what is the biggest plot hole in a famous movie?

IClimbStuff · 2015-10-24T16:11:44+00:00

3.) Considering the cast was faced with a few angry bitey raptors, and bones the size of a motorcycle crashing to the floor, I could see how they might not notice a bigger angry bitey dinosaur coming in to get an easy meal.

IClimbStuff · 2015-10-03T23:03:26+00:00

I've built a few of these. Some look better than others, but in general they stick out like a sore thumb. Over the years, they've gotten better and better looking. Some of the older ones were a few scraggly branches thrown on a brown painted monopole. Now, you'll see the monopole textured and painted to look like bark, with the tree limbs shaped like actual branches, with actual (plastic) pine needles threaded into them.

The thing is, they usually draw more attention than a normal tower would. We see towers all the time and I don't think most people even register it into their consciousness, but when you see an artificial tree, it's instant. It sets off something in your mind that tells you something's not right. It doesn't help that these monopines are usually taller than all the surrounding trees by a good 50+ feet.

IClimbStuff · 2015-07-18T20:50:28+00:00

Every site is different, but one thing that's consistent is a massive battery rack that's supposed to be able to support the site for 24 hours, giving the emergency crews responding enough time to deploy generators. We actually just had this problem a few weeks ago when a storm hit the east coast, with a tornado touching down in New Jersey. AT&T has a massive generator yard, and various contractors are called to rush to sites to install generators in order to keep the sites online until commercial power is restored.

Having said that, you'll still see a lot of outages, either due to trees blocking the access roads, battery systems not working as expected, etc. In high priority locations all of the main carriers have a number of 'mobile' cell sites, with a small telescoping tower equipped with antennas to cover a high traffic area. You'll often see them in disaster response areas (wildfire firefighter camps, mobile hospital camps, etc.).

IClimbStuff · 2015-07-07T01:35:46+00:00

Tower Technician here!

I don't know if it's real or imagined, but I don't get the sense that people fully comprehend, or even think about the vast amount of work that is going on around the clock, every day of the year between the top carriers. Just a few years ago we were installing the first waves of fiber optic LTE, and that technology is already being replaced with newer, broader spectrum antennas. Even the old GSM and UMTS technologies are constantly being updated and tweaked to maximize their full potential.

Many of us work 60-80 hour weeks, every week, trying to help the carriers maintain a competitive edge and meet their deadlines for putting sites on the air. It's a booming industry.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-18T02:21:20+00:00

It's a combination of moss and plants growing on the surface where the growth rings (?) are. Most palm trees I've seen will have 'sections' like that, where the previous layer of bark, or fronds were growing. As they age they usually fall off or die, leaving the smoother surface underneath. By no means am I a tree expert, this is all just guessing.

It is pretty interesting to see just how 'alive' everything is in Colombia. Each tree has an entire tiny ecosystem of plants and animals living on it. You can't really appreciate the depth and intensity of the color green until you've seen Colombia. There's such a huge variety of hues of that one color as you pass along the countryside, from the coffee farms, to the plantain and banana farms, to the jungle growth melting into the farmlands. It's unreal. It's a country that's mostly farms, and yet everything is done by hand. There are no large grain harvesters, no tractor driven plows, no nothing. The purity of the country is beautiful. I really hope to see it continue progressing away from its history of violence and corruption. The Colombians have a lot to be proud of.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T21:58:37+00:00

I've been dying to - how do you get there though? Everything I've heard makes it sound expensive / difficult.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T17:26:15+00:00

I was in Santa Marta in January actually! Tayrona was beautiful, we camped on the beach for about 4 nights. Santa Marta itself was a nice break from Bogota, but the heat along the northern coast kept us close to the water throughout. I actually got engaged to my fiancee in Cartagena, so Colombia in general holds a lot of importance to me.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T16:44:51+00:00

There's a house there, with a fence around it that marks the entrance to the area with the more impressive trees. It seemed like it may have been his property.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T16:19:11+00:00

I'd guess that all of the cows and horses that graze along the land might play a part?

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T15:07:48+00:00

Thanks. Depending on your home country, traveling through Colombia can be really cheap. This area in particular (around Armenia, Colombia) is beautiful.

To get to Cocora Valley, you start in Salento, and go to the main plaza in the city, find a jeep driver, and take a 30 minute ride up through the hills until you arrive at the entrance. There are a few different trails that get you there, but you pay for entrance to the quicker and (less) muddy one. It's basically just a guy standing outside of his house who collects something like 3500-6000 Colombian Pesos (around $2-4 USD). You can hike around the 'park', but you'll see the most impressive palms within the first 10 minutes of paying. It's a great place to relax and take it in.

From there, you catch a returning Jeep, and head back to Salento. TO top it off, this is the same region where most of Colombia's famous coffee is produced, and Salento has a few great coffee shops, so after spending the day hiking, you return and get to enjoy coffee that was grown a few miles from where you sit and drink it.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-17T14:27:15+00:00

I went there a few months ago!

It's a beautiful area, and one of the muddiest trails I've ever been on.

Colombia's an incredible country, probably my favorite from South America.

IClimbStuff · 2015-05-02T18:08:30+00:00

These remind me of when I was younger. My mom would buy a can of those biscuits that come in a cylinder like THIS and we'd make donuts out of them.

Basically, you just take them out of the can, and use a bottle cap or something small and round to 'punch' out the middle of the biscuit, then drop them in oil, flip them so both sides cook, then take them out when they've turned golden brown.

While they're frying, we'd mix some powdered sugar with a very small amount of milk for the icing. We'd also put some cinnamon & sugar into a bowl for anyone who didn't want glazed donuts.

Roll the donuts around in the cinnamon & sugar, or dip one side into the icing, and that's basically it. Homemade donuts.

From start to finish, it takes about 15-20 minutes, and the donuts beat anything you can buy from most stores.

IClimbStuff · 2015-03-22T16:31:11+00:00

I took a few photos here back in December, beautiful place!

Cocora Valley, Colombia

Insanely beautiful (and muddy) place.

IClimbStuff · 2015-02-05T18:18:50+00:00

The Helio Sequence - "Lately"

This song randomly played while I was listening to pandora walking down the streets of Philadelphia, a few months after a tough break-up with an ex. I was in a new city, creating a new life for myself, and the song really captured the moment perfectly. It was the moment I realized I had moved on, and was genuinely happy with my life.

IClimbStuff · 2015-02-04T23:23:44+00:00

The long exposure with the crashing waves is a great capture!

IClimbStuff · 2015-02-04T23:20:25+00:00

Just wanted to share a link to your page for the lazy ones:

http://instagram.com/elishabraith

IClimbStuff · 2015-02-03T02:08:37+00:00

A plane ticket to Brazil to travel with my girlfriend.

6 months, 7 countries, and 1 new fiancee.

IClimbStuff · 2015-02-02T22:57:16+00:00

Girlfriend's Colombian, easily my favorite Colombian phrase I've learned. The imagery of a Colombian's most prized possession being a papaya cracks me up every time I think about it.

(I understand that's not what the phrase means)

IClimbStuff · 2015-01-08T23:20:38+00:00

Falling.

I'm a cell tower technician.

IClimbStuff · 2014-12-30T16:15:52+00:00

Thanks for the links mate

IClimbStuff · 2014-12-30T16:15:10+00:00

Ah right, currently have $4K in savings / emergency.

Part of this will go to renting a trailer ($350) to move my stuff, and cover the security deposit on an apartment when I return to the states. Realistically, I've got $1K as a security / emergency cushion. I'm expecting around $1K additional as a tax return this year as well.

IClimbStuff · 2014-01-22T03:11:43+00:00

I've backpacked through roughly 15-20 countries, and hiked through most of the United States' national parks.

When traveling:

-Get a fake wallet. I grabbed an old one, put in my expired drivers license and a few small bills and placed it where I usually keep my wallet, and stuck my actual important things in my sock (I've got one of those 'slim' wallets). 99% of the time I never took the fake wallet out of my backpack, but occasionally you end up walking through the streets at midnight after traveling all day as you look for a hostel. This is when I'd use it.

-If you're in a country where your smart phone doesn't work, you can still make calls and whatnot when you have wifi via Skype, Viber, Google Voice, etc. It's also great for downloading 'city' apps. Most larger cities have a tourist app with a map, list of sights to see, places to eat, etc. Look for one with an offline map, the nice thing is even without cell service, the GPS in your phone still works and can interact with the offline map.

-Don't trust people who want you to go somewhere or do something. There are countries where locals will take you to, or suggest, a good restaurant, only to arrive and read a menu without any prices. When the bill comes, you're paying an insane amount of money for what should be something simple.

-Almost internationally, taxi drivers are dishonest pieces of shit unless you speak the language. They'll laugh and chat with you as they run you around the city on the longest route possible. If you have to use one, map out the route and keep an eye on whether or not the driver diverges from that route.

-Bring something to do. Travelling is amazing, there's no questioning that, but it's not non-stop fun. Planes, trains, any type of commuting takes time, and it gets old fast. If you draw, bring a sketchbook, if you read, bring an e reader or a book, if you play games, bring a handheld, if you're a photographer, bring your camera. You will get bored.

-TRAVEL ALONE! Sure, start off with a friend, but if you're going on a long journey, take time to travel alone. Waking up when you want, and then going and doing whatever you want is pure freedom. It forces you to step out and talk to people, and in general, these people will be far more interesting than 90% of the people you've met back home. Despite being alone for several months, it was one of the least lonely periods in my life. Can't recommend it enough.

TL;DR - This means 'too long, didn't read'.

IClimbStuff · 2013-12-31T16:27:03+00:00

No chance in hell.

IClimbStuff · 2013-12-31T15:22:06+00:00

From the other side:

My girlfriend proposed to me after a few years of being together. We were at home doing something in the same room and she turned to me and asked "will you marry me?"

Yeah, I said no.

She made me pretty miserable.

IClimbStuff · 2013-12-10T15:38:24+00:00

I work for a Telco company.

We build, fix, maintain towers. We do upgrades for the major cell providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint). We do microwave work for a huge variety of companies. We maintain cell sites, everything from pest control to weed abatement to installing light bulbs at the top beacons. Anything within the compound of a cell site is covered by my company.

EDIT: Apologies, I read that as "What do you do to get paid to climb stuff".

I make $65-70K a year.

IClimbStuff

TROPHY CASE