TPDave

Another engineer chiming in! I didn't go into engineering though, I'm currently in operations and loving it - certainly keeps me on my toes

I think we know what the next cooking update has to be Brandy! Nice TR Joey - it seems from your pictures like half the park was a lot older and more "rustic" (I think you know what I mean!) and then there were really bright and beautifully presented parts. Have I got the wrong impression from the photos or are there parts that are significantly newer/better maintained?

I'd be really interested to see what the parks were marketed when they first got these rides as far as lifespan goes. Obviously the better care you take of coasters the longer they will be around but it's got to cost a fortune to keep these rides running when they are less and less relevant/popular with the parks core audience. Will we be having this conversation about i305 in 20 years time?

^Aah memories, One o fthe few rides out there to truly live it up its name Nice pic, almost silhouette-y!

I find it really interesting to see the advances in engineering that are going on here. The structure is far less dense than rides from 15-20 years ago and I would guess the forces on the track i parts are going to be a lot higher. Paving the way for even more extreme rides in the future I hope!

In the last couple of weeks I've seen fake lightning cables finally make it to ebay. Apparently they've had a tough time trying to duplicate them because of the active switching chip. Currently running about £10, hopefully they'll drop a bit more by xams and I'll get a few!

Can I ask why they were banned?!? Surely there's an epic story there!

I think I've only ridden one new coaster this year so there's not much change!! Hopefully 2013 will be a better year

How was the ride compared to X2? It doesn't looks nearly as rough, I think it looks kinda cool

It's probably a great deal for S&S, I can't imagine the parts business is huge given the number (and age) of installations they have in the field!

^ Very interesting, they've gone to a lot of effort to avoid further contaminating the water or damaging the seabed! At least they're not planning on re-using the ship like the original reports!

^ Well yes. They are the ones that put out the product, they didn't seem to appreciate how inferior the data is. That said, after using it for a few weeks I think the maps app got a pretty tough beating (I know people always jump onto the bandwagon when Apple "screws up" but this one seemed really over the top). I think the turn by turn nav is REALLY good! Little things like working on the lock screen and banners at the top of other apps greatly improved the experience and make multi-tasking with the device easier. The way maps zoom in and out is beautiful, road names adjust and fade depending on how far in/out you zoom. They basicaly thought of a few good features that would make the google app fantastic and then forgot to put the mapping backend in. It's a shame, but I can't imagine it'll take much more than 6-9 months to sort the data.

I had a ride in an Aventador last week. Not the most subtle car (and certainly not great around town) but it's mental looks and ridiculous engine make up for it when the roads widen! Now, where did I put that 300k?

Great Photos Laura, I love the variation of architecture in New York. I'm not particularly well versed but I find some of the buildings so interesting. Shame you missed the Hearst tower, probably one of my favourites How long were you there for?

This ship looks stunning! i knew the theming would be nice but I love the technical elements they've used to create that magical feel (especially all the high def screens!). It's a million miles away from my last cruise experience

I thought I'd seen most of the screwed up flat rides out there but this just proves you can always be surprised! As for the park, well.. At least the weather looks nice?

THIS! I think I racked up almost 200 in 2008. Good times!

^Oh god! That thing was brutal. I remember i305 being an awesome ride, but after marathoning it for ERT it got a bit painful towards the end. I wouldn't change the ride though as the normal experience is insanely good, it's just if you repeat ride for a long time it can build up. If you get an hour of ERT on that thing though, there is no complaining, I'd kill to have it in the UK!!

Loving the conspiracy! I think we should start a fund and take donations to buy the remains of big Tex, store him while we find somewhere permeant to put him and then restore him so that future generations can enjoy Big Tex too. What an original idea, it's bound to work. I'm thinking we should try and find a plot of land in Ohio.

I stream and download pretty much everything nowadays. Since fibre internet had become more prominent in the UK its been the best choice for high quality video. In my case though its probably because I watch everything on my computer rather than my TV so it's just easier than playing DVDs on it (and Apple are tight lipped on blu-ray!)

I've never seen special food items like this before to tie into a walkthrough! Hopefully it catches on

^ yeah everyone was just drinking and having a good time, no fighters or anything

This is great news! Hopefully there will be an awesome water park in Vegas by the time I make it out there Congrats Shane, I can't wait to see construction etc. when everything is in place!

I went to see Dragonforce on Saturday, it was pretty fun for a gig that isn't really my style of music. They were supported by Alestorm who were great! The crowd was awesome, heavy metal fans are surprisingly nice given the kind if music, there was a much better vibe than rock gigs. Slash on Thursday, should be good

I got seatfillers for singing in the rain a couple of weeks ago. It was a nice show but nothing spectacular, I never realised that "The Artist" just shamelessly ripped off the storyline though!