verticalzero

Chris Deering who was the Europe CEO for Sony said in an Interview: If you think about PlayStation 1, which launched at GBP 299 in 1995 - that's 12 years ago, when the price of a pint of beer was a pound... Really, PS3 is no more expensive in today's money than a PS1 was back in 1995." ------------------------------------------------------------------- My Answer: I would not agree, because "UK" VAT has remained at 17.5% but duty on beer has gone up. The PS3 is using new technology ie blueray but I think Sony is milking the market for its development costs. ----------------------------------------------- What are your view's on the above remarks... ------------------------------------------------------------------- I have managed to use my Jap PSP and UK PS3 together on remote play, I was not told when I phoned Sony that you have to leave the PS3 in the "remote Play" screen on the right hand side of the bar. I thought you use the "remote play" icon on the settings bar. All done and dusted and I can watch the video, hear music and see pic's anywhere in the house. Next step is the location Free Software.

Another accident from www.rideaccidents.com At Powerland Park in Ala-Härmä, Finland, a 24-year-old ride operator walked into the path of a giant swinging pendulum ride and was struck by the ride's spinning gondola. She was killed instantly. Park officials say that the woman was attempting to retrieve shoes that a passenger had left on the platform. One rider suffered minor injuries in the accident. ------------------------------------------------------------ Why do people do it when they know the ride swings fast and there is no way they can cross the concrete before the swing heads earthwards again

I have visited: California and Hawaii when I was 15. Drove from Chicago to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Washington island within 2.5 weeks. Kentucky (did not feel safe and only in for 10 mins) Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio Wisconsin Not bad for someone who lives in the UK. ---------------------------------------------------------- I would like to visit for their coasters: Florida in their off-season, if they have one New York (Cyclone) Pennsylvannia

Nice report and by the look of it you had a fantastic tour. I would be scared to hear all the noises, orbs and shadows. I bet you were freaked out a few times. Was some of the hull cut away to see the "propeller"..? On your last pic of the Swimming Pool there is a figure ( not the one you pointed out and did a close up) on the right hand side of the pool and on the other side of the pillar to your one. This looks more human and seems to be wearing a jacket or something. I've never done a ghost tour and would like to borrow some of the instruments which they use to see what type of activity there is in the rooms.

Taken From Sky News: US wrestler Chris Benoit was reportedly injecting his seven-year-old son with human growth hormone. The WWE star is thought to have killed his wife and child before taking his own life at their Georgia home. US media reports have quoted Scott Ballard, a Fayette County District Attorney, as saying that Daniel Benoit had old needle marks on his arm. In an interview with ESPN.com, Mr Ballard said he believed the boy had been given growth hormones because his parents considered him undersized "The boy was very small, even dwarfed," he was quoted as saying. Investigators have said they found anabolic steroids among prescription drugs at Benoit's suburban Atlanta house. Three bodies were found at the residence, raising questions as to whether they played a role in the deaths. The head of World Wrestling Entertainment, Vince McMahon, said Benoit had passed a random drug test in April. He said: "That doesn't mean he wasn't taking prescription medication and perhaps even steroids when this happened. We don't know." Authorities said it could take weeks to receive the results of toxicology reports. They said Benoit's wife Nancy and son Daniel died of asphyxiation while he hung himself. Earlier, WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt said the wrestler and his wife had been struggling with how to care for Daniel, who was mentally disabled.

Nice pic's, I would not eat clam chowder, it looks horrible.

By several metrics, the Xbox 360 is the most successful console so far of this generation. Despite the startling pace of the Wii, the Xbox 360 still has the most consoles sold worldwide and the longest list of games and exclusives. For a gamer looking for online-enabled high-definition gaming today, the Xbox 360 appears to satisfy those needs. One often overlooked factor when considering a console purchase is reliability, an area that is apparently where the Xbox 360 falls short. Anecdotal evidence is heavily pointing to Microsoft’s latest console as being significantly more prone to failure than what consumers are accustomed to. Microsoft has said before that its Xbox 360 failure rate falls within three to five percent, what it believes to be well within industry standards. Internet reports from Xbox 360 owners, however, suggest that the failure rate is much higher than that. In an effort to gain a more accurate picture of Xbox 360 failure rate, DailyTech decided to poll retail outlets that sell the Xbox 360 and with it the option to purchase an in-store extended warranty. Out of all Xbox 360 extended warranties sold, we wanted to know how many were claimed by consumers with defective consoles, thus giving us a more accurate failures percentage. After contacting several retailers from various regions in North America, the responses were unanimous: the Xbox 360 is the least reliable gaming console in recent history. Current EB Games or GameStop employees who offered information did so under strict anonymity, as it is against company policy to reveal such information to the public. Furthermore, our sources confirmed that EB Games revised its Canadian warranty policies during early 2007 for consoles solely due to the failure rate of the Xbox 360. EB Games held conference calls for its Canadian stores informing them of the new policy changes and revealing alarming failure rates of the Xbox 360. “The real numbers were between 30 to 33 percent,” said former EB Games employee Matthieu G., adding that failure rate was even greater for launch consoles. “We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival.” Interestingly, Microsoft has acknowledged that the initial batch of Xbox 360 consoles made during the launch window suffer from below average reliability. In response to an overwhelming defect rate of launch consoles, Microsoft agreed to repair all machines manufactured in 2005 free of charge, and issue a refund for those who already paid for repairs of launch units up until January 1, 2006. The three flashing red lights – commonly referred to in gaming communities as the “Red Ring of Death” – is a sign of an Xbox 360 hardware failure. The sign is apparently common enough that Microsoft has added an option to its 1-800-4MY-XBOX support line that names “three flashing red lights” specifically. As a result of the high failure rate of the Xbox 360, EB Games corporate nearly doubled the prices of its one-year, over-the-counter warranty. While the previous warranty would give a customer a brand new console in exchange for the broken one, the new policy now states that the customer will receive a refurbished console instead. The move was made because it was becoming too costly for the retailer to give the customer a brand-new machine, which still carries a store cost close to the MSRP. The price increase and policy change wasn’t exclusive to only the Xbox 360, however, as it also applies to all other Sony and Nintendo consoles sold. The failure rate nearing a third of all Xbox 360 consoles was found at other retailers too. A Best Buy customer service department manager, who wished to remain unnamed, said that failure rates for the console were “between a quarter to a third” of all units sold. “We see a ton of [Xbox 360s] come back all the time. We strongly push our customers to buy our service plans no matter what they buy, but it is especially important for them with the Xbox 360,” said the manager. “It’s a lucky thing for us that Microsoft extended the factory warranty to one year, because we were having a hell of a time dealing with the launch units. Now we don’t have to deal with those broken [Xbox 360s] until their second year, for those who have purchased the two year plans.” In late 2006, Microsoft boosted the warranty of all Xbox 360 consoles to one year, up from 90-days previously. For gamers who are out of warranty, however, a replacement or repair will cost Xbox 360 customers $140. When compared against other systems, the Xbox 360 is failing at higher rates than its current competitors and predecessors. Former EB Games worker Matthieu G. said that the failure rates for all other consoles were not high enough for the retailer to consider revising its policies, and guesses that most other console systems have a failure rate of less than one percent, including the PlayStation 3. Another EB Games manager, when asked if the store warranty was worth it, conceded that in the hundreds of Wii units sold at that location thus far, zero have come back as defective. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the Xbox 360 is a relatively unreliable games machine, Microsoft officials refuse to comment on its failure rate. Peter Moore, VP of Microsoft’s entertainment division, said to the Mercury News, “I can’t comment on failure rates, because it’s just not something – it’s a moving target. What this consumer should worry about is the way that we’ve treated him. Y’know, things break, and if we’ve treated him well and fixed his problem, that’s something that we’re focused on right now. I’m not going to comment on individual failure rates because I’m shipping in 36 countries and it’s a complex business.” Similar questions regarding the Xbox 360 hardware met with the man responsible for the design of the console, Todd Holmdahl. He too sidestepped the issue with the Mercury News, saying, “I would say we don’t have a high defect rate. The vast majority of people are really excited about their product, and that we are targeting profitability for next year.” Asked differently about whether or not the Xbox 360 falls into the ‘normal’ three to five percent return rate, Holmdahl said, “We don’t disclose the actual number,” and “We don’t comment on that.” No piece of technology, no matter how well designed, should be expected to completely free of failure. The key metric is whether or not a product falls within industry standards of acceptable failure rates – and from findings based off retailer-supported warranty returns, the actual rate of failures could be six to ten times greater than what Microsoft is letting on. Regardless of what the actual failure rate is, there is consumer perception that the Xbox 360 is a less reliable machine than its competitors. That fact alone should encourage Microsoft to do more than just avoid all comments on failures and only preach on the wonderful experience of its consumer base.

Another POV of this wonderful woodie http://www.ride-guide.co.uk/media/pov/troybig.wmv

It's quite funny to see a 360 with the ring of death error. Nice that Microsoft have extended the warranty for 360's to 3 years. Wonder if this is the same for the UK. I bought a "fan" for my PS3, it locks onto the top of the console and has 2 small fans and 1 large one which blows cool air into the machine. It will never over heat now. Even has variable speed, have the 2 small fans working and the larger fan in the middle idle.

Keep everyone here updated with all the news on this park and if it will open for this season. God to see a new new board of directors for the park. "Blue Streak" and "Turtles" must be saved no matter what happens.

Nice country fair with some cool looking rides. You should of stayed for the "Pig Racing".

That would be a good idea to have Poseidon moving when a wave is created. He could "roar" instead of a siren to tell everyone the waves are being produced. Hopefully the Park has some safety measurements in place so the under 16's are not allowed too near the front of the pool. I'll grab my boggie-board and head for the 9ft high swell, so mad and great fun at the same time. With all that extra cash the park can retrack their coasters esp "Zeus". Someone post a "POV" of the waves..

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Doctors reattached the right foot of a 13-year-old girl involved in a gruesome amusement park accident, but her left foot was too severely damaged to repair, her family and doctor said in a statement Tuesday. Kaitlyn Lasitter of Louisville remained in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., Dr. Douglas Weikert, a surgeon and assistant professor at Vanderbilt, said in the statement. "Things are progressing as expected over this first 10 days," he said. Lasitter's feet were severed just above the ankles as she rode the Superman Tower of Power thrill ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on June 21. Investigators with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture said they have taken a cable they believe broke and severed Lasitter's feet, Wilbur Frye, executive director of the department's Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection, has said. The investigation will continue for several more weeks, Frye said. Lasitter's mother, Monique Lasitter, thanked the doctors, nurses and hospital staff for their work. "We would not want her to be at any other hospital during this difficult time," the statement said. The state has been trying to determine what caused the cable to break. Investigators were taking written statements from witnesses, reviewing statements and analyzing physical evidence and photographs of the scene, Frye said. The ride was last inspected April 5 and found to be operating normally, Frye said. The ride passed inspection in each of the last four years, according to records. The ride lifts passengers 177 feet straight up, then drops them nearly the same distance at speeds reaching 54 miles per hour. Six Flags had shut down similar rides for safety inspections at parks in St. Louis; Gurnee, Ill.; and near Washington as a safety precaution, said Wendy Goldberg, a spokeswoman for Six Flags.

No Op's should allow a 10 or 11 year old to ride a coaster / water ride by themselves, they can't be trusted to sit still and they will almost have to play around. Anyone below 16 should be with an adult at all times at the Parks.

Hope you enjoyed your time at the Park, I'll rather visit Timber Falls and this Park then spend 4 hours in a Q at any Disney Park. I'll be hitting the back seat on Cyclops when I ride it 1st time next year. I'm sure the owners of the Park are well aware of the track condition on their coasters. If they care about their guests the coasters will be looked after properly.

When I visited the US for my 3 week holiday, everyone I spoke to at CP, KI, Motel 6 receptions, Bars and clubs etc they were so happy and friendly towards me. Some said " We love your accent it's so cool" and I even got asked if I owned a "club" I visited by some people.

The "Son" has awoken again to give it's riders lots of punishment. I am glad the ride has re-opened after the accident, giving KI a massive headache in costs etc, I hope it can change the views of coaster lovers that it is not a bad ride anymore. Shame the "loop" was removed. How much of the support wood has been replaced..? Most "steel" inversions can be used on wood coasters. Congratulations to KI on keeping the ride (not listening to all the negative views) and having the titles for "highest, fastest, most wood in 1 park and longest wooden coasters on the planet. Anyone brave enough to do a new "pov".

Coaster fan, it's the rides which I go for. I've been to Thorpe Park most years since it started in the 80's. I've seen the park improve with new rides and hope it gets a "floorless / flying or wooden" coaster soon. Tidy/ clean and well landscaped Parks are the best: Walibi World, Bobbyjannland and De Eftling, feels like you are somewhere else.

Events like this are very sad, i'm sure it will not put people off going to Water Parks etc. She may of hit her head on something and knocked herself out, I wonder if her b/f was near-by. How is the Wave Pool coming along at Mt Olympus, it is going to have 9ft high waves, time to get your boogie-board out and do some riding.

All I asked was "what is everyone doing for the 4th July and have a good time, if your going to a Park can you post some pic's of the fireworks etc". I did not say anything about England being sore from America gaining independance. That's history and forgotten about on our side of the Atlantic. I love the USA better than England, you have better customer service, cheaper items and everyone is happy to go out their way to make sure your happy. Over in England: everyone is rushing around, getting stressed and it's been rainning for over a week when it should be our summer. I'll rather live near CP than being stuck in England anytime. Have a wonderful day everyone whatever your doing...

I'll never ride TTD, KK or Stealth due to their launches, I have middle ear problem and would worry about the launch / speed will do some damage. I'm sure the experience is worth while and everyone gets a massive rush from the speed and height. I prefer a nice old fashioned "chain lift" or a start like MF.

Lovely photo's, show off how good the rides n gardens are kept. how far is it from Walibi World..? What type of coaster is "Rioolrat"..?

Only been on the "Racer" at KI and "Blue Streak" at CP.

I went on the one at Walibi World, it is great fun but I found it difficult to hit the targets with the water jet / cannons on the subs. Walibi World's has a "look-out" platform which has cannons on to get the people below. My trick is to fill a couple of plastic pints full of water, and drop it onto the people below to get em soaked.

I'll only get a 360 when Microsoft have a price drop and they fix the "Red Ring of Death" problem. Taking out 3rd party warranties are a waste of money as below: In the UK we are protected by this: Getting your goods repaired or replaced If there is something wrong with your goods and you aren't entitled to, or don't want to get a full refund, you can ask the trader to either repair or replace them for free instead. You might not be able to get a full refund if, perhaps, you had the goods for too long before realising there was a problem, or before the problem became obvious. If you take the goods back within six months of buying them, the trader must accept that they were faulty at the time of sale and offer to repair or replace them. If the trader doesn't accept that the goods were faulty, they will have to prove this. If you have had your goods for more than six months when they go wrong, you can still ask the trader to repair or replace them, but you may have to prove that they were faulty when you bought them if the trader doesn't agree. You can ask for a repair or replacement at any time up to six years after you bought the goods, as long as it is reasonable for them to have lasted this long. If the goods go wrong after six years, you no longer have the right to ask for a repair or replacement. If the trader agrees to carry out a repair or provide a replacement, they must do this within a reasonable period of time, and without causing you any significant inconvenience. If you ask the trader for a repair but this turns out to be impractical or to be too expensive, the trader doesn't have to repair your goods, but you can choose to have a replacement instead. In the same way, if you have asked the trader to replace your goods and this turns out to be impractical or too expensive, the trader doesn't have to replace them, but you can choose to have a repair instead. If neither repair or replacement is practical, you can ask to get some or all of your money back. You can also ask to get some or all of your money back if: replacing or repairing the goods would cost more than giving you some or all of your money back, or the trader did not replace or repair the goods within a reasonable period of time, or the trader was not able to repair or replace the goods without causing you significant inconvenience. How much money you can get back will depend on how much use you have had out of the goods. You will probably only be able to get some of your money back if:- the goods had worked for some time before they went wrong, or they still work but their appearance has got worse, or only one of their functions has failed. However, if you have been able to get no, or little use out of the goods, and/or repairs have been unsuccessful, then you will probably be able to give back the goods and get all of your money back.