By CatherineYen, November 26, 2007
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say "I'm sorry" , the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.'
It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
You are my friend and I am honored.
Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole in your fence!
Source: http://www.problogs.com/Post3662.htm
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How Does A Camalot Work? Essentially, a Camalot works by the movement and shape of the cams themselves. A spring-loaded camming device cam is shaped so that a line drawn from the axle to the cam’s point of contact with a vertical rock wall will remain at the same angle to the horizontal throughout the cam’s rotation. This shape is referred to as a “constant angle cam.” Whether the unit is well retracted or wide open, the “cam angle” [Figure 1(a)] is always the same. Without a constant cam angle, a unit would have different holding properties at various expansions. To determine the precise amount of curve for the cams, engineers use a 
When you fall onto a Camalot placement, the cams want to rotate [Figure 2(a)] in response to the pull. To keep the unit from being yanked downward, an opposing force [Figure 2(b)] must hold it in place. As the Camalot is loaded in a fall, the downward pull [Figure 2(c)] is countered by the expansion of the unit as the cams rotate outward, pushing in opposite directions against the sides of the crack [Figure 2(d)]. This increases the friction force, and thus the Camalot’s holding power.
Correct choice of Camalot size, proper placement and alignment of the cams, orientation in the expected direction of pull, and good rock quality—all are critical factors in a secure Camalot placement. Ideally, each of the cams should contact the rock at lower to mid expansion range (50% to 90% retracted), and the unit’s stem should point in the direction of anticipated loading. Due to its patented twin-axle design, the Camalot can also work in the “open” position as passive protection (Figure 3).
surface, they could slip if the rock is polished, smooth, icy or wet. A pebble or spur inside a crack could offset the cams or break off when the unit is loaded. 
Give the Camalot a tug in the direction of expected pull. Ideally, the unit should be immobile. It should not “walk” or rotate on its cams. If you think rope movement will cause it to walk out of position, use a long runner. 
Flaring cracks, which widen toward the front, are difficult to protect with any gear. Camalots can protect flares in situations when other gear might not. However, the more a crack flares the less reliable any placement becomes. 
Never position a Camalot at the edge of a crack (Figure 10), it could slip out of the crack and fail to arrest a fall. 
Before and after each use, be sure your Camalots have smooth trigger action, easy cam retraction and expansion and independent cam motion.
