Something Random

LunarMist

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I bought some 3lbs weight similar to the one you showed for my nieces and nephew a few years back. My brother has a long backyard. I'll check how far I can trow it. Maybe not a hundred meters for the 3lbs one, but certainly more than 30m.

Well, you know I was exaggerating. :lol: Next week I will be on the green (2 lb.) with any luck.
 

CougTek

Hairy Aussie
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Do you have any arthritis?
I don't think so, although the stiffnest in my left middle finger that I felt a few months ago (which has vanished since) and the few troubles I have with my entire left arm articulations is worrying.

I'll test tomorrow how far I can throw the 3lbs dumbbell-mockery.

I wish you to get the green light for the green dumbbell soon.
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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I don't think so, although the stiffnest in my left middle finger that I felt a few months ago (which has vanished since) and the few troubles I have with my entire left arm articulations is worrying.

I'll test tomorrow how far I can throw the 3lbs dumbbell-mockery.

I wish you to get the green light for the green dumbbell soon.

See an orthopedist.

I can sort of bend over now, though not like normal. I'd be dizzy anyway.
I tried to do situps, but after a couple I practically crap my pants.
My left arm and right leg are the about the only parts currently working normally. :)
 

LunarMist

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Damn, they must have changed. Try another store.

Well, the colors for each weight must vary with brand. At that site the 2lb. weights are blue, yet mine are green. I think the weights should be brown for 1lb., red for 2lb., orange for 3lb., yellow for 4lb., green for 5lb., etc.
I'm sure some of you know what I mean. :)
 

time

Storage? I am Storage!
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Not really. After brown, the next size would be both brown and red, followed by brown & green, then brown & gray, red, red & purple, and then orange. :scratch:
 

time

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I thought about the resistor color code, but it's not quite that.

It's the E12 series. It used to be the standard for hobbyists, even when 5% resistors became commonplace.

I left out the gold (or silver) bands because it would just confuse the issue. My somewhat feeble point was that preferred resistor (or capacitor, Zener, etc) values are NOT decimal as Lunar implied.

Sheesh! :(
 

DrunkenBastard

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I tried but failed to understand the point of a motorcycle that weighs half a ton ...

Late reply to this but here goes:

There's no better motorcycle to travel a significant distance in total comfort, especially if you have a passenger. The engine is mounted low so it isn't top heavy at all. What I didn't like was the detachment from the riding experience, given my first bike was a UJM (universal Japanese moto), a naked bike with no windshield. The hard storage makes it easy to take it for grocery runs etc that would otherwise require a car. I still have it, I think in 20 yrs I will be ready to ride it more often.
 

DrunkenBastard

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That's quite a nice motorcycle. It's been on my wishlist for years. Good luck, enjoy yourself and ATGATT.

So after riding this for a while I can provide a review. It has a Two Brothers carbon fiber exhaust which sounds incredible. Starts ok at 35 degrees in the morning with plenty of choke, once warmed up the idle has this wandering nature which is fascinating. With the V4 it can be ridden gently around town at 3000 rpm at 30 mph without issue. Alternatively from a stop light in a 55mph zone I can hold on, open her up to max throttle and take her to 11,000rpm, then shift to 2nd gear and then ease off as 55mph has been reached. I mounted some Michelin Pilot Road 3s to replace the worn tires from the previous owner, fantastic confidence builder in the rain, and a new X-ring chain and sprockets to get the drivetrain up to scratch.

Was using her to commute daily to work, mostly highway, one night I was working late, started up fine but when I checked the controls wasn't getting any tail light illumination, or brake lights. Had no choice but to ride her home, it was ok during the early part of the ride with streetlights, but then got to the section without lighting. I was convinced I was going to get plowed from behind by someone, or pulled over. Amazingly got home without incident. Next day I pled off the rear fairing and found it was due to one of the crimped connectors coming off one of the lamp leads, crimped it back on and squished tight with pliers, no worries since.

I actually did get rear ended at a stop light on the VFR at a later date, bright sunny day, all rear lamps working, light changed to red, I was in the right lane dedicated to turning right. Came to a stop, first in line, left foot down, there was cross traffic so couldn't turn on the red (legal in the US). 3 seconds or so and bang, jolted on the bike as it basically moved under me, look behind me and a red sedan has plowed into the rear of me. Hit the engine kill switch, get off the bike and it stays upright, sedan front air dam has risen up over my rear tire and the carbon exhaust took the hit from the hood. I had her reverse off the tire and then she fell over. Took a bit of extended cranking but she started back up and was ok to drive home. Frankly I considered myself lucky to not be crippled or killed from something like that, things that helped were that the bike and handlebars wee pointing straight ahead, if I had been at an angle to make the turn it would have thrown the bike over on to its left , with me prob underneath it. And the fact it was a low profile car, and not a higher riding truck. Had to take one sick day just to lay flat cause it did tweak the back a little, but all good after a day of rest. Driver says "I thought you were turning", I said "I was but there was this red light......"

Anyway highly recommended if you ever get a chance to pick one up. Makes me glad to be alive anytime I ride her.
 

time

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Wow, 9 months between posts! You must have been busy / have a life /etc ...

For those struggling with context, DB's first post refers to the Honda Gold Wing, while the second is about his Honda VFR750F.
 

Bozo

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Wow, 9 months between posts! You must have been busy / have a life /etc ...

For those struggling with context, DB's first post refers to the Honda Gold Wing, while the second is about his Honda VFR750F.

Maybe he just got up off the floor??
 

LunarMist

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So now the new Dr.

I don't know the purpose of the truncated post. I'm going back tomorrow for the final evaluation. The short doctore and the fat doctore can't seem to agree. I'm f*cked either way. :(
 

LunarMist

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I had a chance to skydive in 1986 with a group of folks at work, but the facility was shut down before the event and I never got around to it after that. :(
 

LunarMist

I can't believe I'm a Fixture
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I don't know the purpose of the truncated post. I'm going back tomorrow for the final evaluation. The short doctore and the fat doctore can't seem to agree. I'm f*cked either way. :(

Apparently the new Dr. states that I'm in better condition than the previous one. He wants me on only a couple of meds and thinks that some of my "abnormalities" are normal for me. So I could live for 10 years or more. :crap:
 

CougTek

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My wife took me sky diving for my 40th birthday. Fun but over too quickly.
I didn't know you were married and I thought you were in your early thirties. Time goes fast, it seems.

While not as fun, I shoveled a full truck load of gravel. Alone (or like it...kids don't help much, which is normal). I don't know how much it weighted overall, but since the entire pile was about the size of a car, I'd say that I've shoveled close to two tons of rocks this afternoon. I'm not as exhausted as I thought I would be.
 

Handruin

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My wife took me sky diving for my 40th birthday. Fun but over too quickly.

Happy birthday Howell. Sounds like a fun event. I've never gone sky diving before. Did you wear a GoPro or something similar to record the event?
 

Howell

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Happy birthday Howell. Sounds like a fun event. I've never gone sky diving before. Did you wear a GoPro or something similar to record the event?

It was a surprise present. I didn't but the operators make sure they have something to sell you later, video and stills. The free video (http://youtu.be/yUTV7dfT4ak) is pretty good marketing for them I think.

Some things I learned:

12,000ft = 50sec freefall @120mph plus about 2 minute descent

It's not that hard. I intuitively understood how to steer with my hands from years of holding my hand out the car window as a kid. He also had me steer the canopy some on the way down. The right turn put us into a horizontal spiral and was as nauseating as it looks.

You do things a little differently when you are as tall as I am or the height difference between instructor and non- is significant, or both. We went out of the plane backwards.

For the last 3 years we have done some relatively extreme event for my birthday. Who knows what next year will bring? :)
 

Howell

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I didn't know you were married and I thought you were in your early thirties. Time goes fast, it seems.

I didn't know you had kids. I'll have been married 2 years in October so not very long. Most people think I'm around 30 so you are in good company. Ice and ibuprofen work wonders.
 

LunarMist

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I didn't know you were married and I thought you were in your early thirties. Time goes fast, it seems.

While not as fun, I shoveled a full truck load of gravel. Alone (or like it...kids don't help much, which is normal). I don't know how much it weighted overall, but since the entire pile was about the size of a car, I'd say that I've shoveled close to two tons of rocks this afternoon. I'm not as exhausted as I thought I would be.

You have children or nephews/nieces?
 

ddrueding

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I didn't know you were married and I thought you were in your early thirties. Time goes fast, it seems.

While not as fun, I shoveled a full truck load of gravel. Alone (or like it...kids don't help much, which is normal). I don't know how much it weighted overall, but since the entire pile was about the size of a car, I'd say that I've shoveled close to two tons of rocks this afternoon. I'm not as exhausted as I thought I would be.

Two weekends ago I helped a friend with a backyard patio/retaining wall. 2 semi-trailers full of Keystone Blocks, 150 cubic yards of fill, and 32 cubic yards of base rock. Plus a 90-lb jackhammer/compressor to remove the old patio. Of course, we had the right tools for the job. Bobcats, vibratory plates, water trucks, laser levels, misc other survey equipment. Two things helped, working for a construction company and having a civil engineer handy. Not bad for 4 guys that usually work at desks.
 

CougTek

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Of course, we had the right tools for the job. Bobcats, vibratory plates, water trucks, laser levels, misc other survey equipment. Two things helped, working for a construction company and having a civil engineer handy. Not bad for 4 guys that usually work at desks.
Having a bobcat would have made my life very simple. However, my entire equipment consisted of a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rake.

The job all four of you guys did would have taken at least two, if not three full days if you didn't have the jake hammer and the bobcats, but only sledgehammers, slovels and a wheelbarrow. It would have been quite a training.
 

ddrueding

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The job all four of you guys did would have taken at least two, if not three full days if you didn't have the jake hammer and the bobcats, but only sledgehammers, slovels and a wheelbarrow. It would have been quite a training.

The main training would have been a learning exercise; don't do a job without the right tools. Though to brag a bit, this job would have taken one of our professional construction crews several times longer. It was a very hard day.

...and the next weekend I demolished my parents kitchen. From fully functional to studs and subfloor in 7 hours. And that was with a sledgehammer and a wheelbarrow ;)
 

jtr1962

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It was a surprise present. I didn't but the operators make sure they have something to sell you later, video and stills. The free video (http://youtu.be/yUTV7dfT4ak) is pretty good marketing for them I think.

Some things I learned:

12,000ft = 50sec freefall @120mph plus about 2 minute descent

It's not that hard. I intuitively understood how to steer with my hands from years of holding my hand out the car window as a kid. He also had me steer the canopy some on the way down. The right turn put us into a horizontal spiral and was as nauseating as it looks.

You do things a little differently when you are as tall as I am or the height difference between instructor and non- is significant, or both. We went out of the plane backwards.

For the last 3 years we have done some relatively extreme event for my birthday. Who knows what next year will bring? :)
Happy birthday Howell! Time flies. I think you were 29 when we met in NYC. If I recall correctly I was either 38 or 39. Never tried skydiving or anything else that extreme but it's on my bucket list. So is summiting Everest. Unfortunately, lack of time/money will probably ensure that the most extreme thing I've done to date has been going 65 mph downhill on my bike. Lots of fun but I'm sure it pales next to freefalling at 120 mph.
 
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