Cameron

Canabalt is an insanely fun and intense side-scrolling game. You can play it online at the link I provided. I've only made it about 4000 meters, but I know people who've done double that. For instant messaging I find BeejiveIM to be the best. A little pricey, but worth it (and on sale this week!). It's multi-protocol and even allows multiple logins per protocol (so you can for example be logged into AIM as your personal and work screen-name). Naturally it supports Push, and is highly configurable. Cameron.

Mmm .. Turkeyriffic! I have to admit that I've never been a big fan of Turkey, but I've never tried deep fried, and I have to say it looked really good. Thanks for sharing, and good job on not burning down the house! Cameron.

Yeah, Terror Twister is insane during frightfest. In fact watching that video I was surprised by how tame it looks! On the ride it really is quite seriously trippy .. They have several music and lighting sequences too, so you can ride several times and get different experiences. Cameron.

Oh man I love elephants, and that baby is so cute - I just want to hug him! Thanks so much for the awesome pictures, everyone at the zoo must be so completely thrilled. And of course I instantly thought of the classic Chuck Jones cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKoNSYFzA_k "But I did see an elephant in my birdbath!" .. "Of course you did - I keep a giraffe in mine!" Cameron.

^ Right .. With SFGAm being just 6 hours from SFKK, and having virtually endless space, it makes more sense that they're just storing the ride here. If they end up building Chang here, then fine .. but it still seems extremely unlikely to me. Cameron.

The not being able to send photos from your photo library is a real shame, and a surprising oversight considering the API provides that functionality. Some other issues I've had is the dog-slow user-interface .. sure the cloud-wipe is pretty, but I should have to wait for a screen transition! (This might not be a problem on the 3GS..). It also bugs me that I can't comment on other people's comments on my balloons, or even track other balloons I've commented on. Still it's really fun, and I think just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to awesome world-wide social/GPS games that are possible on mobile platforms. I've so far launched 6 balloons (although one has already popped), and caught several armfuls of them (including one or two from Nathan - haven't seen Ranee's or Elissa's yet though). I have also caught a few from Blackpool, which was cool Cameron.

Hey Guys, I've been watching the progress of this app since it started beta testing several months ago, and I'm been really looking forward to it being released. The basic premise is that you release a balloon up into the sky with a photo and a message, and then other people can catch your balloon and add their own notes. I have already added notes to balloons from the UK and Texas (I'm in Chicago), and I have released two balloons already (the second one is specifically TPR themed..). Great fun to connect with people all over the world. Who will be the first TPR member to find another member's balloon? I know nothing about the developers, but it would be cool if they work on an Android version too - the bigger the audience, the more fun the game can be. More information (including a demo video) can be found here. The app is just $3, although there is a free "lite" version too, I'm not sure what functionality had been omitted from the free version. Cameron.

They of course walked right up to Griffin and offered him a free ticket .. it was all a bit weird. We kept seeing them around the park, they seemed to be stalking us. Cameron.

For me one of the most interesting things over the last 10 years is the reversal of Six Flags and Cedar Fair - with the latter becoming the most run-of-the-mill McDonalds-like with their parks and attractions. Six Flags is still far from gourmet food, but it's certainly a big step up from where it was. I'm very much looking forward to the next 10 years (heck, even the next 3 will be super interesting). I guess that's just part of the fun of this hobby Cameron.

I've heard a lot of people complain that it's rough/painful, however I've only had great rides on it (granted I've ridden less than 10 times). Following the advice that many people have given me, I typically only ride in the first 3 rows. I'm still holding on to the hope that some bright engineer is working on a way to make this ride system affordable, reliable and consistently smooth. Cameron.

OzCat certainly is a freaking awesome coaster, but I wouldn't skip a visit there. Silver Dollar City is so great, really, I actually prefer it a lot over Dollywood. Besides if you go now (well summer 2010), then you have an awesome excuse to return when the OzCat is running again Cameron.

The Demon stuff was playing on-and-off all over the park when I was there Friday night. It's great to hear again.. Cameron.

Having a Legoland, SFSTl, Silver Dollar City and the St. Louis City Museum all within a few hours of each other will really make that a great and diverse region.

Matt is indeed correct .. we will be meeting between on Sunday morning 9:30am and 10:00am at the flags outside the main entrance, and might stay until the park closes (9:00pm) - depending upon weather and crowds. There's also the possibility that we'll pick up a gold QBot (or 2) if it's crowded, however I think there's a pretty slim chance of that. Anyone who can't make it that early, or only wants to meet for a few rides etc, may PM me for my cell-phone number so we can be in-touch during the day. Cameron.

Those XAs are awesome, great choice! I know two people who own them, and they are really great cars, fun too. That's high praise coming from me, since I've pretty much loathed every Toyota and Lexus vehicle for close to 10 years .. but the Scions are really cool. Cameron.

I have just started watching Lost and I'm about 3 episodes into season 2 .. Like it a lot Cameron.

I believe that getting ones license in Germany (and much of Europe) is quite a lengthy and costly ordeal .. such a thing would never fly in the US. When I moved to the US and had to get tested, the woman at the DMV crossed out half of the written questions and told me not to do them because it was Saturday and there were too many people waiting in line. The driving test included one trip around the block; not only was there no free-way driving, but I didn't even have to make a single left turn! The real solution to reducing accidents in the US is not red light cameras, it's not speed cameras, it's not texting and phone bans, nor is it stupid PSAs .. it's education. Sadly that will never happen because the government can't afford it, besides it's much easier to just fine people for breathing instead. Cameron.

Big problem now is that cars are so comfortable, and provide such a disconnect from the driving feel (especially the Japanese cars), that people just "forget" what they're doing is dangerous. It's only going to get worse with all the electronic "lane change assist" and "beep when you start to nod-off" nonsense. The more automatic that driving becomes, the more accidents we'll see. Stick-shift drivers tend to be the safest on the road, simply because the very nature of driving a stick requires you to look ahead and be aware of what's going on. I'm torn on the text message ban, I hate banning stuff (even smoking, even though I don't smoke and actively dislike it) ... Maybe a harsher penalty for those who cause an accident due to texting..? Cameron.

Why do you take it so personally? It's been pretty well established that SFGAm is one of the most profitable parks in the chain, do you really want Six Flags Inc (with all their money problems) spending money on a park that just doesn't need it? Splash Battle for 2009 was a fantastic addition, and likely cost substantially less than a coaster, and appeals to really wide range of people (a true family ride .. young, old, everyone enjoys it). You can't even complain about capacity since it is approaching Raging Bull in terms of number of people per hour. Sure I'd love some infinite-looping new coaster too, but it's just not realistic; and it's certainly not something to take personally. Do you really think that Shapiro is sitting in his office saying "Bah, screw those Jag-Offs in Chicago, I hope they rot. NO COASTER FOR YOU!"?? Cameron.

^ Hahaha .. I did the same thing! Happy Birthday!

A group of us are planning to go on Sunday November 1st (closing day), all day - everyone is welcome; however this does not mean that another meet is out of the question! Sunday might work for me, but I'm pretty busy the next few weekends preparing for Pinball Expo. I always love going on Friday nights, so maybe 19th or 24th (17th is out - that's Expo weekend)? Cameron.

Can someone please show me this mythical press-release from the park that states Whizzer is such a maintenance nightmare? Apparently I've been living under a rock, and Whizzer appeared to run all three trains quite solidly all summer (with no major breakdowns that I'm aware of). I mean most Intamin rides can't claim that. You say that you don't see Demon being removed because "it's too family friendly", well it's a punch in the face compared to Whizzer .. which is not only a better ride than Demon (from a rounding-out-the-park perspective), but more popular too. You can't say that Demon won't be removed because it's family friendly, and then say (in the same breath) that Whizzer will. It just doesn't make sense. I'm not saying that I know one way or another whether Whizzer will be removed, I don't know anything other than what I observe .. There is no evidence whatsoever that Whizzer is the money-pit that everyone seems to assume; quite the opposite in fact, as I pointed out above. If Whizzer is removed it is far more likely that it will simply be to make room for another major ride .. one costing at least $20 million (given the space) - and I'm being a little conservative there. Now let's say that Whizzer costs $1 million a year to maintain, then the park won't see a return for 20 years. The new ride might not even last that long .. Chang didn't, neither did Shockwave (and about a zillion others). In fact if I were to bet, I'd guess that American Eagle costs far more per-year to maintain than Whizzer does; and it takes up more space AND is a less valuable ride than Whizzer. So can we just please stop this nonsense? It seems quite likely that we won't see big changes at the park for 2010, and at this point anything is possible for 2011 (if they can completely re-locate Superman one month before starting construction, then anything is possible until the first hole is dug). There really is no reason to remove any major rides, as the biggest thing the park needs is water-park expansion .. and there's a lovely plot of land available once the Go-Carts and Space Shuttle are removed. Hopefully some of that work will be done for 2010. Water-parks are a license to print money now (just like coasters were 10 years ago), so it makes the most sense that Six Flags will focus on that. Cameron.

^ I read a great article a while ago (which unfortunately I can no longer find) that said that most Americans equate "regular maintenance" with "problems", and that all they typically want is a brainless appliance. That's perfectly fine, let people drive what they want; but it does become an issue when these people buy a European car because such cars are typically designed and built to be actively cared for. If one doesn't feed their pet, the pet dies .. if one doesn't take care of their European car, then it dies. Pretty simple. I've been driving VWs for over 10 years (all of them used, and one was a Corrado) and was only stranded once - of course it was the Corrado . I actively love driving those cars because they are designed for people who drive for pleasure, I'll gladly put in some maintenance in return. I will say this about VW though, and that's that a lot of the dealerships and service departments are absolutely awful. I am a little spoiled in Chicago as we have some great places (as well as some hideous ones!), but I hear stories from people in other parts of the country that make me cringe. To me that's a very valid reason to avoid a brand .. but "they break down a lot" just gets a massive eye-roll from me. Cameron.

^ Yes, this sounds far more likely. Removing an extremely popular and very much needed ride for one that is completely redundant and unnecessary, just makes no sense .. especially while there's a gaping hole where Spashwater Falls was.

Just curious, why does everyone think that the only way a new coaster can be built at SFGAm is if Whizzer is removed? Like as been pointed out several times here, it's hugely popular, has excellent capacity, and everyone loves it. There is a lot of space at the park for major rides. Besides, the park does not need another coaster; stop confusing want with need ... I'd love a Mr Freeze, and a Superman (New England), and an Evil Knievel, and a Kentucky Rumbler, and a Nemesis, and about a zillion other things, none of which are needed The fact is that SFGAm draws from two *massive* population centers, and there is absolutely no competition. What the park needs is more stuff for people to do (and adding 1 ride is not the answer). If you ran the park and could spend $25 million on a single coaster or $25 million to expand the water-park by 50%, what would you do? The water-park is a far, far better investment; as would be a collection of flat-rides. Even adding a Thomas Town would likely yield better results, the Wiggles area was packed on Sunday, while Raging Bull was a walk-on. Cameron.