Chroniq

So entirely new queue with interactive/next gen elements. The ride itself remains nearly completely unchanged except for the cars being reskinned (as is needed to remove the old brands that gm has shuttered) and operational improvements. New post show where you find out how well you did in the video game you played while in the queue. New Chevy showroom (The smart money says this entire update was thought up so the GM branding could be removed because of the stigma attached to it and the fact that so many ancillary brands are gone. I see you- Hummer, Oldsmobile, Saturn, etc.). While it's a very minor update, I'd be happy if they remove the "home-depot" style truss and signage at the entrance to the ride and keep some reference to seven and/or surprise tests in the pre show. Chris " or maybe, they are updating so it the cars can travel at 100 mph again" Connolly

Like others have said, 51-49%s only exist so one owner or group has control over the company. Also Comcast apparently cares enough about theme parks to buy out private equity group Blackstone's share of UO when they announced they'd be selling it after the success of Potter (and be the first company owning 100% of UO in nearly two decades) . The deal was definitely about television content, but it hasn't stopped comcast from really getting behind the spending at their parks. chris Why did Jaws get demolished and not one of the areas? It's in the back of the park. It's that simple.

Quoted for accuracy. A few "excuse me pleases" get you on the ride a few trains quicker and sitting in arguably the best spot on the train. Though, I'd be just as happy if they redid the station to reverse the flow or widen it as it would be more fair to the general public who always seems afraid to walk towards the back.

Not sure if I should like those walls as they are Jaws colored or hate them as they might be the most bland monochromatic construction walls in recent history. `Chris "isn't really a construction wall snob and just wonders when they'll theme them to wizards" con PS. Thanks Gregg for the pic. Edited to say: Comcast is one of those rare corporations that actually ends their fiscal year at the end of the year (most end it in October and large corporations typically put off huge capital investments till the beginning of a new fiscal year), so I'd suspect that they have a huge crew of people that have been chomping at the bit for 1/2 to pass so they can immediately start demolition and then building. Edit 2: Is there any sign of action over the walls?

According to that map, the amity games are still open or am I reading it wrong?

^Seriously. If a bunch of like minded individuals decided to get together to show interest in my company then I'd welcome them with open arms. It's kind of like how theme parks embrace TPR. It's good business to embrace the people who like your product so much they've joined a group to support it (and good marketing).

Random fact of the day- The reason for this is that banks won't give mortgages or building loans to Native Americans as the property or building can't be foreclosed if they don't pay. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

A good friend of mine is a member of the Williamsburg brew skee-ball league. They have tournaments at The Full Circle Bar in Brooklyn. Skee Ball Inc. has decided to sue the bar for using their name. Via The New York Post-

At it's core SOPA removes protection for internet providers or hosts. Previously the DMCA gave a content owner or a website owner protection against a user posting any copyrighted content. I'm going to simplify the issue by using myself and Robb as a case study. In today's world if I post a copyrighted or protected article (including summaries) the copyright holder can send Robb a cease and desist letter. If they aren't cool with my summary then Robb gets an e-mail and takes it down. Life goes on. Even though article summaries or pictures based on content that could be considered newsworthy fall under the "fair use" clause of the copyright law. With SOPA, If I post part of an article or a photo from another website even if I believe it to be "newsworthy or for criticism" and the copyright holder or original source believe it be infringing on their copyright then TPR (or any site) could be immediately black listed (their DNS name would be blocked from hosting servers) and sued without the "due process" of taking it down. In an active forum like TPR (and in the worst case scenario), every post would have to be reviewed by a moderator to protect the owner of the website from being sued and the site blacklisted from the internet. If this law is passed, a moderator would likely always err on the side of caution and delete posts that the courts would consider legitimate for the reasons above. There are already companies that troll the internet looking to stop sites that summarize articles. Righthaven based out of Nevada was a company that sued websites for having independent users just like TPR posting article summaries in the way we do today (which is completely legal). They've even sued a motorcycle website for posting an unreleased photo of a motorcycle concept. I'm sure you can imagine how that could be converted to the roller coaster world. -chris "will update this with sources" connolly

^^I totally get it. Here's a couple articles from a media source that I consider pretty informed and objective. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/opinion/firewall-law-could-infringe-on-free-speech.html http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/business/media/the-danger-of-an-attack-on-piracy-online.html And remember how I mentioned GoDaddy as being one of the only companies supporting this? This happened. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57349913-281/godaddy-bows-to-boycott-now-opposes-sopa-copyright-bill/

Larry, I agree a number of the things he said were distortions of truth or factual errors (yet there was still A LOT of truth in there). That being said, please refer to my original post if you are the type of person (like me) who just appreciates facts.

^Even though the above youtuber is more obnoxious than Jim Hill, he is still sharing the truth.

Thumbs up to the skipper for giving it his all

Thanks for providing us with one of the most varied, interesting, and expertly photographed threads of 2011. My new year's resolution? To be able to do even half of this in one year!

I've found that if you hit the parks that you'd expect the marathon group to skip then you are fine. I hate to shill for sites that are secondary to TPR, but tourguidemike.com or touringplans.com will get you through your trip with some of the lowest crowds and shortest lines of the year.

^Couldn't have said it better myself. This law will do little to stop piracy and lots to stop free speech.

Random thought of the day- In a celebrity death match Jaws eats Harry Potter every time. Little know fact- Sharks are immune to spells. Chris "Harry took an arrow to the knee" Connolly

Yeah- the reason this law even exists is because of large corporations' lobbying money and a knee jerk reaction to their lost profits after producing so much derivative material over the past decade. Using your example above many artists are better off today as they control their destiny and success in much more personal way than ever before.

I hate to say this, but I might wait five hours to ride Winnie the Pooh at Tokyo Disneyland if I knew it was the only time in my life I'd ever visit the park. Chris "feel free to judge " Connolly

This is probably going to be my most verbose post on TPR so a sincere thanks ahead of time for reading the entire thing. The internet (as I see it) is probably the greatest invention we will see in our lifetimes. It allows us to share our thoughts, ideas, and content in a way that never existed before. The sharing of all of this information is the cornerstone of many websites including TPR. Today we are faced with the (nearly) eminent passage of a law that would destroy many of the aspects of the internet that make it this exciting, collective community that we are all a part of. The United States Congress is currently reviewing a bill called SOPA (STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT) which builds on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act as well as the Protect IP Act of 2008. The name of the act only exists to convince uniformed people to support it. So what's the law about and how does it affect a site like TPR? In the past if someone were to post a news summary on TPR from another media source (note: The TPR policy has always been to give credit to the original source), this was considered "fair use" as the summary was posted for us to comment on. Think of it as a movie reviewer posting a clip from a film and then sharing his thoughts on it. If the original source did not want TPR to post a summary of an article then they had a means of having it removed by sending TPR (or any other website) a cease & desist letter. That is what we typically refer to in US law as "due process". At it's heart, what the SOPA law aims for, is to remove that and place all of the responsibility on the owner of the website or the company hosting it. To put it succinctly, a website like TPR or youtube could be immediately blocked and sued if a random member posted a summary of a news article on a park's blog or if a random member even posted a photo of a ride (ride designs are copyrighted) without the express permission of the ride designer and park ahead of time. Military State? Wikipedia, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Etsy, 4chan(who had a rage face when the bill was sponsored) and every single internet provider and host (except for godaddy) is vehemently against this law. If there is one thing you can get behind in 2012 and stand against, I think it's this law. Lets keep the internet a place where we can discuss news, comment, and criticize just like the real world. This isn't about someone videotaping a film and then posting it as a torrent (something I'm clearly against), this is about protecting our rights to free speech and keeping the internet free for everyone. Please feel free to comment (for now) -chris

Quoted for accuracy

Done. I have to say that I do think the results will be heavily skewed because of the people participating. I think the general public is less swayed by cost versus convenience compared to your average TPR member.

Uh, ham and swiss is about as classic and common a pairing as peanut butter and jelly. I'm assuming Larry thinks they should have used an italian cheese like provolone or mozzarella with the prosciutto. It's probably a New York thing

Today we decided to take Bean to visit his first aquarium (.EVER.). Atlantis Marine World, located on the east end of Long Island, is one of those cool aquariums that splits science with entertainment. The aquarium was packed today with families and people of all ages. We were genuinely surprised to not be the only family teaching our infant about marine biology.They have numerous outdoor and indoor exhibits including a sea lion show and penguin encounter that we had to skip due to the fact that is was 20 degrees out (though both were well attended).... Welcome to the lost city of Atlantis (by lost, I mean our navigation wasn't working in the car) The sting rays were feeling a bit frisky today. Atlantis is one of those cool Aquariums that balances the science part with cool theming and interactive stuff. Kristin and Bean are "Living with the Land" Via Bean - "If I was old enough to use a computer, I would remove the red eye from this photo. My dad is lazy." Yes they have pirahnas and they do appear to be in 3d. We interupt this regularly scheduled trip report for a scene from Finding Nemo. Kristin apparently enjoyed the movie. Yes. This is the real life version of the "The Seas with Nemo & Friends" at Epcot. Fish are friends? So one of the really cool aspects of Atlantis is their theming. See!!! I wasn't kidding Bean approves. And yes. They do have an upcharge shark tank. Bean was dissapointed that they also had a height requirement. And yes--- The place is completely TPR friendly. Bean versus megacroc. "Dad, I've had a lot of fun, but I'm getting tired" Shoutout to Banksey. Thanks for Reading!

If only I knew that helium wasn't included with the rc shark, I would have sent that as well.. Although it's probably illegal to mail across state lines