Invertalon

For those looking for it... Deleted...

6M3C6817 by invertalon, on Flickr

I did see some people with beer walking around the area away from the bar... But I did not see any mixed drinks or anything like that, but again, I am not exactly sure what they serve either. My guess would be you could take your drink anywhere you want. They do have plenty of security and such around the area so I figure if they see you carrying drinks and acting out they would do something about it quickly!

Yes there is a bar. It is located right by the bleachers in the back of the whole area.

Finally made it out to CP to check out Luminosity for the first time. We got to the park at 9pm, right at the start of the show. Wondered over, found a spot and enjoyed the show. I was pleasantly surprised to be honest, it was a really great show for what it was. I heard many issues with the sound system and all that, but the night we went it all sounded really good. Singers were good except one maybe, and the lighting/pyro was great. Of course, when the DJ came on at the end and the dance party started is when it got really awesome IMO. The dance party is better than the show itself honestly. Was hilarious just to sit back and watch the people dance and go crazy. I was really suprised though and think the show was an excellent addition to the park. The party went on all the way until midnight when the park closed. You could hear it from almost anywhere in the park. In fact, the trashcan I was using with my tripod by MF was shaking from the music quite a bit. I did put together a video of the dance party with a few different clips from the night (watch in full HD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxO8pyOUvTE I also took a few dozen photos during the actual show. Was surprisingly difficult though to photograph as the back-lighting and very drastic changes in stage lighting made it quite difficult. But overall they came out pretty well. 6M3C6729 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6670 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6674 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6677 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6679 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6681 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6693 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6702 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6703 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6710 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6723 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6724 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6726 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6734 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6742 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6762 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6778 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6767 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6777 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6745 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6708 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6713 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6769 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6782 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6791 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6817 by invertalon, on Flickr

Off-topic from most of the normal discussion going on, but I saw Luminosity for the first time the other night (finally) and must say we were quite impressed. Of course, we liked the dance party afterward more than the show itself with the DJ and everything, but the show itself was much superior to anything else that park has had to close out the night. The area was packed and people were enjoying the show. The stage was excellent and the lighting package was pretty amazing. During the dance party I took some video and just slapped it together. It is in full HD so make sure to watch in 1080. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxO8pyOUvTE But yeah, it was a great time... So much fun just watching people dance and enjoy the music. It really was a big party all the way until closing.

Shot today leaving Geauga Lake WWK. Wildwater Kingdom by invertalon, on Flickr

Thanks!

I entered these two... Original: IMG_9319.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr Edited: IMG_2052.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

For early entry, it is best to park in the main lot and walk down across from Famous Daves to enter in at the MF gate. You will get a great advantage on any other gate to get to MF first. Generally you can snag two quick rides on MF, get down to Maverick for a lap or two and then get in line for Dragster before the park opens. Ride Dragster and go right over to Magnum. You get most of the big rides done before the park even opens or shortly after. Don't hit Raptor until later in the day when the crowds ease up front. Everything else is easy.

Nice CP TR, I enjoyed reading it. I really wish Intamin went back to making rides like they did back back around 2000... Millennium Force, the Superman Ride of Steels, Expedition GeForce, Goliath (Holland), etc... I just liked the way they designed the rides more back then compared to their latest creations. Rides like Maverick, I305 and Skyrush do not excite me like the old designs did.

The 2x performs extremely well, much better than expected! I thought there would be much more IQ loss to be honest, but stopped down to just f/6.3 or f/7.1 it really sharpens up well and is perfectly usable and sharp. Contrast is also good as well. AF speed is slowed down by 75% using the 2x III, but it still is basically instant as long as you are not going from minimum focus distance to infinity or so. Quick enough for most things, especially at zoo. Only if the focus distance changes a lot is it slow. Otherwise I feel it is extremely quick to lock focus. I am really happy with it though. I was eyeballing the 100-400 and such, but with the 70-200 II already I did not want to really have both lenses. I figured the 2x III got really good reviews with the 70-200 and would basically give me a 140-400 f/5.6 with 4-stop IS, so why not try it out. I am glad I did!

Couple from the zoo today, testing out my new 2x III TC. 6M3C6267 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6238 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6240 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6188 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6159 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6162 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6148 by invertalon, on Flickr 6M3C6123 by invertalon, on Flickr

6M3C5926 by invertalon, on Flickr

All your info is here: http://www.cedarpoint.com/what-s-new/fast-lane You pay per person... It runs around $55 or less depending on size of party, per person. If you go on Saturday, add an extra $10 per person.

6M3C5581.jpg by invertalon, on Flickr

I was actually pretty disappointed with the show. It seemed "cheap" and low budget. Was it even offered in HD? The one I recorded was not, but maybe I missed it. I miss when discovery/nat-geo actually made really high quality coaster shows. I just felt this one was a bit generic.

B&M does use different spine depth on various parts of the rides along with different tie designs based off the type of coaster it is. You will notice on B&M rides that use less supports and/or high stress areas, the spine will be deeper. Thus increasing the moment of inertia on the track (resistance to bending) in that axis. Thus they can reduce the amount of supports used, which saves money. Intamin has start doing this as well with their new track design with the double spine, which does the same thing. If you notice, compare the amount of supports on a ride like Hershey's new ride versus the older Ride of Steel's with the old design. The same concept can be shown with something like a ruler. Orient the ruler "flat" and you can bend it very easily. Now rotate it 90* so you are trying to bend it "sideways" if you will. It is now very difficult to bend. Same principal they are using with track designs. Deeper the spine, the more resistance it has to forces/bending. The equation used for calculating the moment of inertia explains why clearly. For a rectangle (shape of B&M spine), the equation is I = (bh^3)/12 ... b = base of rectangle, h= height of rectangle. Notice the height goes to the third power. So it greatly increases the resistance of the spine to bending.

I know, I know... I really did think Epcot's show was really well done, but I found Universal's more interesting to me. Both stellar shows, no doubt. Plus, how could you go wrong with Morgan Freeman?

Just a few photos from my trip to Florida last week. There are more on my Flickr page in much higher resolution. Just Click Here! No pictures of any of the rides, as I have plenty of those already... So only new stuff this time around. Some brief notes... The night show is amazing! I prefer it over Epcot's show myself. But it is a bit more style. I feel it was a great addition to end the night, we found ourselves heading back to Universal each night to see it. The parade was impressive as well, I give credit to those works in the costumes in those 90*+ temps. Was hoping Despicable Me would have a soft opening (pretty heavy rumors on our last day), but it never happened. Spiderman's new screens looked fantastic! Much sharper than before. Was at Universal opening day of Spongebob Store Pants, what a fun store! They did a great job with it. Love spongebob, so it was great walking through there. Also, I took full HD video of the cinematic spectacular show if interested in viewing (20mins long) in two parts. View in full 1080HD for best results, obviously! Part 1 and Part 2 Now on to the photos:

I am sure there are plenty of videos already posted/out there, but in case somebody was looking for a high quality HD video of the Cinematic show, here is the one I took. Full HD, so be sure to watch in 1080. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keEoSG2RhTk Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHRnmycFYDE Universal Studios Orlando Cinematic Spectacular by invertalon, on Flickr

Spongebob store was awesome! We were there I guess the first day it opened. It was really well done, loved it!

From last week at UO... I prefer it over Epcot's show myself. Saw it four times, a great way to end the night. Glad Universal added this show! Universal Studios Orlando Cinematic Spectacular by invertalon, on Flickr

We found a local AKC registered breeder, which basically means we have paperwork verifying his breed as well as his parents and so on. He was $300 and we got him when he was 8 weeks old. He is now five years old! ISO 1600 by invertalon, on Flickr ISO 12800 by invertalon, on Flickr Yeah, that is exactly how my dog is. When it is cool, he LOVES to be outside. Their coats are good for something to like -75*F or something crazy, so even when they have those winter-pet weather advisories, he just lays out in the snow as much as he can. It is NEVER too cold for him. It is hard to get him in sometimes. But in summer it is the total opposite. He goes out, does his business and comes right back to come back inside. He then lays on cold tile and wherever he can find coolest in the house. Although we have central AC, I leave my room AC on for him during the day so its extra cool for him up there. So he generally hangs out up there quite a bit. Such a cool breed though. He is not too social, very careful around new people. He will sit back and watch more then anything. Huskies are supposed to love everyone, but mine doesn't. He is picky! He likes to howl and sing... But very quiet dog otherwise. Does not bark at all, even at dogs passing by out the window. But like I said before, he will howl and sing if you get loud with him. As a puppy he was never destructive, although he did go through a shoe phase at one point... But it was pretty quick. Funny thing is, he never once destroyed my shoes. Everybody else though was not so lucky! He came pre-potty trained basically. I am guessing because it was an outdoor kennel he came from. He never had accidents, even as a puppy. Always rewarded him a ton when he was a puppy when he went outside, and it stuck with him I suppose. I can't recall him ever going inside the house... He has been a good boy. I always wanted them myself and was so happy when my parents gave me permission to get one for myself (and to keep our other dog company). She got into the "mom" role really quickly, and raised him well. They can eat and drink out of the same bowl with no aggression and are really well together. He keeps her active now since she is getting older. Huskies can be "stubborn" and self-minded though. If they don't want to do something, they will simply ignore you like you don't exist. Which is pretty funny at times. On walks of course, they always want to pull. I tried teaching him to heel but it simply does not work with him. He just gets into the "zone" when you get that leash out and nothing in the world matters to him but dragging you along. I recommend a shock-line type leash to help with the pulling! Such great dogs though. Highly recommend them!

Huskies don't need THAT much room. As long as you have a yard and such and walk them to burn off some energy. I have a purebread red/white Siberian Husky and is by far the best dog I have ever had (although I have loved them all). He has the biggest personality, which I know many people say, but it is SO true for him. Sweetest dog ever, as well. Now that it's hot he does basically nothing, but I try to walk him when I can during cool mornings. He has spurts of energy where he just runs all over the house like crazy and outside as well. So they do like their energy surge space... Cute kittens! I am severely allergic though... I like cats, sad I can never own them unless I get me one of them hypoallergenic cats.