Planet America

[Admin]

Yeah, that wasn't smart. We all make decisions we regret.

[stanky]

I'm planning my next regrettable decision for later this week. It's a swing, between two trees, and going to be hung from an absurd height. My fearless friend has already climbed the trees and cleared the branches from between them. And now, I have the straps and gear to make it happen when he returns. It's going to be a wild ride, and despite intense safety concerns on my part, someone will likely get hurt.

It's the price of fun, damnit!
(Mary has some trepidation.)

[President Bush]

You going to have pictures for us?

[sparks]

Yea, pics or it didn't happen. Preferably video!

[stanky]

I'll try to borrow the climber's phone when he's up in the trees.

[stanky]

It happened today; the swing is up.
And we did get some video on the brave one's phone.
Another freaky character, staying in the guest shack for winter, also took some pics of the rigging process...which i hadn't thought all the way through.
Funny how that works...i call it the "blunder forth" method. I knew that he'd need some string up there, to connect the two straps. And hang the third.
There ain't much on line about this, that i could find. The swing hangs from a line that connects to the ends of two straps; one from each tree. Probably from 50" up the trunks. The meeting of the straps is in mid air, between trees. Curious problem. Solved on the fly by the guy in the trees. He's can-do as hell. One of the ones raised basically wild at God's Land. A special breed.

i digress, I wouldn't mind sharing the vid, but have minus computery skills. He says he can email it here, then i'd forward a bracketed version here?
Maybe Prez would be ok with me sending it to him? then using normal skills (which i lack) to here? Embedded?

this swing is meant to be pulled up the hill with a rope, to a higher launch pad. Haven't made that yet. In the vid, he's launching from the roof rack of his truck. Mary came home about then. She was good; we made her try it. This project has been a hard sell on the gal. I had a cable between the same trees 25 years ago. It was extra perverse. Above the cable that connected the trees, i had placed another line higher up, from each tree, that came down to ground on a 45o angle. A person on each would pull those lines to move the top of the trees outward, at the same time, to give the poor slob on the seat an amazing jolt of swing power. (Designed after a kid's toy that employs that principal) The cross cable snapped one day. A young woman visitor was about 60' off the ground when it happened. i was there. Saw it. Oh shit.

she was ok. freaking amazing. i thought she was dead before she landed. anyway, i have good cause to be extra vigilant. I know what i did wrong back then. I see that failure as qualification for the job. Some wild kid is going to slam the tree at some point. I can't pretend they won't. I've seen kids.
So i'll probably strap a pad at the sweet spot of the trees; hopefully avoid brain damage. The way it's rigged, if one strap breaks, you're ok, but may hit a tree. Both breaking at once seems less likely, hence, safety feature. It's a serene feeling, the long, silent stroke of the ride.
Imma go out in the dark now, see how she feels.

[stanky]

that was awesome! the star show was great.

Got the vid on mary's device, but it can't be sent because of chrome books sucking ass, i guess.
Must be hard to believe, but for her and me, stuff that most people can do in 2 clicks will consume us for days. Eventually, we simply give up.
We've already put 5 hrs into trying to make it work. It won't. So, fuck it.

I hate these things passionately. I want them all destroyed.Ordering stuff on line is a hoot. We never know where the package will end up. Sometimes, they simply leave them on the paved road, 2 miles from here. I guess there's no going back, but it sure was a lot more fun before these demonic devices took over.

The most fun i've ever had with a computer is when i tossed one in a bon fire. Huge monitor and all. It was my way of deleting my files. No clicking involved. I have a 20 lb sledge hammer that's itching to have a crack at this latest piece of crap.

hey, feels good to vent.

[grayman]

I hate these things passionately. I want them all destroyed.Ordering stuff on line is a hoot. We never know where the package will end up. Sometimes, they simply leave them on the paved road, 2 miles from here. I guess there's no going back, but it sure was a lot more fun before these demonic devices took over.

The most fun i've ever had with a computer is when i tossed one in a bon fire. Huge monitor and all. It was my way of deleting my files. No clicking involved. I have a 20 lb sledge hammer that's itching to have a crack at this latest piece of crap.

hey, feels good to vent.

"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."

~ Emo Philips

[sparks]

I hate these things passionately. I want them all destroyed.Ordering stuff on line is a hoot. We never know where the package will end up. Sometimes, they simply leave them on the paved road, 2 miles from here. I guess there's no going back, but it sure was a lot more fun before these demonic devices took over.

The most fun i've ever had with a computer is when i tossed one in a bon fire. Huge monitor and all. It was my way of deleting my files. No clicking involved. I have a 20 lb sledge hammer that's itching to have a crack at this latest piece of crap.

hey, feels good to vent.

"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."

~ Emo Philips

"Chess Challenger". The piece of shit blatantly cheated.

And then one day it wound up in several pieces on the floor after bouncing off the wall.

[President Bush]

that was awesome! the star show was great.

Got the vid on mary's device, but it can't be sent because of chrome books sucking ass, i guess.
Must be hard to believe, but for her and me, stuff that most people can do in 2 clicks will consume us for days. Eventually, we simply give up.
We've already put 5 hrs into trying to make it work. It won't. So, fuck it.

I hate these things passionately. I want them all destroyed.Ordering stuff on line is a hoot. We never know where the package will end up. Sometimes, they simply leave them on the paved road, 2 miles from here. I guess there's no going back, but it sure was a lot more fun before these demonic devices took over.

The most fun i've ever had with a computer is when i tossed one in a bon fire. Huge monitor and all. It was my way of deleting my files. No clicking involved. I have a 20 lb sledge hammer that's itching to have a crack at this latest piece of crap.

hey, feels good to vent.

Saw a driverless car on the road today, nobody fucking in it, right next to us at a stoplight. Loaded with gizmos, rest of their shit was invisible. Lane it was in ended shortly after the stoplight, didn´t want the google family to sideswipe us when they´d have to merge after the light turned green. When it did I floored it, got ahead of the google family, goddamn, they even used the turn signal to merge in behind us. Maybe I should have slammed on the brakes to see if it would´ve rear ended us.