Jack M

We are saddened and alarmed by this discouraging turn of events. The online community of alpine snowboarders, which owes Bomber Industries gratitude for its inception, is what allows the ECES to exist. Therefore, we feel we must do our part and make this small act of support and solidarity. For the first time this past season, the ECES actually turned a small profit (well, not counting the hours that went into planning and working the event). Todd and I have been procrastinating deciding what to do with it, but now the decision is obvious. We are donating <b>$500.00</b>, the bulk of this year's profit, to Bomber's legal defense. We thank everyone involved with the ECES, attendees, helpers, and our generous sponsors alike, for supporting the event and allowing us to make this small gesture. You can all give yourselves a pat on the back for supporting this sport that we all love. If in the future the cancer of this litigious society spreads to other members of this industry, we will be there to help as best we can. Thank you, and see you at the next ECES.

I'd call or write the corporate offices. I'm sure Triumph would have some choice words for the dealer, and would make sure you get satisfaction. http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/1395.aspx Doesn't it just blow your mind when a company screws up like that, as if they're still learning how to do their jobs. Yeah right. Morons. I think you should go back there some day, ask to sit on a bike, and then drop it.

Thanks Derf. Actually that button sends a report to all the moderators, and the first one to see the spam will take care of it. A big thank you to all the people who use it, we couldn't keep on top of it without everyone's help. Fin has turned on the visual registration confirmation code, so hopefully this will die down somewhat. It's discouraging to realize that there are human beings (not computer programs) who are manually registering to spam us. To the spammers, I simply say e.s.a.d.

Can there be a "married with children" version? like... 20min cardio 3x/week 50 push-ups, sit-ups, lunges 3x/week 12oz curls 14-20x/week

Those guys need to take a lesson from the pro's over here in Maine. Ayuh. http://www.eepybird.com/dcm1.html

alas, purely due to a lack of free time. :(

I hear that sound constantly. In my head. It's called Tinnitus. I don't notice it when there is any amount of ambient noise, but when trying to go to sleep it's annoying. Wear earplugs while riding a motorcycle, folks. Or mowing your lawn. But even with Tinnitus, I can still hear that ringtone at 32. TV tubes make that sound too. That was one of my favorite things about my new LCD TV - silent!

Hey, that's great. The Rebel is no slouch at all. I am a heeeeuge fan of IS. Nearly makes tripods obsolete. And the longer the lens, the more you need it. And even at shorter focal lengths, it gives you confidence to squeeze off quick impromptu shots in sub-ideal light. (although IS does nothing for subject movement) I'm loving my Canon 17-85mm IS USM as an everyday "walkaround" lens. It's the Donek Axxess of lenses! $500 isn't exactly cheap, but you can spend tons more than that on a lens. And it's worth it - way better than the $100 kit lens that probably came with your camera. But you might think it's a little short for action at a distance. For that you'd probably need something that goes up to 200 or 300mm. For third party lenses I wouldn't look much further than Sigma or Tamron. Definitely get a polarizer, check out the difference: without: www.cs.usm.maine.edu/~gmichaud/no_polar.JPG with: www.cs.usm.maine.edu/~gmichaud/yes_polar.JPG Flash - if you can't get by with the onboard flash, look to the Canon Speedlights, starting with the 400 series. Shop B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com) or ebay. For scads of info and discussion, check out the forums at www.dpreview.com If I want the camera to select exposure settings, I shoot in P mode rather than full auto, so I can control ISO, white balance, metering mode, exposure compensation, and focus points (usually center only). I'd recommend you get comfy with P mode.

no, it's the other way. this page has a better picture: http://www.bataleon.com/site/technology/triple_base_technology I'd have to ride it to know, but it doesn't make sense to me.

note, <i>male</i> massage therapists are not discouraged to apply!

You should try a CarveBoard before you dismiss it. But failing that, you may find what you're looking for in a slalom skateboard. Or, wait a minute.... http://www.bomberonline.com/store/accessories/loadedboards.cfm

so tell me - are ALL 8 wheels on the ground at all times throughout turns? I don't see how they could be.

hmm... interesting, but I don't see anything on that site that disputes my theory. I'd like to see a head-on picture of the board in mid-turn.

aside from being waaay too heavy, trucks need to be mounted on the centerline of the board in order to work. One of your pairs of trucks would be airborne on each turn. IMO, Tierney and CarveBoard have come the closest, but both have missed the mark slightly. The CarveBoard deck has great flex that really helps it feel like a snowboard, and the pneumatic tires have unbeatable grip. However it suffers speed wobbles and has a pretty tight turning radius. The Tierney board solves the problem of speed wobbles, and the turning radius is more variable, but the deck does not flex at all. Also later models come with a fixed rear truck, so all steering is accomplished with the front truck. This places the pivot point under your rear foot. On a snowboard the pivot is between your feet.

Actually I think this sequence is perfect evidence that the camera <i>does</i> adjust exposure continuously. If it didn't, the underexposure of the first shot would have been seen throughout the sequence. But yes, check the EXIF info.

Gosh, I just assumed that in the continuous drive modes, the exposure was continuous as well. I'd have to double check, but I seem to recall seeing different exposure values between shots taken continuously. I do know that AI Servo works in the continuous drive modes, and surprisingly well. This little girl (not mine, neighbor's) was literally *running* towards me down this pier. 5fps continuous drive and AI Servo netted this keeper:

I agree that 4-5mp is "enough" for 95% of photographic uses. Heck, I even made a few very pleasing 8x10s out of pictures I had taken with my 4mp Canon S45, but that I had cropped from horizontal (landscape) to vertical (portrait) size. That's only 1704x1363 pixels, or 2.3mp. The only "need" for someone to have a 7 or 8mp point-n-shoot is to be able to use the digital zoom, and to say "mine is bigger". A DSLR however, shouldn't have too low a pixel count because the sensor is physically much larger. So in order to have a good pixel pitch on a larger sensor, naturally the mp's rise. However even at 8.2mp (3504 x 2336), you're below 200dpi on any print larger than 17" x 11". But my original point was only that you simply can't make even a good 4x6" print from a frame of video, which before HD was 640x480 pixels. I like that next winter I'll be able to just hold down the shutter button for someone's entire turn, get a good sequence, and make a poster out of the "money shot". In the 3 months I've owned the camera I haven't made any posters yet, but I've got a few 11x14s that are absolutely stunning, and flawless.

Okay, how many years in a row did the Burton catalog open with a preamble by Jake himself pontificating "we don't make surfboards or skateboards or skis, we are a pure snowboarding company and that's what makes us so core" or something like that?

Ask me about my top secret programming assignment called The TTP Project.

http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/wp-content/upload/my_cubicle.mp3 I think I may weep, openly.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/ Canon's pro DSLR's are full frame - the 1D and 1Ds. But nevermind, unless you want to be a full-time pro photog. Then there's the first "affordable" (*ahem*) full framed 5D which sells for a cool 3 large for the body only. The 30D ($1400) and 20D (on clearance) have 22.5 x 15mm sized sensors, not sure if that's APS-C or not. ALL Canon DSLRs, including the Digital Rebel ($700?) accept ALL Canon EF lenses. So yes, your existing lenses will work. The D-Rebel, 20D, and 30D also accept the EF-S line of lenses which are built especially for these reduced-frame cameras. These sensors produce a 1.6 crop factor. That is, if you have a 100-400mm zoom lens, when you use it with one of these cameras it effectively becomes a 160-640mm lens. On the 5D and up, there is no crop factor. The crop factor is not a bad thing, it just means you have to do a little math when selecting lenses. I bought the EF-S 17-85mm IS USM with my 30D. So effectively that's 27.2-136. Canon built that lens to provide a "digital" equivalent to their popular EF 28-135mm IS USM. I like that it can go wide when I want. Here's a pic I took at the wide end: anyway, get it?

I am loving the camera. However don't despair. By the time you can buy, there just might exist the rumored $1500 Canon with a full frame sensor. Even if not, there is always <i>something</i> "better" coming along. Canon critics think the successor to the 30D will come sooner rather than later because the 30D wasn't a major upgrade to the 20D. Monitor calibration - if you have Photoshop, run the Adobe Gamma program. It helps.

There is no manual labor involved in instructing. Not counting hauling little tykes onto the chairlift, or re-mounting someones bindings because the morons in the rental shop only did the push-from-behind test. Patrolling seems glamorous, but besides the rescue work there is a ton of un-fun stuff that needs to get done around the mountain that is done by patrol. Unless you've done it, you probably don't even notice or think of it, and you'd be surprised at all the menial tasks that fall under the job description.

good call Justin. I like a "Summer" forum too. Would be a great place for us to talk about longboarding, motorcycling, wakeboarding, etc...

this computer is actually for my dad who is retiring soon. He'll be managing his portfolio and also some for other people. As for mac vs. pc, I have always been a pc guy because I just get the impression that macs are "computers for dummies". It is glaringly obvious to me that Apple thinks they are smarter than me. Well, maybe they are, but more to the point, they don't seem to give their users any credit for having any computer aptitude or even brains of their own. This was confirmed recently when I bought the Apple AirPort last year to send music from my computer to my stereo. The installation manual basically said "just plug it in and it will work". It didn't. I had to call support and they told me the secret to get the thing working. I find their attitude towards computer users is condescending. They go to great lengths to insulate you from the inner workings of their products, much moreso than Microsoft.