.