Scaparri

^Yep. Sixteen with Psyclone gone: http://rcdb.com/pd4.htm Good find, Kraxle. Again, I applaud Shapiro for having the juevos to make so many bold and mostly good decisions.

^Don't let anybody tell you that you can't transfer if you want it that badly. You're parents may not be able to afford it, but that doesn't mean YOU can't. If you want it that badly, just get student loans and have your parents cosign them. This of course means that you will be considerably more in debt, but you have to judge if you want it that badly. However, and that's a big however, I would take Wes' advice. Find something that you'll be happy doing if you don't end up in the amusement park industry. It's a small window, so you have work hard and aim high, but understand your chances are slim. I don't know a great deal about that program at UCF, but I doubt that many people with amusement park management positions have that degree. Most probably just have a business degree in management or finance or something of that nature. If you really want to make it, I'd suggest studying a field in business. Not only will that be of greater value if you don't make it, but you'll also likely have an easier time getting internships/experience which will look good later on if you try and make it into the industry. That's my two cents.

Finished my rankings. Here's my top ten: 1. The Voyage 2. Thunderhead 3. Avalanche 4. Hades 5. Phoenix 6. Shivering Timbers 7. The Legend 8. Texas Giant 9. Lightning Racers 10. LoCoSuMo

I'm just impressed that Shapiro is spending so much money trying to improve the ride. Whether it works or not, the fact that he's doing that instead of just throwing up another major coaster or ride to deteriorate is quite the statement. Plus, the fact that he's done dirty work like getting rid of Pscylone, two of the Deja Vus, and soon to be Flashback also makes a big statement. Then there are the little things like ordering a paint job for the hideous looking Chang. Personally, I will go without major ride additions for a few years if he's keeps this up. I'm hoping he won't mind throwing a few million around to get the updated trains for the Vekoma SLCs. I know people have been a bit disappointed with the new additions that have been coming to SF parks, but peronally, I'm really excited about what the future holds. In a few more years, I think quite a few of these will be really nice parks. Anyway, I was going to try and make it out to SoCal in March, but I'm not sure if I should since there's a chance X might not even be open. I'll have to see.

^Yeah, me too. I'd mostly like to see them do a little more after the first drop before hitting the brakes. They all just do a drop, inversion, and one turn max before the mid-course brakes. It'd be nice if they could have them take a few more turns or do another inversion before hitting the MCBs.

"Start the Day Early"- Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers

You can still order it online: http://www.jonessoda.com/files/products-glass.php

My girlfriend and I. Doug Funnie and Patty Mayonnaise- the college years.

Call me crazy, but I've been once a year for the past 3 years, and you aren't missing much. It's comments like these that actually make me want to go to said parks or ride said rides even more, just so I can find out myself, you know? For me, the two parks I think about most are SFMM and KBF. I've wanted to go to both so badly for so long. People trash them so much, and it's not that I doubt their views, but I just want to experience it myself to see what I think in comparison. Similarly, I really want to ride coasters like Silver Bullet, X, Patriot, and Hydra just to see if they are as bad or lacking as so many people say they are. Pretty much, the more people bash something that doesn't really look that bad from the outside, the more I want find out for myself.

Sure, it may be easy on gas, but the size is the entire problem. First, It's not about foot space. It's about hauling space. For me, I like going on road trips, which I would never be able to go on because the car has hardly any space for bags and stuff. I wouldn't be able to buy much when I go to the grocery store because this car just doesn't have much space. In the UK, I'm sure it'd be a great car to have, but Americans are traveling people. It's a huge country with tons of roads and tons of drivers... which means tons of crashes, including high speed crashes. And whether SUVs are practical or not, they are still there. Even at low speeds, a 3000-4000 lb SUV is going to obliterate a 1700 lb car that has no absorption.

^^Yeah, same here. It got a little bumpy/full of vibrations in the last few years, but I never found it rough. Nevertheless, the other four points mcjaco presented still hold true. Tear it down!

"Ocean Breathes Salty"- Modest Mouse

No problem. -I know you're only 16, but that's exactly the point. You can only carry one friend around with you. Sure, I suppose you could just rely on other people to drive when you're hanging out in a bigger group, but I liked having that luxury when I was 16. Plus, I went on numerous road trips, including trips to Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, all before my 17th birthday. How long are you going to have this? If you plan on having it when you go off to college, it's not going to be very convenient. You're going to want to be able to haul stuff, even if it's just a few bags and half your clothes. -I've done the research, and physics says it all. The more 'junk' you have around you (such as a trunk or a normal sized front end/engine compartment) the safer you are, because that material will absorb energy. These bad boys have next to nothing. They can make these cars with stiff frames, but that's not going to help you much, especially when the thing only weighs 1700 lbs. -Nothing is wrong with being environmentally friendly. It just annoys me that half the time, when a company comes out with a more environmentally friendly car, they seem to try and make it as ugly as possible. Why can't they just make their normal cars only with the same eco-technology? I'm not necessarily trying to convince you not to get one. I'm just explaining why I would never want one.

You might be a god among men. How on earth do you pull off 300 rides in four years? I've pulled off three rides in six years.

I don't really get what there is to like about them. -They are impractical. It only seats two people with practically no storage space (forget about weekend coaster trips) and it's NOT a $100,000 sports car. -It's like driving a motorcycle. You're asking for death. If you get into a wreck with a hatchback, you are going to come out the loser. -It's yet another economy-environment friendly car that screams just that. Look at it, the Toyota Prius, and the Honda Insight. They all are ugly as hell and scream "I"m saving the environment." I'd rather fork out the extra cash for a hybrid Accord; something that is safe, comfortably fits more than two people, and actually has space to store/haul stuff.

^No, it's going over in Orleans Place by Superman.

^Moderate reliability doesn't make up for horrendous capacity though. I'll miss these rides quite a bit, but I won't miss waiting in their ridiculously slow lines.

"In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3" by Coheed and Cambria

^I get the feeling that Six Flags is really moving up in that category though. Sure, they aren't to Busch's level by any means, but I feel like they've done a pretty good job with the Tony Hawk rides. It's definitely a step in the right direction! And it looks they might be taking another big step in the right direction with the Dark Knight coasters. I don't expect anything from Goliath, but they could do some good stuff with Evil Knievel if they want, granted only time will tell how they do with that. My point though, is that I think Shapiro has got the right idea as far as theming things go. However, I still don't see many B&M dive machines popping up anytime soon.

Well, I don't think the manufacturers have sacrificed anything. They are in the business. If somebody wants their business, the price is right, and they are capable of doing it, then of course they are going to do it. Plus, while a lot of hardcore enthusiasts will agree that height and speed doesn't automatically make a good ride, the majority of the public is going to find extreme height and speed to be a "crap-your-pants" thrill. For instance, before I could drive, I relied on my parents to take me to any parks. This was extremely difficult to and I generally just went to either KI or SFKK once a year. However, in 2000, we went to Cedar Point for the first time. Why? Because they were opening the tallest and fastest coaster in the world and the rest of my family was interested. I agree whole-heartedly with your argument that smaller coasters can be better. A lot of my favorite rides of all time aren't that big by today's standards. However, I don't think the manufacturers have sacrificed anything. I'm sure they have better ideas, but in the end, it's a business and they have to please the buyers.

I'm a Monterrey kind of guy, though I love just about any cheese. I had some cheddar aged 9 years once at a cheese store in Wisconsin once. It had one hell of a strong flavor and bite to it.

Awesome TR with some great pictures!! It amuses me though how when the audio says "arms down, head back," that's like the cue for everybody to put their arms up.

I've gotten stuck quite a few times but two were particularly memorable. Spiderman- Halfway through the ride, all the effects just started dimming and the sound went away. Right about then, the vehicle came to a stop. We just sat there for a while until they turned on the lights. Then about ten minutes later, some workers came back and walked us back through the rest of the track and out the building. It was kind of crazy to see the building with the lights on, though it wasn't as cool as I expected. Maverick- Maverick rollback >>>> TTD rollback!! You know you all would much rather have that Maverick rollback. But yeah, the train started to launch up the 'lift', but it was like it was having problems. It was like the magnets wanted to shoot the train, but something was pulling it back. Then, right as we got to the top, the train came to a dead stop and then slowly rolled backwards. Though, the rollback was weird. It was like some old Arrow lifts in reverse. It would speed up for a brief second, then slow down for a brief second, like a pulse. Elissa was ready to hurl on me by the time we got to the bottom.

This is pretty much the same thing: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=490

Has anybody ever seen Problem Child 2? Yeah, these clips almost make a certain part of that movie look legit.