Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Schrödinger's Toy Store
First Off: Schrodinger's Cat definition:
Here's Schrödinger's (theoretical) experiment: We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. The observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, cannot know whether the vial has been broken, the hydrocyanic acid released, and the cat killed. Since we cannot know, the cat is both dead and alive according to quantum law, in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and learn the condition of the cat that the superposition is lost, and the cat becomes one or the other (dead or alive). This situation is sometimes called quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox: the observation or measurement itself affects an outcome, so that the outcome as such does not exist unless the measurement is made. (That is, there is no single outcome unless it is observed.)
Okay, still with me?
I always liked this thought experiment, its a mind-bender, but somehow it makes sense, even when most of what we know tells us it should not. The reason this sticks with me is because is is the mindset I got in when I was hunting for toys. (By hunting, I mean stopping before and after work at stores in the insane hope an underpaid stock boy accidentally put a toy out early.)
Some collectors call stores daily, getting the inside dope on shipments and shelf stock using DPI numbers and friends on the sales floor. Not me, these actions are cheating in my book, because the fun is in the chase. Every time I walked into a store, I had no idea what would be on the shelves. Until I reached the action figure aisle, buried deep within the store, the toys were both on the shelves and not. Only by my viewing them, was their state of being established.
Or not.
Really, I'm just happy a switch shut off in my brain and toys no longer drive me to such extremes. Until early June, when new Transformers are released. Then we'll see if a relapse is in order.
Here's Schrödinger's (theoretical) experiment: We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. The observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, cannot know whether the vial has been broken, the hydrocyanic acid released, and the cat killed. Since we cannot know, the cat is both dead and alive according to quantum law, in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and learn the condition of the cat that the superposition is lost, and the cat becomes one or the other (dead or alive). This situation is sometimes called quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox: the observation or measurement itself affects an outcome, so that the outcome as such does not exist unless the measurement is made. (That is, there is no single outcome unless it is observed.)
Okay, still with me?
I always liked this thought experiment, its a mind-bender, but somehow it makes sense, even when most of what we know tells us it should not. The reason this sticks with me is because is is the mindset I got in when I was hunting for toys. (By hunting, I mean stopping before and after work at stores in the insane hope an underpaid stock boy accidentally put a toy out early.)
Some collectors call stores daily, getting the inside dope on shipments and shelf stock using DPI numbers and friends on the sales floor. Not me, these actions are cheating in my book, because the fun is in the chase. Every time I walked into a store, I had no idea what would be on the shelves. Until I reached the action figure aisle, buried deep within the store, the toys were both on the shelves and not. Only by my viewing them, was their state of being established.
Or not.
Really, I'm just happy a switch shut off in my brain and toys no longer drive me to such extremes. Until early June, when new Transformers are released. Then we'll see if a relapse is in order.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens is dead, from cancer, at age 52. I know very little about his life and career, but I do he created the Rocketeer. This is a wonderful comic, set in the 1930s in Hollywood, and still easy to locate. It was also a movie from Disney that stands as one of the best comic-to-movie translations. Watch it again, there is fun and joy in that movie that a lot of comic book movies forget.
Sadly, the movie did not do well, and there is little lasting impact of it in the parks. When I first went to Epcot in 1995, there was an exhibit about a Blue Sky concept for a virtual reality attraction that never came to be.
Sadly, the movie did not do well, and there is little lasting impact of it in the parks. When I first went to Epcot in 1995, there was an exhibit about a Blue Sky concept for a virtual reality attraction that never came to be.
March 11 - SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for the Disneyland Haunted Mansion
The next, let's say, month's worth of postings will be SOPs for the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. This both were purchased from eBay a while back, the seller seems to be gone, and I feel they should be shared.
Planning on posting a couple pages a day, and as always, the images link to high-resolution copies on Flickr. Enjoy!
The first posting is the script for the narration by the Ghost Host.
Planning on posting a couple pages a day, and as always, the images link to high-resolution copies on Flickr. Enjoy!
The first posting is the script for the narration by the Ghost Host.
Monday, March 10, 2008
March 10 - ...Dreaming
This is going to wrap up the guidebook to Disneyland in 1961. These are the most interesting pages to me because they highlight the ever-changing nature of Disneyland.
Here under dreaming, we see the concept sketches for Old New Orleans, the Haunted House, the Tree House, and the Rouges Gallery.
This is the back cover, which is an excellent resource to see what the park had to offer in 1961.
Coming up tomorrow will be the start of another lengthy postings, where I share Cast guides to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Mixed into these will be a couple of maps from the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, and then following will be another guidebook, I think from 1964. With this one, I plan to highlight the alternations made between 1961 and 1964. After this, maybe the Epcot Center preview guide, which is wonderful for concept artwork and feels the most like a World's Fair book.
Here under dreaming, we see the concept sketches for Old New Orleans, the Haunted House, the Tree House, and the Rouges Gallery.
This is the back cover, which is an excellent resource to see what the park had to offer in 1961.
Coming up tomorrow will be the start of another lengthy postings, where I share Cast guides to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Mixed into these will be a couple of maps from the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, and then following will be another guidebook, I think from 1964. With this one, I plan to highlight the alternations made between 1961 and 1964. After this, maybe the Epcot Center preview guide, which is wonderful for concept artwork and feels the most like a World's Fair book.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
March 9 - Adventureland
Last day of 'Land' posts. Still a couple more days for the complete book though.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
March 7 - Tomorrowland
And the final two-page spread about Tomorrowland.
An Epcot Center book arrived today fresh off eBay in the mail. This is the one full of concept art that was sent out before the park opened to tease people. Lots of good stuff to scan and share in the coming months. Also, I have some Disneyland park maps, more guide books to compare to this one, and cast member guides to the Haunted Mansion.
An Epcot Center book arrived today fresh off eBay in the mail. This is the one full of concept art that was sent out before the park opened to tease people. Lots of good stuff to scan and share in the coming months. Also, I have some Disneyland park maps, more guide books to compare to this one, and cast member guides to the Haunted Mansion.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Non Disney Stuff
Well, my non-buying year has been a bust so far, but that does not mean I am giving up. There have been some improvements made to my buying habits, including:
- Not eating breakfast out as much. (At the wife's insistence) I've been making breakfast sandwiches at home, using fake eggs and light English Muffins. Plus, I've traded drinking Jolt in the mornings to constantly drinking cups of tea throughout the day.
- Still haven't bought any toys this year.
- Also with toys, I have broken the habit I used to have of obsessively stopping at Wal-Mart multiple times a day looking for brand new toys.
- Sold the vast majority of my comic collection on eBay this week, which gives me the reason to stop buying weekly comics. Selling these takes a lot of burden off my back when we move houses.
March 4 - Frontierland
First 2 pages of Frontierland. Please don't crash Google's servers by viewing them all at once.
Monday, March 3, 2008
March 3 - Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland (1961)
A two-page spread showing what we can expect if that darn time machine is ever invented.
On an unrelated note, now is the time for Disney to produce a virtual Disney World for the XBox/Playstation 3. I envision this as a complete resort, with every nook, cranny, and hidden Mickey rendered to enjoy from home. I want to be able to virtually ride Pirates or the Haunted Mansion.
What can easily make this a cash cow for Disney is micro transaction involving downloadable content. Imagine being able to download the park as it was on opening day, or refreshing Space Mountain after a refurb.
Someone from Disney, please take this idea.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
March 1, 2008 - Fantasyland
First two pages of Fantasyland. I love the photo of the father riding on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Its the suit I wanted to wear for my wedding, but I was out-voted.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
February 28, 2008 - Main Street USA (Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland (1961) )
Posting the first two pages dedicated to Main Street USA.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
February 27, 2008 - Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland (1961)
Its the table of contents. Now you get a preview of what's to come over the next week or so.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
February 25, 2007 - Walt Disney's Guide to Disneyland (1961) - Front Cover
Another series of scans from long out-of-print books! Yay! As things move forward, this is going to become more the focus of this little blog than posting photos from the Parks with little nuggets of trivia.
I want to share the stuff I've accumulated over the last couple years as I've become a huge fan of the Disney Park experience. Hopefully, much of this will be items that are not easily available, espically in high quality online. There will be more maps coming, many of which are common, more guide books from the early days of the park, and SOPs for rides. Everything will be in high resolution, cleaned up as much as possible, and easily made available.
There will not be any current items scanned which are available for purchase in retail stores. When I get around to writing up book reviews, I will use excepts, but also link to information on how to purchase the titles.
There will still be the posts about my struggles to stop buying so much stuff. It is not going too well at the time, but we are trying to buy a better house, and things need to be bought. I still have not bought any toys this year, and the majority of purchases have been made using funds from selling stuff on Amazon. So while not nearly perfect, I am keeping myself aware of what I'm buying and not shopping with abandon.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
February 24, 2007 - The Back Side of Water...I Mean Maps
One thing a lot of map scans I've encountered only focus on the Park Maps side, neglecting the back sides with all sorts of information. These are the back sides of the Disneyland Paris and the Disney Studios. Click through to see them in unnecessarily high resolution.
Disneyland Paris
The Disney Studios
Disneyland Paris
The Disney Studios
Saturday, February 23, 2008
February 23, 2008 - Disney Studios - Front
Within the next 5 years, I'm planning on visiting Disneyland Paris. I will say, this second park does very little to excite me. Aside from the raves Skipper Ben gave Crushes' Coaster on ITM, and checking out Cinemagique and the Armageddon stunt show, this park features little new experiences. That's alright, the smallness of it leaves more time for DLP.
Friday, February 22, 2008
February 22, 2008 - Disneyland Paris Guide Map
Some new scans: This map comes from an eBay seller whom I purchased the book Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality. Some images of the book will be forthcoming (which is the best book about creating a Disney Park).
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Febraury 20, 2007 - Shrunken Ned Portrait
Found at Disneyland in Adventureland. Wonderful chap, took time to pose for this photo. Too bad to took up the offer for two heads for one of his own...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
February 19, 2007 - Hallowishes
Quick tip on taking pictures of fireworks if you have no tripod/monopod: Use burst mode if your camera supports it and you have plenty of free memory. This allows the camera to quickly take multiple pictures, so long as you hold down the shutter. You will end up with hundreds of photos, and some will be quite nice.
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