Kelly called just a bit ago to tell me that Rolando “Chip” Cheng (someone I knew peripherally in high school and college) jumped to his death yesterday morning in downtown Louisville. The Courier-Journal reports: Man who jumped to his death identified.
I encountered Chip at first from my experience on Eastern High School’s Quick Recall team – he was a student a Manual High School (where Kelly went to High School). Manual, being the magnet school that it was, was to be feared, but I seem to remember Chip being one of the heavyweights on a team of heavyweights.
This scenario is unfortunately all to familiar to me, having learned of the death of another brilliant mind shortly before Christmas, three years ago – Ben Edelson. Another genius with a troubled mind crushed under the weight of things they kept all too private.
I can’t pretend to have known Chip to the same level I did Ben, but the similarities are enough to send that pang directly into my gut. (update: a local copy of his UofL blog) cast a more frightening shadow – one of paranoia, confusion and ramblings I’ve only ever read from someone in a state of advanced mental torment. Be advised that it does lead all the way to the end, giving us a window into his state of mind.
Further: fraterfamilias.blogspot.com
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That question is answered by Dr. Charles Dillon of the League of Science in the Monkey Interest.
The monkey in question is Slingshot Monkey, a wonderful contraption with surgical tubing for arms that you fire from your fingers. No monkeys were harmed in this experiment. (He had a tinfoil helmet). The speed was measured by a HotWheels Radar Gun, which are currently $15 at your local, neighborhood Target. Gonna use it one some of my soaring machines as well, I think – I might take it apart and modify it for range.
Oh, and the answer to today’s question is 12 MPH. (Monkeymiles per Hour)
Side fact: Banannon is the chemical ingredient that makes bananas taste like bananas.
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I’ll be leaving for the Polecat Challenge (a handlaunch soaring contest) bright’n'early tomorrow morning. It’s one of the two biggest handlaunch soaring contests in the United States, pulling in 60+ pilots! And I’ve had the pleasure of helping Denny (the purveyor of Polecat Aeroplane Works) put the contest together with the help of the Internets, and I even designed the Polecat Challenge T-Shirt – so I’m really excited to get there and do that.
Also, this will be a trial-run of my soaring journalism skills, in that I’ll be doing LIVE updates from the contest with photos, scores, maybe video and reports through the 4 days we’ll be there. The updates will come down here: 2007 Polecat Challenge Live Feed!
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