16GB Class 10 MicroSDHC Team High Speed 20MB/Sec Memory Card. Blazing Fast Card For Samsung A817 Solstice II A927 Flight II. A free High Speed USB Adapter is included. Comes with Lifetime Warranty.

"3G and 4G technology mean mobile phones can now transfer data wirelessly faster than ever. This means new applications are possible including digital video recording, cameras, video playback, MP3 music, games, personal accounts and diaries, e-mail and voice recording. Once only available on personal computers, these powerful multimedia features are now supported on mobile phones as well. This makes TEAM's microSDHC memory cards with their high transfer rates the perfect match for the high resolution video and photography on mobile phones. TEAM microSDHC memory cards are based on original manufacturer Flash memory and fabricated using an advanced process that delivers fast data transfer rates as well as compact size. This means it's perfect for the new generation of mobile phones, 3G mobile phones and PDAs that offer high quality multimedia playback. Everything from digital photos, videos, MP3 music, games, maps and multimedia clips can be packed into this small card the size of a fingernail. ? Fully compatible with SD 2.0 Standards ? Only 10% the size of a standard SD card ? SDHC Class 10 compliant ? MicroSD adapter allows it to be used in standard SD Card slots, compatible with all SDHC-labeled host devices ? Easy to use, plug-and-play operation ? Built-in Error Correcting Code (ECC) to detect and correct transfer errors ? Complies with Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) portable device requirements ? Supports Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) ? Allows In System Programming (ISP) for updating firmware ? Supports auto-standby, power-off and sleep modes ? Mechanical write-protection switch ? RoHS compliant"

This cloud layer played some havoc on the balloon flights this day.

In my opinion, this is the most difficult time of year to fly balloons in our Del Mar area. We are still having spring-like weather which has elements of winter like weather, fast winds, clouds and other difficult conditions. So until about the beginning of July we have to put up with some difficult flying conditions.

On Saturday night we all had a difficult flight in that it took a good hour and 15 or more minutes to work the balloons to a good landing area. And we had to all get very high, like 6,000+ to find the best winds. So on Sunday I think a lot of the pilots were tired of all the difficult conditions.

It seemed that most of the pilots were dragging their feet and not too eager to fly. I can understand, again conditions were spring-like; not the lazy days of summer where you just close your eyes, go up for an hour, then open your eyes and land. In summer there is so little work involved in navigating to a good spot. But we are not quite into summer yet. And navigation lately has been VERY challenging. So we were facing a flight where their would be a LOT of work (stress, worry) involved for the pilots.

Well, I for one was convinced it was a perfect day to fly. The wind currents were satisfactory, my only concern was getting stuck underneath one of the many big puffy clouds that were passing by. So when I saw what looked like an opportunity to climb high above the clouds, because a large clear area was moving above us, I went for it. I started my inflation a few minutes early to take advantage of the clear sky at the time.

So I took off with 10 passengers and climbed quickly above the cloud layer (at 2,000 ft.) finding more favorable wind currents at 4,000 to 7,000 feet.

But then, a very large flat cloud moved over the launch area. (Not a surprise). So none of the other pilots got off the ground!! I could not believe that once again I was the only pilot in the air! I almost couldn't believe the other several balloons did not launch! They just packed up and went home while we were enjoying a fantastic flight.

As you can imagine, a little animosity might arise among pilots on the ground, feeling a little jealous that we were in the air. And also, they have to explain to their passengers, why they are canceling the flight yet another balloon just launched from a different company, AND the day is looking VERY beautiful, not an obviously stormy day. So the passengers are wondering why is one balloon flying along nicely up there, but the other balloon companies are canceling their flight.

So it can be little hard for the other pilots and crew and passengers to go home and walk away from all that money now lost.

No one would ever criticize the pilots who choose not to fly for safety reasons. But it is too easy for them to try to criticize me for being the only one to fly. So basically it is the same old office politics and company competitiveness over market share and finger pointing at the competition.

For example, one pilot named James, blatantly violated FAA rules just 3 weeks ago by intentionally flying through the clouds again and again. And then he has the nerve to try to say I was flying dangerously near the clouds!

So do you get the picture? Not only do good balloon pilots have to deal with the difficult weather conditions, they have to deal with lowly thinking competitors who instigate trouble for the entire industry.

I've always said, that all the local balloon pilots and companies should work hard to cooperate because in the long run that will be the best strategy against the outside forces of landowners like the City of San Diego and Pardee Home construcion company who develops the land in our area.

So if you read down this far, thank you for listening to my ranting and raving and complaints about people like James who are 'off their rocker'.

I enjoyed a fantastic flight Saturday and Sunday, and so did my passengers. If some of the other balloon companies don't like the fact that we are successful, In large part because I have more experience and local knowledge, well, too bad for them. ok ok, that is not such a nice attitude. . .

James, lighten up would you? We live in hot air balloon paradise! We get to do afternoon / evening flights next to the ocean. We dont' have to get up at 3:00 in the morning like 95% of the other balloons in the world. We are surrounded by a city were people all have money to go for balloon rides and there is an steady and endless supply of tourists and visitors looking for something fun to do. There is enough permanent open space so that we could fly here for ever, but if the balloon companies don't cooperate because of greed and worry about market share, we will ruin it for ourselves.

Ok, so once again, for the flickr people who read down this far. You can see that I am using this in Blog style by communicating with the people in my hot air balloon industry.

Pigeon racing is a sport involving the release of specially trained racing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance. The time it takes the animal to cover the specified distance is measured and the animals' rate of travel is calculated and compared with all of the other pigeons in the race to determine which animal returned at the highest rate of speed.

The winner of a pigeon race is the bird with the highest velocity, that is, the distance flown divided by the time taken. Races can often be won and lost in seconds, and to counter this, many different timing apparatus have been developed. The traditional timing method involves rubber rings being placed into a specially designed clock, whereas a newer development uses RFID tags to record arrival time.

While there is not definite proof, there are compelling reasons to think the sport of racing pigeons may go back as least as far as 220 AD or possibly earlier[1]. The sport achieved a great deal of popularity in Belgium in the mid 19th century. The pigeon fanciers of Belgium were so taken with the hobby that they began to develop pigeons specially cultivated for fast flight and long endurance called Voyageurs[2]. From Belgium the modern version of the sport and the Voyageurs which the Flemish fanciers developed spread to most parts of the world. Once quite popular, the sport has experienced a downturn in participants in recent years, possibly due to the rising cost of living and aging fanciers.


One recent development in the sport of pigeon racing is "one loft racing", where birds are raced against each other under the same training regime, in an effort to test the best birds rather than the best trainer.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the iconic band’s audacious look back at their thirty-year odyssey—in their own words and accompanied by more than three hundred spectacular photos and ephemera. Intimate, breathtaking, and outrageous, this is the essence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have emerged from Hollywood's underground club scene to become one of the biggest rock bands of all time. This is their story, as told by Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith.