The Sideshow

[Wind]

This is a short 5 minute video on the purposeful sinking of the aircraft carrier USS America back in 2005. I was a Parachute Rigger (PR) for an S-3 anti sub squadron attached to the America, and served a 6 month deployment aboard her in 1993/94, the next to last one.

That's an interesting story, Fred.

As you've been working on an aircraft carrier I wonder if you might be excited about seeing the new Top Gun movie?

Ever seen the movie “Blackhawk Down”?

That's one of the more memorable modern war movies, in my opinion. I always remember how valiantly Shughart and Gordon went to save the pilot fully well knowing that they would probably die, I mean it was just two (albeit well trained) soldiers against an armed mob. I suppose for that reason they got those Medals of Honor.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K47VXTNkE_8


In my childhood our nextdoor neighbours were from Somalia, the father had left from the war-torn Mogadishu in early 90's. I used to be friends with the kids and my father sometimes was going out with the dad. Unfortunately at least the older boys from the family who were my friends at the time didn't grow up to be so great citizens eventually as I later found out about that, but that's another story.

[Fred Steeves]

Tiger Shark eats camera:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ccnf4...mpaign=loading

[Dreamtimer]

That's awesome, Fred. I love how you can see the gills from the inside. And it's a good ad for the camera which is clearly very durable.

[Dreamtimer]

Interesting that after 4 weeks of bombing to see what kind of punishment a carrier can take, it finally took a purposeful rigging of explosives to actually take her under

Well, I guess we make better ships than some other folks...

[Wind]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEawuJ4hvec

[Fred Steeves]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEawuJ4hvec

That's very smart, U.S. prison wardens could really learn something from this! If the inmates are practicing dance moves together, it pretty much does away with separation of the races, and leaves less time and motive to be fashioning shanks out on the yard.

[Fred Steeves]

https://www.livescience.com/mars-doorway-not-for-aliens

[Fred Steeves]

This poor guy really fucked up, don't watch if you're the sensitive type.

Dad leaps to his death as family films him jumping off cliff in Spain: video

https://nypost.com/2022/05/13/mans-f...eath-in-spain/

[Wind]

I suppose that's one way to exit the world, poor chap. I would never have the idea to jump from high even if knew that there was water beneath, that's mainly for two reasons besides common sense. I don't do well in high places and in water either. Jumping from rocks can be risky business anyways if you don't know the location.

Beware of those runaway tires too.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz0nN99a5ys

[Fred Steeves]

I suppose that's one way to exit the world, poor chap. I would never have the idea to jump from high even if knew that there was water beneath, that's mainly for two reasons besides common sense. I don't do well in high places and in water either. Jumping from rocks can be risky business anyways if you don't know the location.

The one way I don't want to go out, is by doing something stupid. At least he didn't have to regret his poor decision for long, not like stories of say, someone not paying attention and winding up getting lost in the wilderness, where there's plenty of time for regret before it finally comes for you.

Beware of those runaway tires too.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz0nN99a5ys

That's a good one, I think I've seen it before some time back. That's the weird thing about freaky shit like that, there's no way to prepare for it, sometimes it just makes for a good video like that, and other times it strikes you dead. It wouldn't bother me to go out that way, like a freak runaway tire hitting me upside the head as I sat enjoying a cold beer on a pub barstool, not much could have been done to prevent it. A so it goes situation.

That does however bring up something near and dear to my heart, and that's situational awareness. It really aggravates me seeing how few people seem to possess it these days, too many urgent matters on their phones to pay attention to what's actually happening in the world right around them. Sometimes we can see something coming at us, but we have to be paying attention in order to do something about it, if you get run over because of nose being stuck into the phone, then that's dying stupidly.

But back to the fatal cliff dive. I think he started screaming mid flight because he could suddenly tell he wasn't going to clear the rocks, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

According to the article that's a popular place for tourists to jump, maybe he just didn't do his due diligence and jumped from the wrong spot? I dunno, but he darn well knew his wife was filming his death...

[Aragorn]

That does however bring up something near and dear to my heart, and that's situational awareness. It really aggravates me seeing how few people seem to possess it these days, too many urgent matters on their phones to pay attention to what's actually happening in the world right around them.

Yeah, that's one of the things that aggravates me too, and it's not just the smartphone zombies only.

[Wind]

It really aggravates me seeing how few people seem to possess it these days, too many urgent matters on their phones to pay attention to what's actually happening in the world right around them.

Tell me about it. I always like to be very aware of my surroundings, but sometimes rarely when I've been lost in my thoughts I might have bumped into something while walking or had near misses, never anything too serious though. I guess I have been lucky or aware enough in that sense. I would imagine that situational awareness would especially matter a lot in the traffic when you're driving a vehicle, especially a heavy one. You wouldn't just want to go maiming others with that, yet things like that seem to happen all the time. Also even if you have that awareness in traffic, will it save you from freak accidents when some dumbass might decide to go crazy on the freeway?


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yqXzZ16ns

[Fred Steeves]

Tell me about it. I always like to be very aware of my surroundings, but sometimes rarely when I've been lost in my thoughts I might have bumped into something while walking or had near misses, never anything too serious though. I guess I have been lucky or aware enough in that sense. I would imagine that situational awareness would especially matter a lot in the traffic when you're driving a vehicle, especially a heavy one. You wouldn't just want to go maiming others with that, yet things like that seem to happen all the time. Also even if you have that awareness in traffic, will it save you from freak accidents when some dumbass might decide to go crazy on the freeway?


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yqXzZ16ns

Jesus Christ man, that's the biggest cluster fuck I've seen in a long time! Spooky situation to be around fo sho...

[Aragorn]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6He_tucMDyo

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Elrlv22aYo

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Q3JRI-KJ8

[Dreamtimer]

My instincts saved me from a nasty accident decades ago. I might not even be here now. There was no sense of foreboding, just a little instinctive voice asking, "What if someone just came out from two lanes over in front of you?" Which would be suicidal. But I looked, and lo and behold, here came death. There was no hope of peripheral visual warning because he had his top down, and he was NOT looking.

Honestly, I don't know how we didn't collide. I slammed on my brakes, no time to pump, and closed my eyes. It's a miracle he got out of the way.

Instincts. Always listen to them. They always know.

They've saved my ass from that accident, from being brutalized by a group of guys, and from all the other things I don't know because I didn't 'make that turn'.

I'm pretty sure situational awareness would help with the instincts because a person is already prepped for the unexpected and it would be easier to hear them. They're not exactly a blaring siren.