Dude jumps without a parachute...? And lands in a net?

[Onkel Neal]

This is dumb at a whole new level. What's the point?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ot-use-it.html


At least someone can explain to me why he is wearing a helmet?

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

This is dumb at a whole new level. What's the point?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ot-use-it.html


At least someone can explain to me why he is wearing a helmet?

Well, what's the point in building a car that can achieve supersonic speed?

The helmet is most likely for convenience during the jump and might help in case something goes slightly wrong with the net or while getting out of the net.

[Skybird]

I am surprised, Neal, I would have thought you applaud the man. I do. Just short before his jump, I read about him in a German magazine. During the tests of the net with crash dummies it broke I think twice. Most project workers panicked, he just said something like - "That's fine, thats' what tests are there for - to find out what does not work." And continued. Asked why he does this insane stunt, he answered like this: "I want to show how much farther you can reach with good planning and preparation - and that then you can even do what is considered to be undoable." That's what hooked me.

Cojones!

Did you dislike the jump bei Felix Baumgartner, too?

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

What's the point?

He had fun.

I garden and trek, my friend washes his car 5 times a day, ex eats children and burns villages.

The point is to have fun.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I am surprised, Neal, I would have thought you applaud the man. I do. Just short before his jump, I read about him in a German magazine. During the tests of the net with crash dummies it broke I think twice. Most project workers panicked, he just said something like - "That's fine, thats' what tests are there for - to find out what does not work." And continued. Asked why he does this insane stunt, he answered like this: "I want to show how much farther you can reach with good planning and preparation - and that then you can even do what is considered to be undoable." That's what hooked me.

Cojones!

Did you dislike the jump bei Felix Baumgartner, too?

Nope, not buying it. What's next? Drop a case of sharp knives off a ledge above you and see if you can dodge them all? It's just stupid. You've heard of the Darwin Awards, right?

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

What's the point?

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

It's just stupid. You've heard of the Darwin Awards, right?

My thoughts exactly.
Everyone made a big fuss out of it.
"Oh my God, first time someone did this!!!!"
Uh yeah... so?

It's no achievement. He jumped into a net and put his life at complete risk for nothing of value.
Honestly, I would have smirked if he would have missed.

Natural selection and all that...

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

Nope, not buying it. What's next? Drop a case of sharp knives off a ledge above you and see if you can dodge them all? It's just stupid. You've heard of the Darwin Awards, right?

Darwin Awards are for people taking daring risks while being too stupid to realise that they are taking a daring risk; or for doing something stupid that gets them killed while not seeing the chance that it could kill them.

He knew what he was doing. Not my cup of tea, I would never overcome my fear to try such a thing like him, or Baumgartner. But he overcame his fear, and that is the achievement.

Finally, and that is what ultimately decides this action, he did not put anybody at risk, he did not play with the lives of others. His wife supported him, and being such a star in his business that he is, I take it that he has done what was needed to secure his family financially in case he did not survive.

You see, I'm the type of guy who would not at any cost try to prevent somebody committing suicide with a pistol, or pills. I would try my share to make sure that he is not just in a deranged state of mind, suffers some mental disease, or is choosing a method that also would affect others. Jumping before a train is unacceptable, putting a bullet into your head is. In principle I leave everybody the right to decide over his life all by himself, and if somebody decides that it has been enough on this world for him, that is to be accepted, and must not even be morally commented, that would just be presumptuous.

And so, people also are free to take risks - if potential costs are at their costs indeed, not at the costs of anyone else. Your risk taken must be your risk, and yours alone.

You see, by now I have done several hundred laps on the Nordschleife - a laserscanned, highly accurate simulation representation of it. I know it inside out, and I can move a car around it quite fast, in a sim. Without taking any risks. Whether I would be able to do that in a real car, when the pucker factor drives its teeth into my mind and fear sits in my neck and my mind knows that any crash would not be cured by hitting the reset button - that is what differs a jump off a plane with a parachute on and aiming for a small landing zone - or hitting that landing zone while jumping off a plane without a parachute. This little difference - no safety, no second chances, no reset buttons - makes all the difference.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Your risk taken must be your risk, and yours alone.

He's married.
His risks automatically affects his family.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

He's married.
His risks automatically affects his family.

And his wife supported him, I read;
and as I wrote, I assume being a star in his business he has money, and has done what was needed to make sure his widow would be able to raise their 4 year old kid in material safety. He had done 18 thousand jumps, he did dangerous stunts for the movies, he had jumped off planes without parachute before and got one handed wile in flight. and they tested the net with three or four dozen dummies.

Did you guys dislike what Baumgartner did, too? All I recall was that everybody was applauding. While Baumgartner later admitted he was almost brought to his knees by his fear. From the video of his fall, how he frantically had to fight for regaining control and would have been cut to pieces while being inflight if he had failed, I think this net jump now was the much safer thing to do.

Fear is the ultimate frontier. We obey it - and will stay belittled by it. And yes, I include myself in that.

That is not what Homer has written about.

Originally Posted by Skybird

And his wife supported him.

Nobody said she's smart...

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Nobody said she's smart...

That is your prejudice, based on your moral sentencing of this action. Or did you met her to form an impression based on first hand experience?

Originally Posted by Skybird

That is your prejudice, based on your moral sentencing of this action.

No, that was a joke.

[Skybird]

As a German you should not try jokes. Especially not on another German.

[Jimbuna]

So if his actions had resulted in the serious injury or death of anyone else would those skydivers who assisted him have been charged with 'Aiding and abetting' (or the American legal equivalent)?

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Darwin Awards are for people taking daring risks while being too stupid to realise that they are taking a daring risk; or for doing something stupid that gets them killed while not seeing the chance that it could kill them.

Those people are just ignorant, if they are not aware of the risks. This guy was stupid, the risks were insane--any mistake = instant death; for zero gain.