Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

dw.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 65 posts

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#51

Post by DamnInteresting »

rich_sasha wrote: post #41
theothertimcook wrote: post #6

I only learned recently that Felix nearly had to pull out of the jump due to claustrophobia from the suit. After CBT he was able to tolerate the suit and complete the jump. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/skydiver-felix-baumgartner-ove...

Wearing a spacesuit, you can't scratch your nose. You maybe don't think it's a big thing but try sitting one minute without touching your face.

This video says that the helmet mic serves as a decent face scratcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VCuaZCRn1U

I've also read that many astronauts put strips of adhesive Velcro in their helmet for this purpose: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/42012/nose-scratch...

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#53

Post by southernplaces7 »

jjcob wrote: post #37
southernplaces7 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having a general opinion about things outside your very specific area of expertise in the world does not make you an asshole. It makes you a human being, and just as the comment above is also spouting an opinion outside the poster's area of expertise (unless he's an immigration policy and political analysis expert), the same right applies to a skydiver. I have a profession, but I also have opinions on many subjects I…

You shape your public image by deciding what you talk about. Do you want to be known as a legendary skydiver? Then talk about the amazing achievements and plans for the future you made. Do you want to be known as a former athlete with questionable political views? Then go talk to the media doubling down on stupid memes you posted on facebook. I have no interest in learning more about the latter. I guess that's why mo…

I can't think of a more bland misuse of a public image than keeping it strictly neutral so that it doesn't offend the ideological fetishes of people who just want you to shut up if you deviate from whatever they indulgently decide is correct.

Like any human being, an athlete can have other opinions on other things and all the right in the world to express them without having to be a certified expert. You're doing the same now, as did the comment above. That's the only qualification necessary.

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#55

Post by sandspar »

I guess people generally try to maximize reward per lifetime. Some people try to increase their lifetime, albeit with smaller reward per unit time (eating their spinach). A few rare people try to maximize reward per unit time, even at the cost of a longer life. Felix lived to 56, skydiving all the way. Although he died younger than the average Austrian, he probably experienced greater sum reward. I suppose the gamble is that with his lifestyle, he could have died in his teens - in which case the sum of his reward would be lower than an "eat your spinach" 80 year old.

I wonder if you could cross compare: perhaps the sum reward of Felix's 56 fun years is about the same as a Greenland shark's 400 boring years.

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#56

Post by monetus »

southernplaces7 wrote: post #21
jjcob wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get why people can't just keep their stupid opinions to themselves. That guy achieved some pretty amazing stuff, and I loved watching him, but then he starts publicly talking political bullshit to the media and it gets a bit hard to ignore that he is an asshole. A lot of accomplished people are probably assholes in private, but they don't talk about it in public. I wish Baumgartner would have just stuck to ta…

In summary: "Why does this guy have to have his own mind, filled with opinions and beliefs that I happen to not like, and then actually talk about them publicly?" Grow up. One isn't an automatic asshole just because they don't share your worldview.

> Grow up. One isn't an automatic asshole just because they don't share your worldview.

This has self contained irony; I hope you realize that.

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#58

Post by southernplaces7 »

monetus wrote: post #56
southernplaces7 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In summary: "Why does this guy have to have his own mind, filled with opinions and beliefs that I happen to not like, and then actually talk about them publicly?" Grow up. One isn't an automatic asshole just because they don't share your worldview.

> Grow up. One isn't an automatic asshole just because they don't share your worldview. This has self contained irony; I hope you realize that.

By all means, demonstrate the irony.

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#59

Post by rich_sasha »

olddustytrail wrote: post #43
rich_sasha wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wearing a spacesuit, you can't scratch your nose. You maybe don't think it's a big thing but try sitting one minute without touching your face.

I have no idea why you think this is a thing, but just in case I subconsciously tend to do this, I set a timer for 2 minutes without touching my face. It was effortless. Edit: wait, I've been in an MRI machine for over an hour where I can't move my arms from my side. How can you think one minute is anything?

You clearly have superhuman endurance and I bow to you.

Re: Extreme skydiver Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident

#60

Post by jjcob »

southernplaces7 wrote: post #53
jjcob wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shape your public image by deciding what you talk about. Do you want to be known as a legendary skydiver? Then talk about the amazing achievements and plans for the future you made. Do you want to be known as a former athlete with questionable political views? Then go talk to the media doubling down on stupid memes you posted on facebook. I have no interest in learning more about the latter. I guess that's why mo…

I can't think of a more bland misuse of a public image than keeping it strictly neutral so that it doesn't offend the ideological fetishes of people who just want you to shut up if you deviate from whatever they indulgently decide is correct. Like any human being, an athlete can have other opinions on other things and all the right in the world to express them without having to be a certified expert. You're doing the…

I think we disagree on what we consider bland. I consider people reposting right wing memes on facebook extremely bland. People who blame all the problems on "the foreigners" are so common that I just don't care to listen to them.

If thats what you want to read about in the media, good for you, because that's what social media (and traditional media) provide plenty of.

I just wish that people who accomplish exceptional things would focus on those exceptional things instead of using their enormous publicity to stir controversy by sharing bland right wing talking points.

Post reply on HN