The jetpack is attached by a hose to a 250 hp auxillary craft which looks a lot like a jet ski. This outboard boat sucks water into the hose and delivers low pressure, high flow water through a 33 ft (10 m) hose to the jetpack where thrust is generated by forcing the water through the nozzles located on either side of jetpack. Thrust is controlled with a twist of the grip, while moving the control arms up and down changes the angle of the nozzles to allocate thrust for lift and propulsion in forward, neutral or reverse. Differential nozzle angles also allow for yaw turns, while shifting weight from side to side allows the pilot to turn.

Although the Jetlev can generate upwards of 500 lbf (2,220 N) of thrust from its four stroke 250 hp engine, the unit has been limited to a maximum thrust of 430 lbf (1,900 N). This allows the Jetlev to propel a 150 lb (68 kg) pilot to speeds of up to 22 mph (35 km/h) at heights of up to 28 ft (8.5 m) – although the unit can accommodate pilots from 4.9 to 6.5 ft (1.5 – 2 m) in height and weighing from 88 to 330 lb (40 – 150 kg). With a fuel capacity of 26 US gal (100 liters), pilots will be able to enjoy the views for about one hour at full throttle, or for around two to three hours at cruising speed.

You can rent a jetpack in Key West for $250 ($200 for a limited time if you enter the promo code “firsttimeflyer” to save $50) which includes a training course and half-hour flight time or you can purchase your own Jetlev-Flyer flyer for $99,500 from Jetlev Technologies. Whatever you do, don’t miss your chance to try the jetpack and fly like a bird if you ever have the opportunity. It truly was an amazing experience!

MyNetDiary has literally changed my life. When I started back in July I weighed in at 239lbs, the heaviest I have weighed in my entire life. Years of outside sales and eating on the road coupled with a lack of exercise had taken its toll. Every New Year’s I made the same resolution: This year I’m going to lose the weight. I would try for a while by lowering my total consumption but not changing what I ate. Gradually I would fall back into my old habits and be back where I started. Through MyNetDiary, I learned that a bowl of cereal in the morning with skim milk was 500-600 calories. A ham and cheese sandwich for lunch and a bag of chips is 500-800 calories. Did I mention my sweetened iced tea addiction? I could easily drink 2-3 glasses per meal at 150 calories each. Add this all up and I was consuming almost 2000 calories per day before dinner! Seeing all of this on MyNetDiary really started to help me understand why I wasn’t losing weight.

I began changing my diet by eating two packets of oatmeal every morning for breakfast totaling 260 calories. For lunch I simply eat a turkey sandwich with two pieces of turkey, a slice of cheese and light mayo on flatbread for 360 calories. I overcame my iced tea addiction and now I only drink water, so even though I am on a 1750 daily caloric limit I still have 1130 left for dinner and snacks. Speaking of snacks… my new addiction are fruit smoothies made with lowfat yogurt and frozen fruit. Less than 200 calories in a single serving and boy are they delicious! For dinner I usually have whatever I want, I just watch how much of it I eat, and I easily meet my daily goal. I have also been exercising by mountain biking, doing plenty of yard work and lifting weights to build muscle. MyNetDiary keeps track of your exercise too and automatically calculates the calories you burn. The best part of all is – I feel great!

Although I’m over the hurdle, I still have another 25lbs to go to reach my goal weight of 174lbs (an even 65lbs from my starting weight). Would you like to join me? Let me show you how easy it is to use MyNetDiary. First, sign up on the MyNetDiary website. Next simply enter your current weight followed by your weight goal and target date. MyNetDiary will take care of calculating your daily calorie allowance, goals and nutritional information. If you have a smartphone, you can sync your account with your Blackberry, iPhone or Android device and easily update your meals and exercise throughout the day.

MyNetDiary isn’t free on all platforms. The basic website version and iPhone and iPod Touch versions are no charge. If you would like the Pro version or own an Android device the cost is $2.99 one-time. If you want all of the features including the ability to use a Blackberry, iPad and no advertisements you should select the Maximum version which ranges from $9 monthly to $60 per year ($5 per month). I started with the free version but quickly moved up to the Pro and finally Maximum version simply because I wanted all of the features and I wanted to support this incredible product. Besides, isn’t your health worth it? So join me in my quest to lose weight and lets get fit together!

I have always believed by being a careful shopper, buying only reputable brands and thoroughly researching products before purchasing, I would be less susceptible to problems. Boy, was I wrong. Recently I have had a string of problems with electronics equipment. Ironically, these issues are common problems experienced by many other consumers with the same items. The manufacturer’s refuse to acknowledge these problems and pass the issues off as consumer misuse. The frequency of these complaints will tell you otherwise.

First, my Nikon D70s digital SLR camera mysteriously stopped working within 30 days of the expiration of the warranty. The issue, known as the “CHA error” plagues the entire line of DSLR’s from top to bottom and causes everything from problems with flash operation, memory card slot read/write issues, and complete camera failure. In all cases the letters “CHA” appear on the LCD screen. I sent my camera into Nikon repair along with a letter and received a free repair along with a new 6 month warranty for the issue. So what do you think happened? That’s right, within 30 days of the new warranty expiration it failed again. Luckily they repaired it again for free, but how many more times will this happen?

When it comes to laptops, you would think HP would be pretty reputable, right? Well, not exactly. My wife Kelsi has an HP zv6000 laptop. Over the course of a year the hinges that hold the LCD screen have been slowly cracking. A couple of days ago they gave way completely and now she has to physically hold the LCD screen open in order to use it. I thought this was ununusal considering she is very careful with it and has never dropped or abused it, so I began researching the issue. Well, what do you know, this seems to be widespread and has so many compliants that people have begun websites dedicated to the issue. Notebook Hinge Crack.com is one of the several I found. There also seems to be a class action lawsuit forming.

Lastly, how about owning a router that drops your Internet signal willy-nilly? I have a Linksys eight port BEFSR81 v3.1 connected to a Linksys cable modem. Originally I had version 1.0 of this router for almost five years without any problems, but one day after a thunder storm it gave up the ghost. Thinking I couldn’t go wrong with Linksys, I bought the latest version. That’s when the problems began. Mysteriously and without reason, the new router would work fine and then suddenly drop the signal. I replaced the router with another one and the problem continued. I have updated the firmware, adjusted the MTU, cloned the MAC, and tried all of the other options the legions of other people having the same problem have suggested. Nothing has worked. So what to do? I have to unplug the power from the router every time it happens and wait a couple of seconds before plugging it back in. This can be as many as 5-6 times a day.

So what’s the point? The point is that it’s frustrating manufacturer’s have become so enamored with churning out new products in record time that quality has taken the backseat to quantity. Even more frustrating is that manufacturer’s refuse to acknowledge these widespread issues and do the right thing and offer a fix or replacement. They figure consumers will ultimately discard their problem electronics and buy the latest and greatest. Well, I just might, but one thing is for sure: my next camera will not be a Nikon, my next laptop will not be HP, and my next router will not be Linksys.

I love this walking thing!

It can go fast and faster and backwards. When I go really fast, Abby laughs a lot. It also has a phone and a windshield with no glass and seatbelt. Sometimes Abby tries to help me drive, but she is not allowed because she is only one year old.