Gav

Rollerboy, MW doesn't have any many flat rides...The park seems more focued on 'tracked' rides. There are of course the kids flat rides, and the dodgems....I guess Batwing is the only large scale flat. If you do want to ride flats then Dreamworld is a place you should go too: http://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=rides

^My apoligies. http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet-Ski-Rescue/construction/ is the gallery page. You can click "back to photos" which is below "prev<< >>next" to get to this page from the page of an individual photo. Its a tags based site, so clicking on the green Jet Ski rescue link (theres one at the top, and one at the left) brings you to the profile page. Anyhow, if it winds up just being a turns only layout then I would be a bit disappointed, there is no reason there couldn't be at least a few piraten sized bunny hills towards the end to mix things up a bit. On the up side, it does appear they have progressively begun to address a few of the complaints about Mick Doohans Motocoaster....the trains don't have that (and often cramp inducing) tilting front section, nor that thing that presses down on your back....These two things also slow down loading significantly, so it's good they have kept it simple. The other issue was the pretty terrible pacing, but a second launch should well and truly address that.

Is anyone interested in this? Anyway, the trains have been delivered..very Aquatrax-esque. http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Ski_Rescue/2,2,2751-24_09_08.html http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Ski_Rescue/2,4,2749-24_09_08.html The layout still looks a bit crazy. http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Ski_Rescue/1,6,2754-24_09_08.html http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Ski_Rescue/1,7,2753-24_09_08.html It will definitely have a second launch...beside the station. Family Maverick? http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Ski_Rescue/2,3,2750-24_09_08.html Some interesting technical features: http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/construction/1,1,2759-24_09_08.html http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/construction/2,1,2752-24_09_08.html

It's gone vertical now, already it looks pretty interesting, with tight transitions, high banking, and sections that run very close to the ground....Oh and a couple of brake runs too. http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/construction/

So you don't think the engineers will take the added weight of audio equipment into consideration when designing the new trains?

Really? I can remember the music for both rides quite clearly (And particularly with rides like CA Screamin' and Space Mountain I was blown away at how well they had worked it in) Are you sure you haven't damaged your hearing at some point or anything? I mean its not as if they would have speakers, and then not have them loud enough to overcome the ambient noise (wind, wheels etc)

Now, with these changes, I think they could really work well if some careful thought was given in putting them together as a cohesive whole. I mean, on X2 they just put a bunch of 'edgy' things in together (Fire, rock music, black and red paint etc) and this was probably good enough because X2 doesn't really have a specific theme to uphold. But I don't think such a random approach would be as good on a ride based around a Licensed character. Clearly it would be disappointing if they just chose some random famous rock song, and put the fire effects in with no real logic in placement. I also think that just solely playing the regular superman theme on the ride would be a bit of a cheap effort. Personally, I'd like it if they thought of some sort of story, which would be communicated to riders in a re themed queue house. I guess the obvious (and stolen) answer is some disaster, or some sort of evil act by Lex Luthor, which Superman is involved in saving guests from, . The fire and fog effects could then be worked in to represent/be a by-product of this disaster (Rather than just having fire for the sake of fire) Finally, the onboard audio would be a orchestral piece, composed to match the movements of the ride, while also helping to convey the story I mean on California Screamin the soundtrack goes through very distinct changes that perfectly match what is going on (The 'setting off' music as you leave the station, frantic music during the high speed parts, anticipation music on the lift hill, 'finale' music as you pull back into the station) and it does all this with a custom piece of music rather than the HRP/hollywood dream/X2 approach of using licensed music. A similar approach would be taken with SROS...eg the parts of the ride with fire effects going off would have very fearsome and perilous type music to convey the feeling of being caught in a disaster, The famous Superman theme could be used at the moment when superman rescues you, music at the end of the ride would convey a feeling that you had made it out alive (I guess like the music at the end of IOAs Spiderman) I guess it would very much depend on what the story was.

Which brings me back to my point, If people are happy to ride normal woodies that are rough, then why would an inverted one be a problem?

So how is it any worse than a normal wooden coaster then? Any coaster type is capable of being smooth or rough...there are too many variables to really be making blanket assumptions. I mean, just looking at the pictures you can see that it still uses a lap bar, and the only difference to a normal woodie is that there is no place to put your feet. In terms of your upper body you are still held in the same as always.....So what makes this inherently painful again?

Yeah, no doubt there would be some definite complexities in trying to pull this off. But I'm puzzled as to why so many people straight off have said things like: I don't really get how you can come to this conclusion...It's just a rendering of a straight bit of a track, an undetailed front on view of a train, and a layout drawing that looks like it could be any woodie. I mean maybe if the drawings showed trains with unpadded metal bars, and a layout with harsh transitions and little banking then you could probably say that it would be painful, but at the present time there is nothing that really indicates what the ride would be like.

^Halloween Horror Nights.

But on this style of restraint the metal framing bar is nowhere near your head.

Yeah well, I got about two hundred, no wait, a million.

But this is what I don't get. Healthcare in the US is something that has been left to the free market right? So if the market sorts itself out, then clearly nobody would be able to complain about the issue of healthcare (Furthermore, it wouldn't even be a major issue) because it would already be doing the job perfectly for everyone. But is this the case? Thing is, there is an economic concept called market faliure....the free market can generally be relied upon to do the job, but there are a number of things, for a number of reasons, that wont be provided by the free market. Think of something as trivial as streetlamps, they are a very nice thing to have, but there would be no way for a private company to go and provide these because it would be impossible to exclude non payers ("Hey look, he's stealing light!") so instead the government intervenes by building them, and making people pay via taxes. The key is for governments to pay attention and carefully consider where they should intervene, for the good of society. It isn't possible for the world to be 100% free market because some things would just be ridiculous. Bingo. The informed voters by now would have used sources about the candidates to find out about their policies, and how it relates what is important to them. There is not a lot the candidates can do to sway this group of voters if the policies are already set.....Candidates have decided what to offer, and for voters it's a case of take it or leave it. No amount of inspiring speeches will override the facts for these people. But a lot of people aren't going to go to this effort, and are a bit more shallow when it comes to their preferences so candidates need to make people them like them for other reasons....In Obamas case, Inspire them! But at the same time, opponents can be dismissive, and paint themselves as having a bit more substance, which is what McCain is doing. At the end of the day, its just politics, there is a lot on the line for these guys, so whatever works...... When a candidate is giving a speech in front of thousands of people, they aren't going to pull out a document several centimeters thick and begin reading out policy after policy, because people would fall asleep. They are going to appeal to the masses, perhaps throw in a cursory look at their policies, and it will probably do the job.

I know they have done conventional vertical lifts on rides like Vikings River Splash at Legoland Billund and Alpine Rafting at Ravensburger Spieleland....But have they done any of the Mack style 'tipping' lifts with two platforms moving in opposite directions on any of their rapids?

I remember when I visited an American supermarket for the first time being asked "Paper or Plastic".....At the time I thought they were asking if I was paying with Paper (Cash) or Plastic (Credit Card), needless to say I never realised you had a choice about the bags you get. When we shop we use some of the reusable fabric bags, but the rest still come in plastic (We don't have paper as an option) just so we can get some bin liners. Regardless of the criticism plastic bags receive, they do have some of

Well see, they've announced on the website that they are building the movie world roof, and the new slides at wet n wild, but nothing on this, go figure. Personally, I think they should at least advertise the new ride on fences around the construction site, and at the same time advertise annual passes ("Upgrade today, and return in December to experience our latest ride!") Seems like a missed opportunity IMO.

Not really....This type of lift is a proven technology (It is a first for Intamin, but Mack have done it on a number of rides) Its simpler than Max RPM because there is less opportunity for swaying and misalignment because the cars that move up and down are connected to a track, and park in a fixed position. It definitely is a cool element, though I think half the fun of rides like Journey to Atlantis, Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster, Matterhorn Blitz etc is that the lift shaft is indoors, so you don't expect the tipping to happen, though I imagine it would be quite cool to see the horizon tilting from side to side that high up in the air.

Well, more track has been delivered, and I have to say this coaster looks tight...Literally. http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Unknown-Jet-Ski-Coaster/

To let you guys know what Is happening with this, track has been delivered, including a piece of launch track that has brackets to attach friction wheels (So it will be the same type of launch used on Mick Doohans Motocoaster)

Are there any weapon factories in the US? It's pretty much the same as the US, perhaps slightly more expensive, but still significantly lower than Europe etc. Now, with the issue of a flat tax rate for all...I'm sort of drawing on what I learnt in yr12 economics...not university level stuff, but I do understand stuff. Most governments pursue the economic goal of equity in income distribution....Now, this is not to say everyone gets an equal income, because that's communism, rather it's just evening things out to a chosen extent, because at the end of the day there is only a set amount of money and resources in the economy. There is no doubt that people should be rewarded for hard work. But the issue occurs when things become too inequitable....the crime rate increases, slums start forming, people cant afford to meet their basic needs etc. A progressive tax system helps even this out...those without much money to begin with pay less tax, receive government handouts (In Australia, the only way to claim unemployment benefits is to prove you are looking for a job/ be undertaking education of some sort) and can access subsidised/free government services that are the equivalent of extra income. Those on higher incomes pay more tax because they can afford it, and don't really use government provided services as much. Dunno, maybe if someone was trying to sell progressive taxation, say the people in the highest tax bracket pay the normal amount, and the low income earners are getting a discount If you have a flat tax system (everyone pays the same % of their income) you're not doing much to address inequity. Its also is a bit difficult to manage things that way. If the chosen tax rate is too high then some people will be left with very little...if you made it low enough for everyone to be able to pay the Government wouldn't be able to collect enough money to do what it needs to do. As for that sales tax thing proposed, yeah we've got a 10% GST on everything we buy (Except for fresh foods/basic foods, education, health services. Some things became cheaper, some became more expensive, a bit hard to gauge though because when it came in it replaced a large number of other taxes and state taxes. It has it's pros and cons...it can help keep inflation under control because its directly levied on spending. It can be regressive though. Say a rich person and a poor person both buy their weekly groceries...they would have to buy the same base line amount in order to feed themselves, and as such would both end up paying about the same amount of tax. For the poor person a greater portion of their income is therefore going as tax (Because buying groceries represents a larger portion of income for poor people) You can get around this buy not taxing certain things (as outlined above) But at the end of the day its still going to target people who have less leftover money after making ends meet.

Aussie medical practitioners get paid an average of $171,312 AUD per year..or about $150,000 USD per year (Keep in mind, to get a medical degree costs far less here $50,000-$60,000 AUD) It doesn't quite work that way, and it is to do with the concept of efficient allocation of resources. Basically, you could go putting money into funding the war, and people would get jobs in factories making bombs, tanks, planes etc. But what if the money went towards better things on home soil, like roads, industrial equipment, new technology etc...you'd create jobs for the people building/manufacturing these things, but at the same time you'd get another round of jobs created and greater profitability for existing businesses, because these things help with efficiency , expand productive capacity and so on.

Just a little observation from a foreigner, but I'm surprised about the number of Americans who are against universal health care and subsidised medicines as a policy...as if its a bad thing? Surely it couldn't be that bad to implement it? Just 'copy and paste' (for lack of a better description) the way every other wealthy nation does it. I'm guessing people will cite the cost of universal healthcare as a reason not to do it, which seems silly to me, because it has to be paid for somehow, and at least if the Government is running it there isn't a portion of money that just disappears off as profits. Also worth noting, if you had to increase taxes to pay for it, this would be offset by either A) People not needing insurance any more, hence one personal expense they no longer have and B) For people who decide to stay with private cover, lower premiums since insurers would be competing with a free system. Aren't you throwing your vote away by voting for someone other than your first choice.

Here is the one on the roof of Silver Bullet on the way up to the station: The colours children, the colours!

It gets called a hyper partly because B&M market it as a "Hyper Coaster", and partly because "Hyper" is really just a generic term for the style of ride (Big hills, drops, airtime, no inversions, trains with only lapbars) I personally don't really use the 200ft/61m definition because its antiquated, and doesn't really reflect the fact that a good number of hypers aren't that height anyway (Eg Expedition Gforce, Steel Eel), but also there are a number of coasters that are above that height (Eg Griffon, Eejanaika) that aren't really referred to as hypers.