tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post159487371152311157..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Falling, yes I am falling...Barry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-65079076070438757602007-05-11T15:55:00.000-04:002007-05-11T15:55:00.000-04:00I think that the possibility of injuring people on...I think that the possibility of injuring people on the ground is something that jumpers seldom think about beforehand, but it's a real possibility. And that possibility has shut down the Tappan Zee Bridge, a major commuter route north of NYC, at least twice in the last few years. During the ironically named period of "rush hour", on two occasions people climbed the superstructure of the bridge and made as if they'd jump. Traffic was cleared from the vicinity of the jumper, lest he land on a car and injure the driver.<BR/><BR/>The "free fall" rides are actually not usually free falls. Because of how they work, you have downward acceleration imparted at the start, so you're accelerating at more than 32 ft/sec/sec and experiencing more than the normal 1g force. Which is why it feels so icky. :-)Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-35605936557668548102007-05-11T15:48:00.000-04:002007-05-11T15:48:00.000-04:00I tried to recall my “free fall” rides at Six Flag...I tried to recall my “free fall” rides at Six Flags several years ago. According to my experience, you don’t really think about anything when you fall like that. The physical discomfort is so intense that your mind just goes blank. <BR/><BR/>But I wonder if he “aimed” for the streets when he jumped. I’d hate to see innocent people get killed that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-74142139821757060492007-05-11T08:31:00.000-04:002007-05-11T08:31:00.000-04:00Please forgive the poor taste, but I simply couldn...Please forgive the poor taste, but I simply couldn't let this pass...<BR/><BR/><I>The fall was more traumatic than seems at first glance.</I> As in the glancing blow caused by his meeting the ledge? <BR/><BR/><I>May he rest in peace.</I> Uh, shouldn't that be <I>pieces</I>?<BR/><BR/>Well, I did apologise...Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15198072683770155918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-58193421820436284222007-05-11T07:34:00.000-04:002007-05-11T07:34:00.000-04:00Oh, as I interpret it, his body hit the 30th-floor...Oh, as I interpret it, his body hit the 30th-floor ledge, at which point his leg, which was perhaps sticking out from the ledge, was severed and continued to the ground. My interpretation is that his body was intact until it hit the ledge.<BR/><BR/>It's possible that that's not correct. In any case, I think I don't <I>want</I> to know any more detail — I'm not into "gruesome".Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-88905198032223238632007-05-11T00:53:00.000-04:002007-05-11T00:53:00.000-04:00I'm not sure he lasted the full 5-8 seconds. The ...I'm not sure he lasted the full 5-8 seconds. The fall was more traumatic than seems at first glance. Note that the report says something about "the rest of Kanovsky's body..." Makes one wonder what happened to the other bits. May he rest in peace.scouter573https://www.blogger.com/profile/10617089494446058172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-1584517597629657962007-05-10T22:41:00.000-04:002007-05-10T22:41:00.000-04:00Repent for jumping/commiting suicide.Can one atone...Repent for jumping/commiting suicide.<BR/><BR/>Can one atone for making an irreverible decision? Yes: asking for forgiveness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-63059187191884852342007-05-10T09:18:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:18:00.000-04:00Yes, thank you, Paul! Your memory's better than m...Yes, thank you, Paul! Your memory's better than mine. Exactly, a sperm whale and a flower pot. (I'd moved the dolphins over from another part of the story.)Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-60918614130513972762007-05-10T09:12:00.000-04:002007-05-10T09:12:00.000-04:00I believe, Barry, it was a Sperm Whale. And a flow...I believe, Barry, it was a Sperm Whale. And a flower pot. Although I'm just going by memory, here.Call me Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17704646008578216859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-50337015197040078382007-05-10T08:28:00.000-04:002007-05-10T08:28:00.000-04:00I imagine that the Hitchhiker books would be tough...I imagine that the <I>Hitchhiker</I> books would be tough to translate without losing some of the humour... and I similarly imagine that they'd be tough to read in English if you have trouble understanding funny turns of phrase. But it's certainly a good thing to try! I think the first three books, in particular, are wonderfully funny. The others (<I>So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish</I> and <I>Mostly Harmless</I>), as well as the "Dirk Gently" books, are less good, in my opinion... but still worth reading.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-76591023774830167022007-05-10T01:53:00.000-04:002007-05-10T01:53:00.000-04:00>the dolphin is plummeting to the ground, and hear...>the dolphin is plummeting to the ground, and hearing the wind whoosh by.<BR/><BR/>I think that's the first one. I am not so sure though. ( I love the books, but unfortunatelly, only three books are translated into Japanese. Maybe I will try to original ones. )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-87066298102592703722007-05-09T21:05:00.000-04:002007-05-09T21:05:00.000-04:00Repent for what? For jumping? Hm, that's interes...Repent for what? For jumping? Hm, that's interesting: can one atone for making an irreversible decision?Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-75515402483961653862007-05-09T20:53:00.000-04:002007-05-09T20:53:00.000-04:00Certainly a different perspective on a jump from a...Certainly a different perspective on a jump from a building.<BR/><BR/>Of course, the religious question always is: Did the person repent as he/she was falling? Did he ask forgiveness as he/she fell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-35462739674398429202007-05-09T19:41:00.000-04:002007-05-09T19:41:00.000-04:00And James just made me think about the bit from......And James just made me think about the bit from... one of the <I>Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</I> books, I forget which... in which the dolphin is plummeting to the ground, and hearing the wind whoosh by.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-46865688583543270512007-05-09T19:29:00.000-04:002007-05-09T19:29:00.000-04:00Maybe I have a macabre interest, but I was quite k...Maybe I have a macabre interest, but I was quite keen to find out how many seconds he had to think about his decision.<BR/><BR/>I expect the wind racing by was somewhat of a distraction.<BR/><BR/>The post reminded me, of course, of the old joke about the guy falling form the top of a skyscraper who is asked "how is it going" and replies "so far, so good."<BR/><BR/>There are many possible analogies. I leave them up to the reader.JP Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16796725364997136448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-2310080951230041552007-05-09T09:05:00.000-04:002007-05-09T09:05:00.000-04:00Actually, the effecet of air resistance cannot be ...Actually, the effecet of air resistance cannot be removed from the equation, as it is significant on a human body, especially one that is fully clothed, and not making any special effort to reduce one's profile. Terminal velocity of about 120mph is reached in about 8 seconds of free fall, so our jumper probably did not quite reach the speed you mentioned, but he probably came pretty close. If he removed his jacket before jumping, and intentionally held his arms and legs closely together, his terminal velocity might have increased to about 200mph, and he likely would have reached that 119mph before he hit the thirtieth floor, but I suspect that is an uncommon occurrence for a jumper.Call me Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17704646008578216859noreply@blogger.com