WillMontu

Not too long ago, my Powershot camera (that everyone laughed at) finally bit the dust and so I took this as an opportunity to get a "real" camera. I was originally looking into the Canon 50D, but I ended up going with a 40D because I was able to get a good deal (and the fact that it cost $500 less). In addition to the kit lens that came with the camera, I also used a 75-200mm telephoto for the close-ups, and a 50mm f/1.8 for low light images. On Saturday we hit Universal and SeaWorld, and on Sunday we hit EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and MGM. In addition to the pictures posted here, I posted some in two other threads: Hollywood Rocket - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=738210#738210 Manta - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=738205#738205 I'm no Hanno, and a lot of this is experimental, so be aware if I jump around too much. Thanks to Erik, Bryan, and Adam for putting up with me. And I just had to post this When are they going to get rid of that thing? RnRC train launching Entrance to RnRC This came out surprisingly well, despite the high ISO grain. You can see the mirror used to create the effect Night shot The winner Narrowing them down The "finalists" from earlier in the day The American Idol show Next, we went over to MGM/Hollywood Studios for some Tower rides This one came out well. Unfortunately, much of the rest of Mansion was too dark to get good shots The loading area for Haunted Mansion, slightly overexposed Thunder Mountain, as seen from the Haunted Mansion queue using the 300mm lens. I never really cared much for Stitch Although there's something going on in the old Skyway station Empty Peoplemover station With Space Mountain and the Peoplemover down, Tomorrowland is dead Next stop was Magic Kingdom Over at the Communiventions Segway demo they had the four wheeler on display. Anyone know more? These were the computer nerds of the 70s Animatronics in Spaceship Earth Does this count as a hidden Mickey? Brake test EPIC BAIL! I tried to get a shot of Ellen getting eaten by a dinosaur. No such luck Universe of Energy. What dinosaurs have to do with energy I don't quite understand There's Nemo Lionfish in Living Seas Finding Nemo dark ride More animatronics in Imaginationland Experimenting with the f/1.8 lens Baby Gator Gator on Living with the Land. I've seen bigger ones here in Gainesville This was the line for Soarin' right at opening Over at EPCOT we have Erik playing the role of Atlas Ever wonder what is at the top of the SeaWorld tower (which was not operating that day). Taken using the 300mm lens Close up of Hulk. The burst mode works fairly well for shots like this.

Some pictures from today Back section of the ride Front section of the ride I know that this is going to turn somebody on

Manta has indeed taken in its first victims. Today was what seemed to be an employee day and they were running the ride continuously. Through the trees NERDS! The entrance

I don't tend to post PTR's much these days, unless it's something new or something that hasn't been covered already. Two weekends ago, I got to experience the Florida State Fair for the first time. It is quite an experience, with six Ferris wheels (yes, six), four credits (five if you're Big Mike), and a ton of Elvis impersonators. In addition to the coasters and Elvises, there are a ton of flat rides, some duplicates (as multiple companies provide the rides). Along with the traditional rides like the Zipper and Tilt-a-Whirl, there was also a Star Flyer, a drop tower, and a log flume. The coasters included a Pinfari RC48 (a little bit like Megablitz at Coney Beach, and was actually relocated from Morey's Piers) painted in a Gators color scheme, a Zyklon (non looping), a standard spinning mouse, and a Wacky Worm. There was also a Dragon Wagon, but it was powered. In addition to pictures, I also took some videos. TPRTV/CoasterTube probably still has some glitches, so keep that in mind if the videos don't load. [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=RC48_0001_mwj7[/coastertube] Pinfari RC48 POV [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Zyklon_0001_75a4[/coastertube] Zyklon POV [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=FSF_HauntedMansion_0001_g99n[/coastertube] "Haunted Mansion" was the better of the trailer dark rides, but that's not saying much [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Zipper_v4tg[/coastertube] Zipper onride I also posted a ton of photos in my webspace at http://www.extremerct.com/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=73 And I finish this off with Chocolate Dipt Bacon These images do not do the panoramas justice. I have higher resolution versions of these and it's just like a Where's Wally/Waldo book. I can post them if there is interest Starflyer and Log flume Pan from Ferris wheel 180 degree pan from the Skyride They must be real. The sign says so, right? Busch Gardens is visible from the fair. Part of Gwazi, SheiKra, Montu, and Kumba are visible Ferris Wheel shot Gators good, Pinfari bad The crowds really picked up during the day This was insane. There are two women standing in the center of the sphere, and there are two motorcyclists zooming around in there too. Think of the stunt from the Simpsons movie That's gotta hurt The circus show The Elvis show (there were several people competing to be the best impersonator. There are more pictures posted on my site) A cub in the bear show, The bear show The Shark show It's Bench - The Ride! I haven't figured this one out. Are you supposed to hit Obama to win a prize? The dunk-tank is another traditional fairground attractrion The Starflyer, included with the all-day wristband. One of the trailer mounted "dark" rides. The powered Dragon Wagon duels with the Wacky Worm Just like RCT I guess if you soil yourself or ride the Pinfari rides one too many times Yuck! Is "Momma" a well known food critic? The fair had a lot of different types of food. This one, probably I wonder if any of these are actually real The drop tower (actually a shot tower) Cha-ching! Tear it down? First credit, the spinning mouse These crowds were nothing compared to later in the day Hard Rock Park's new theming? What are "club colors"?

A few pictures from today (Sunday) Lots of footers going in WTF? Hole-in-the-fence shot Is this the first hill? The Monsters Cafe is currently closed. Anyone know more?

Wait, I thought that by 2012, we would have rides on the moon and that TPR was going to do a trip there, so if the world ends, we can live on the moon. Either way, a TPR trip gives you more bang for your buck than other trips, plus there's the perks such as ERT, walk-backs, all-you-can-eat buffets, and even a possibility of seeing yourself on one of Robb's DVD's

Low prices in the shop are completely normal. Every once in a while they may buy for above 100, but in my town that may happen once or twice in a good week. Also, prices will change during the day, so check both in the morning and the evening.

^ That's still better than what my town's been buying them for for the past week Either way, I'll be on tonight at 9PM E.S.T Edit: I can't believe nobody's on. It's Saturday night and that means another K.K song!

I don't think you've added me. I need someplace to sell my turnips! My town is still in a turnip recession.

I will probably be on from 9-10 tonight (EST). If anyone does drop by, be sure to check out some of the new shirt designs at my Able Sisters store I have added nearly everyone to my friends list, so if I'm not showing up, let me know so I can add you. I now have "TPR Donkey Shirt" and "Ketchup Dude" designs

It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Hopefully they can make the ride more reliable so that the whole ride doesn't e-stop when one train has a problem. But whatever they do, don't ruin our PeopleMover!

WiiSpeak is a small USB microphone that you can plug into your Wii It works surprisingly well, as you don't need to wear a headset, and multiple people can use it at once.

It's also a good idea to check that everyone's entered codes correctly. I've added everyone who has posted a code, but many (especially some regulars) don't show up as a "two-way" friend code on my list, because someone made a mistake entering the friend code. Also, get WiiSpeak if you don't have it already. Just don't mock my accent if you come to my town! I'll be online until around 10/10:30 EST

New pictures! Still looking at ideas for a PMW attraction. I'm thinking of putting it in the Ride on the Moon section. Ideas under consideration: A train ride of some kind TheRapidsNerd rapids ride The PeopleMover station. A portion of the ShaKira dive coaster can be seen on the top right, as well at the Florida Turnpike coaster towards the bottom Laser Snake Horse on Fire! The Big Mike Road Show is a kiddie coaster like none other. It travels throughout the park and is bigger, longer, and faster than any other kiddie coaster out there. Don't have a kid with you? No problem. Park management will supply you with one at no extra charge

Would anyone be up to doing an TPR AC New Years party? I have added everyone to my list, and plan to leave my gate open tonight (EST) Don't forget, Wednesday is "hump day"

I think someone's taking in too much PMW

In the meantime, your old 128MB card will probably work with the new camera just fine, but you won't be able to save very much video on it. Larger cards are getting cheaper all the time, and an 8GB card would probably hold at least an hour at 640x480.

Most Canon Powershot cameras use Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards. Newer cameras will support the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) standard, which allows 4GB and larger cards. If you want to shoot video (keeping in mind that it's not going to be a good as video from a proper video camera), larger cards mean longer video. Take a look at NewEgg for deals. The "high speed" cards are probably good for video, but my old PowerShot can shoot reasonable video on the standard cards. In terms of brand names, Transcend, Kingston, Lexar, Sandisk, and Crucial are some of the best known.

Going back to an earlier time in the game is a recipe for disaster if you have played any time "after" the destination time. If you absolutely must time travel, never go back further than the last time you played. For example, I signed off during the day on Saturday, but I didn't play again until Sunday. I still wanted to get a new song, so before I started on Sunday, I went back to Saturday night to get the song. I never played any time since Saturday night, but if I were to go to Saturday morning, bad things can happen. And in other news, the latest going-ons in my town: Here's Jingle for those who missed him. I guess the walrus isn't the only card carrying ACE member in the game In my town, Wednesdays are known as "hump days".

There is some progress going on with the park. Keep in mind that I can't add many more rides as RCT2 has a limit of 256 rides/attractions/shops New additions: Florida Turnpike coaster 'ShaKira' dive coaster LSHOF B&M hyper I need ideas for: A Big Mike attraction (it has to be big, and yellow) PMW (keeping in mind that I already have several monorails) Overview so far

In my humble opinion, CoasterTube sounds too much like YouTube, and it's more than just coasters. There's park footage, dark rides, and other non-coaster stuff. Even then, I feel that the name 'TPRTV' leaves a little bit to be desired How about something unique, or even something totally random, like DonkeyVision

I joined Erik Johnson this past weekend hitting a few Orlando parks. We hit Magic Kingdom first, hitting Jungle Cruise, Thunder, Splash, Country Bears, and Mansion. We also rode the Peoplemover twice, because it's so awesome. Country Bears was out of rehab, but Space Mountain really needs to get one, as it broke down several times. The next day, we hit MGM/Hollywood Studios. It's good to be riding Good Tower again, and Florida's RnR (I prefer the Florida version myself, IMHO) We also waited 70 minutes for F#&*ing Mania We next went to SeaWorld to check out Polar Express, and Manta. Unfortunately the SkyTower was closed for most of the time, so we couldn't get any pictures. We did meet up with the "other" Eric Johnson, and ended up staying for the Wheel of Fortune tapings. Look for us in March when they air the episodes. We were going to hit Universal, but since we stayed later at SeaWorld, we skipped it. I do know that track is going up (and rather quickly too) at the Studios And yes, the Country Bears are back, although without the seasonal overlay. We actually rode the Peoplemover twice in a row to try and snap more pictures of this. During the second time through, they had opened the ride back up, and then closed it down again when we got near the front of the line. As is Space Mountain Over at Disney, Magic Kingdom is all lit up The story revolves around a fisherman (shown) who gets pulled into the water. Similar to the story for the old show. I think I'll reserve my fishing to Animal Crossing That oyster shell looks like it was reused from the old show It's in the same style as the older show, and some of the sets (such as the trampolines) have been re-used SWF's other "new" attraction is the new show replacing Odyssea. ..and a polar bear Saint Nick... It's themed to the North Pole, including a large Christmas tree, After the ride, the first few rooms of the Arctic exhibit have some Christmas theming The park did a good job at overhauling the appearance of the attraction. The simulator vehicles are made to look like train carriages, even before boarding the ride. I prefer the Polar Express version of this ride, but it's no Spiderman. This is one thing we were here for. We salute you, Mr.-Clydesdale-poop-cleaner-upper-guy! The official InBev Clydesdales They better not be installing trim brakes! They have been filming Wheel of Fortune at the park. This is not some "theme park version", but rather the real thing. Tickets are free after admission, and they shoot 2-3 shows at the Bayside Stadium. I do not have pictures as they do not allow photography/videotaping, but it was definitely an experience. Keep a look out in March for people in the audience wearing TPR gear. Florida law requires every theme park to have a giant Christmas tree at the entrance. Manta is easily visible from the front of the park

Are you trying to tell us that Ryan finally got his Delorean working? My store doesn't buy turnips for a very high price. The most is around 150, and I've seen some days where they are in the 60's And some more random pictures of my town: My flag Is that a card carrying ACEr? He shows up some days begging for food! USCoaster came to my town last weekend. Thanks for the apples (and the fish)

If anyone has a turnip bull market in their town, you might want to let some of us come into your town to sell ours. I've been signing on (and opening my gate) most evenings (usually around 8-9, but sometimes earlier and/or later), but nobody seems to be there.

Okay, I think I've found a bug. I noticed that all my old videos from the video forum are up there. I tried to modify the description for one of them from the edit screen. When I hit the "Update Current Video", it takes me to an upload screen with the user agreement. I just want to edit the video without uploading anything, but the validation script refuses to let me save it. Browser: Firefox 3.0.4 OS: Windows XP x64 Edit It looks like the previous glitch does still save it, but it should direct to a different screen. I think I found another glitch. I try and upload a video, and after it finishes uploading, it takes me back to the "enter video information" screen with the error message "Please upload video again session is expire" and wants me to upload it again (while also logging me off) It takes me to this screen, but when I click "Edit Video", the client side script pops up the message box shown. At this screen, I choose the channel, etc. and then click Update Current Video.