My cat’s famous! October 27, 2008
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My cat, Harley appeared in a CNN segment on pet Halloween costumes (see below — she’s about three minutes and 30 seconds in). I’m so proud! To tell you a little bit about Harley, she is nine years old and enjoys running up and down the hall, scratching the couch, playing in the bathtub (sans water), laying in warm places, kneading and cuddling. Harley is a fan of Newman Organics cat food and having her belly rubbed. She is so full of love, she’s just a gooey mess. Also, she loves trying to sneak ice cream out of her parents’ bowls when they’re not looking.
‘EPCOTist Manifesto’ October 25, 2008
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In his book, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, author Neal Gabler notes that: “The appeal of Disney World to Walt — its only real appeal to him — was that he would finally have a chance to build a utopian city adjacent to the theme park as a place where employees of the park might live.” When Walt Disney originally envisioned EPCOT, he pictured a model community housing 20,000 residents (by 1980) living on the cutting edge of technology, as opposed to the popular theme park. This never happened, for various reasons. Given the major, arguably unforeseeable technological advances since Disney’s death, this plan would not only have worked — it would have flourished. And should be resurrected.
Originally called ‘Progress City,’ Disney’s wish was to “create an entire urban environment from scratch: a perfect city.” (Gabler, 608) Disney himself wasn’t particularly fond of cities, once commentating that he “couldn’t understand why people lived in cities when they could live in open spaces.” (Ibid.) Disney had no intention of creating another theme park. He envisioned an experimental community whose inhabitants “could be a constant source of testing out materials and ideas and philosophies.” (Gabler, 609) Though dubbed an ‘experiment,’ EPCOT was to be, at the same time, a real community; or, as Walt Disney put it, a “living, breathing community.” (Ibid.)
One reason EPCOT would work beautifully is that the idea of a city created from scratch conjures up images of a clean slate. Perfection. Utopia. Who wouldn’t be jazzed about that? Disney’s idea to combine experiment with a small town sense of community is the perfect marriage of old and new. “The Jetsons” meet Mayberry, if you will… Residents would surely jump at the chance to be test subjects. In short, they’d get all the cool stuff first! Developers in today’s world would certainly blanket EPCOT in WiFi, giving residents the chance to test out everything from new cell phones to game systems to computers to PDAs.
If EPCOT were built today it would stand to benefit from implementing a system similar to the hotel TWELVE in Atlanta. TWELVE (all-caps — like EPCOT!) is a boutique style all-suite hotel with the coziness of home combined with slick ultra-modernity. Everything from wake-up calls to extra toothpaste are requested via the internet. Every suite has its own computer. Guests can choose from at least five types of pillows depending on softness preference and allergies to certain types of feathers. Both the bedroom and living room areas have flatscreen televisions and DVD players. Floor-to-ceiling windows give guests panoramic views of the cityscape. This type of system would be excellent in EPCOT. It would undoubtedly be the sort of city whose residents’ homes would be chock-full of monitors — yet still be very cozy at the same time.
EPCOT was originally an acronym (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow); but the name of the theme park was recently changed to the sentence-case Epcot (Note: Mentions of the theme park will be the sentence-case Epcot as well, to avoid confusion of the two). The community was to be laid out in a circle, with a business center (literally) surrounded by community buildings such as libraries, hospitals, rec centers, teen centers, senior centers, houses of worship, ball fields, playgrounds, schools, etc.; encircled by homes on the edge. Streets would be pedestrian only. Cars would only be permitted underground. People would commute to work and school via an above ground monorail system of small trains. (Gabler, 611)
The monorail system is another reason why Disney’s vision ought to be seen through. For one thing, the elimination of automobiles would do a world of good. It would mean less pollution, less vehicular accidents, fewer incidents of lateness due to traffic, and much less stress. Imagine a world where there is no fighting over parking spots or paying a small fortune to pay a parking garage. Imagine if gas prices didn’t pose a threat to you, your friends or your family. In terms of the environment and the state of the economy today, people would forego the idea of even owning a car at all. No cars would also mean less crime. Residents would never have to worry about vehicle theft, carjacking, or hit-and-run, as they would be non-existent.
Walt Disney envisioned “a five-thousand-acre city arranged in a wheel three miles in diameter.” Disney saw the circle as a “shape of comfort.” (Gabler, 610) EPCOT’s houses were to be entirely self-sufficient — with individual power plants. There would be no garbage collection; rather, trash was to be whisked out of homes via a pipe system. Master builder Robert Moses predicted EPCOT would be the “first accident free, noise free, pollution free city center in America.”
Self-sufficient homes (which are referred to today as “Earthship” houses) are another reason why EPCOT would fare extremely well today. Today’s self-sufficient homes might be different from what Disney imagined, but would be perfect. As explained by Kris De Decker in Low-tech Magazine, they are ecologically friendly and inexpensive to build. They are disconnected from any kind of electricity grid, waterworks, sewage system or gas line. Earthship homes have natural temperature regulation and filter their own drinking water. And what better place to generate solar power than the Sunshine State?
At the city’s center was to be a fifty-acre downtown area. Entirely enclosed within an air-conditioned bubble, the commercial hub would be complete with the aforementioned shops, grocers, theaters, community centers and a giant hotel.
As Sebastien Barthe notes in his website, Walt Disney’s Original EPCOT Project, the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World (below) is an interpretation of that would-be hotel.
Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort
Concentric circles would form around the hub, decreasing in density toward EPCOT’s outermost circle/edge. High-rise apartment complexes would lie closer to the commercial hub, while single-family homes would stand further out. An underground expressway would route garbage and automobile traffic. (Gabler, 611)
How great would it be to — for the most part — not have to deal with garbage? And to not have to see the trash of others? Lack of garbage would definitely add to the city’s cleanliness. Cleanliness generally makes people happier. Case in point: ”In an effort to ‘protect’ the Disney World ‘guests’ from the sight not only of overflowing trash cans, but also of the removal of such trash through the park, an innovative Swedish pneumatic trash collection system was installed in the ‘utilidors’ beneath the park. Called AVAC (Automatic Vacuum Collecting System), this novel system whisks trash at speeds of up to 60 mph to a central collection point ‘backstage,’ where it is removed by truck to an incinerator.” (Barthe)
Of course in today’s EPCOT, it would stand to reason that while recycling was not prevalent in Disney’s day — recycling would be second nature in today’s EPCOT. The homes themselves would perhaps have a system that would make it virtually impossible not to recycle. In the meantime, while an air-conditioned bubble may not be the most ecologically friendly idea, it would certainly do wonders for local businesses, particularly on very hot days. Hot days in Orlando? Puh-shaw!
Another positive asset to EPCOT’s resurrection would be the likelihood of citizens living arguably healthier existences than they would in other cities. Lack of vehicles would mean less smog to breathe in, perhaps leading to fewer cases of lung-related illnesses such as asthma. Speaking of lungs — Disney, who was a smoker, may not have agreed with this suggestion, but if EPCOT were ever to come to be, smoking should be banned in the entire town. This is not to suggest that people should be monitored in their own homes; privacy is and should always be a right.
Additionally, even today with the job market so shaky, unemployment would never be a problem in EPCOT. For one thing, a majority of residents would work in the Disney theme parks themselves. The five parks are open 365 days a year and employ massive staffs at all levels. EPCOT itself would necessitate a hefty staff to be able to run. In fact, Walt Disney explicitly stated: “There will be no retirees. Everyone must be employed. One of our requirements is that people who live in EPCOT must keep it alive.” (Barthe)
Interestingly enough, the author quotes a journalist as saying: “As for government… Walt would never have surrendered his ultimate authority.” Apparently Disney had “contemplated a bifurcated system in which the [Walt Disney] company controlled all the planning and building while other issues were determined by a democratic process.” Disney at one point even suggested that EPCOT residents be rotated on “sabbaticals” so that no one could have permanent voter rights. (Gabler, 609)
Disney’s plans for EPCOT’s government represent a reason people might worry that EPCOT would not succeed. With the state of the country and the world as a whole as uncertain as it is today, it’s simply not feasible to deny citizens their right to vote, even on the smaller local issues. It is equally unfathomable to suggest that inhabitants “rotate” residence. It’s hard to feel at home when you know you’re essentially going to be ousted at some point. Clearly amendments would need to be made in respect to Disney’s original vision.
Another reason people might be hesitant about EPCOT is that if not marketed correctly, the city could get an undeserved reputation for being rather Stepford Wives-esque. Minus the robots. Or maybe not… Initially people might be concerned about moving to a city with considerably more rules and regulations than most. But then again, the people who might be attracted to a place like EPCOT are the same kind of people likely to embrace rules and regulations, particularly those for the better of the community as a whole. You don’t see people painting the exteriors of their condos magenta just to give the condo board a proverbial f-you. And you know how certain neighborhoods have rules about holiday decoration displays? People love that stuff.
Shortly before his death, Walt Disney remarked that if he could survive at least another fifteen years, EPCOT would surely surpass all of his accomplishments. He feared EPCOT would never come to be if he were to pass away. (Gabler, 631) He worried about the fate of his legacy, lamenting: ”Fancy being remembered around the world for the invention of a mouse!” (Ibid.)
According to Gabler: “His life would become an ongoing effort to devise whet psychologists call a ‘parocosm,’ an invented universe, that he could control as he could not control reality. From Mickey Mouse through Snow White and the seven Dwarfs through Disneyland through EPCOT, he kept attempting to remake the world in the image of his own imagination, to certify his place as a force in that world and keep reality from encroaching upon it, to recapture a sense of childhood power that he either had never felt or had lost long ago.”
According to Rona Gindin’s The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World, In 1994, 28 years after Walt Disney’s death, the town of Celebration, Florida was founded upon several of EPCOT’s original principles. For example, even though vehicles are permitted on streets, residents often utilize the availability of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. While many would certainly agree that Celebration is quite lovely, and well-known for its quaint New England style appeal, the town simply doesn’t do the original EPCOT vision justice.
A Celebration, FL home
Without a doubt, the most famous thing about EPCOT is what it became; or, rather, that is is today: Epcot — a truly one-of-a-kind theme park. Debuting in 1982 as EPCOT Center (all-caps at first!), the park was, and remains, a combination of an ode to futuristic innovation and a permanent World’s Fair of sorts. According to Jody Revenson’s The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World: “It was not known immediately how the public would react to a Disney park not based purely on fantastical stories and nostalgic visions.” The 260-acre park “puts forth the notion that the future is a positive place, where the wonders of science and technology will continue to improve the quality of life for people throughout the world.” (Revenson, 17) The two major divisions of Epcot, Future World and World Showcase, are designed to work in tandem to radiate that underlying theme. From the iconic Spaceship Earth to the gorgeous scenery and architecture of ‘Norway,’ Epcot is magical and awe-inspiring. However, it is hardly similar to what Disney envisioned.
Courtesy Aaron Van
In conclusion, The dream of EPCOT should be realized before it is too late. With the world in such a fragile state, we need a community with core values whose citizens think globally and act locally — with a hint of whimsy tossed in for good measure… and some pixie dust. Always pixie dust!
Works Cited
1) Gabler, Neal; Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination; 2006, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York (pgs. xvi, 608, 609, 610, 611 and 631)
2) Gindin, Rona; The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World: The Essential Guide to All the Magic; 2008, Peter Pauper Press, Inc., White Plains, New York (pg. 60)
3) De Decker, Kris; Heat your house with car tyres and earth; December 29, 2007, Low-tech Magazine
4) Barthe, Sebastien; Walt Disney’s Original EPCOT Project; 2008
http://www.the-original-epcot.com/
5) Revenson, Jody, ed.; The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot at Walt Disney World; 2006, Disney Enterprises, Inc.; Disney Editions, New York, New York (pgs. 16 & 17)
‘Print me off a Birkin bag, will ya?’ October 22, 2008
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Okay, not sure if ultra exquisite designer goods will ever be able to be “downloaded,” but a printer that prints three-dimensional items is on its way to your home. The technology already exists but is still in its way too expensive for the consumer/still primarily in laboratory use phase.
According to Neil Gershenfeld’s Fab: “The universe is literally as well as metaphorically a computer.” Therefore, “the science of computing is really the science of science.” Eventually, “a programmable personal fabricator will be able to make anything, including itself, by assembling atoms. It will be a self-reproducing machine.”
Machines that make machines that make machines… my we live in interesting times! Gershenfeld goes on to discuss a course he teaches at MIT, “How To Make (Almost) Anything.” Not only was he pleasantly surprised at the students’ interest (100 people showed up for a class allotted for 10), but he was equally gobsmacked by the diversity among those students. He had just as many artists as engineers and so on. Gershenfeld also points out that his students weren’t taking the class for professional or research purposes — this was personal.
According to Gershenfeld, “their motivation was their own pleasure in making and using their inventions.” How refreshing! It’s almost as if these students were being selfless yet selfish at the same time. Selfless in that they weren’t necessarily interested in advancing their careers with the course, padding their resumes or improving their GPAs (do MIT students even have GPAs?). Selfish in that they wanted to produce their own inventions for themselves, not necessarily humanity as a whole. But who wouldn’t jump at the chance to see their original ideas come to fruition? And then again, it is a Personal Fabricator. Person = self. Selfish isn’t necessarily negative.
As Gershenfeld later states, PF is “intended for personal rather than mass production.” In a way, PFs are a bit of a throwback if you think about it — almost like a return to the old days when the tailor would make your clothes for you, according to your style, size and specifications. Sort of.
Gershenfeld goes on to discuss “fab labs” and their mechanics: a laser cuts out 2D shapes which are assembled into 3D structures. And that “the intention over time is to replace parts of the fab lab with parts made in the fab lab, until eventually the labs themselves are self-reproducing.”
Inconceivable? I think not…
Misty pixelated memories of the way we were
Posted by hurdygurdy in Uncategorized. add a commentIn “The Persistence of Memory,” NPR’s Brooke Gladstone interviewed lifelogger/computer scientist Gordon Bell and tech writer Clive Thompson on the process of lifelogging; or, digitally recording each moment so as to create a complete virtual memory.
Lifelogging is a fascinating concept and if I had the resources (and the nerve to wear a camera around my neck), I might undertake something similar. I’ve always been very detail-oriented and fascinated by life’s everyday details — watching my cat yawn, drops of dew on a leaf, the smell of fresh coffee. It’s probably why I adore films like “Waitress” and have zero interest in action movies. I really should start journaling and taking more pictures. There’s no excuse for me not to do those things.
For example, I only have a few pictures of my grandmother and most of them were rather formal, and taken before I was born. I used to spend summers at her home and have amazing — yet everyday, some would say mundane — memories that range from taking walks together to watching “The Jeffersons” and eating Gram’s delicious homemade pot roast and potato chip dip (but not at the same time). And laughing! Gram had the best sense of humor of anyone I have ever known. I remember random details; like how she would cover the entire velour couch in sheets for me so I could relax and stay cool. It would be a hoot to have some photos from those days. Come to think of it, I don’t have a single picture of her home, save for a few holiday pictures of relatives. But I’d almost rather see things like the wicker tissue box cover in the bathroom or the green glass bowl of Hershey’s Kisses on the coffee table. Sometimes it’s the details that take me back…
On that token, I can’t help but guess that memories preserved via lifelogging will be void of some of the chutzpah, if you will. It’s hard (but perhaps not impossible…) to preserve one of my favorite things in Manhattan that occurs around the holidays: walking past guys selling Christmas trees! To me, nothing beats that smell. Sometimes I will not even SEE the tree peddlers, but the fragrance will hit me like a Vesper martini and it will be impossible not to smile.
I was appalled to hear Bell say that he gets rid of anything that can be scanned (like mugs and tee shirts). I can’t help but feel something gets lost in the translation. Seems so soulless!
I have come to the conclusion that some memories just can’t be whittled down to mere digitization. Imagine if the lyrics to Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were” were changed from “… misty water-colored memories of the way we were.” to “… misty pixelated memories of the way we were.” ‘Misty’ would be the wrong adjective, too. Blasphemous.
I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle, yeah
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Both Ann John and Vidmark make interesting points about the chapter ”Shibuya Epiphany” from Howard Rheingold’s book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution.
My comments to Ann John: Interesting how this was published in 2002. Does anyone know if Japanese teens are still texting addicts or if texting is considered “old school” at this point? I, too, felt that the girl who was crushed if she didn’t recieve a text during the day seemed absurd; but then again, it sounds like “keitais” are these kids’ touchstones.
As the chapter states, these teenagers are, for the most part, growing up in rather crowded homes and have little privacy. If they wish to utter romantic nothings into the ear of the object(s) of their affection, they may literally never have the chance to do so. Thus, they rely on texts.
And of course, texting gives the texter the platform to tell it like it is, yet take the coward’s way out at the same time. If they text ‘I heart you’ to someone, they don’t have to deal with the agaony of being there when the textee reads said message. Japanese teens are also under immense pressure to fourish academically and it seems they often don’t have full freedom to express themselves.
I, too, am intrigued by Vidmark’s ‘chicken and egg’ theory.
Vidmark asks: “Did the youth of Japan have a need for this communication before the technology existed, or did the technology create the need and therefore the behavior?”
My comments to Vidmark: Yes, strong arguments can be made for both sides, but I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Like many (most?) technologies, these kids grew to rely on texting. For these teenagers, texting became a crutch of sorts; a vessel through which they expressed emotions they maybe couldn’t express elsewhere. But if technology DID create the need, the resulting behavior can be viewed as healthy in many ways, unhealthy in others.
If kids growing up in stifled homes utilize their cell phones as their personal artistic canvas, good for them. It’s healthy to have an outlet, and texting’s just as good as any. If something is pent up inside, it’s eventually going to release itself. On the other hand, relying upon the receipt of text messages as heavily as some of these kids are doing is not healthy either.
So my answer would be: Yes they needed texting, but not texting per se. They needed a reasonable facsimilie in terms of means of communication. BUT as the technology permeated their lives, that need morphed into something bigger that has its good points and its bad points.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive October 20, 2008
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According to this CNN.com story, The Bee Gees’ classic tune “Stayin’ Alive” has near-perfect rhythm at 103 beats per minute. In a study involving students and doctors, the group did CPR on mannequins while listening to the song on iPods. Five weeks later, they did the same drill without the music but were told to think of the song. Overall, the song kept them motivated and helped them keep the beat.
It turns out the American Heart Association has been using the song as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years.
Interactive Politics
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Okay by now most everyone has seen this site, but I felt it deserved my personal gold star for the efforts on the part of the creator(s). Drag your mouse around and click on anything and everything!
Very entertaining — and the site gets updated every day.
Apologies to Nick Blain… October 16, 2008
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The final project has me reminiscing about the summer my two dearest friends and I spent 11 days in Disney World. Below is the true story of three strange girls with bizarre senses of humor who celebrated a Sweet 16 in style.
For her Sweet 16, instead of throwing a big bash, Emily opted to take her two best friends (Allie and I) on a trip to Disney World. Emily’s parents were kind enough to foot the bill for the entire trip: transportation, lodging, meals, entertainment, everything. We drove from Westchester to Washington, D.C. and then took an Amtrak train down to Orlando, Florida.
On the six-hour drive to D.C., we controlled the music and forced Emily’s parents to endure our fascination with gangsta rap music. It is important to note that we were innocent little Catholic school girls who were as white as they come. We generally listened to bands like U2 and REM, and if you had asked me who my favorite bands were I would have said Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles, without a doubt. So our gangsta rap stint was a complete 180 for all of us.
The overnight ride on Amtrak from D.C. to Orlando was an adventure in itself. We pretty much taunted and harassed all males on the train between the ages of fifteen and thirty. First, there was Nick Blain, the guy who read a Dean Koontz book entitled Winter Moon throughout most of the trip. When he got up to use the bathroom, we snatched the book from his seat. Inside the book was Nick Blain’s ticket (that’s how we found out his name). We quickly replaced the book before he returned and from a seat diagonally across from Nick Blain, we engaged ourselves in a loud, vibrant discussion about Winter Moon that went something like,
“Have you ever read Winter Moon?”
“Well, no, I’ve never read Winter Moon. Would you say that Winter Moon is a good read?”
“Perhaps we can pick up a copy of Winter Moon at some point today.”
“Yes! Winter Moon!”
“I am going to name my first child Winter Moon. My second child will be named Dean Koontz. My third will be Nick Blain”
“Winter Moon!”
“Winter Moon!”
For reasons we could not understand, Nick Blain was completely ignoring us. At one point, we began sporadically uttering his name at random intervals, often in mid-sentence:
“Yeah, so I want to get blond highlights, Nick Blain, when we get home.”
“Could you please grab me a Coke, Nick Blain, from the dining car?”
The three of us shuffled back and forth between our seats, the dining car and the snack car. Discmen and decks of cards in tow, we were ready for fun and adventure. Emily attempted to strike up a conversation with Nick Blain about her new video, Things You Can Do with Leather and its follow-up, Things You Can Do with Stainless Steel. (Note: these videos did not actually exist) Upon arrival in Orlando, Nick Blain turned and uttered his only words to us,
“You guys were the assholes on the trip.”
At that instant, any fantasies we had concocted about a lifetime of love and romance with Nick Blain were replaced with heartache and emptiness. We were the assholes on the trip. That phrase has remained etched in my very being since I was 16. Since then, whenever I go on trips, I wonder if I’m the asshole, yet again.
When we got to our hotel, the Dixie Landings resort, Allie put a message on our voicemail so that callers were greeted with the following message:
“Hi! We’re not here right now so if you wanna leave a message just shake your rump.”
FYI: Allie plagiarized our phone message from one of the rap songs we were obsessed with. The three of us had our own room (for ten nights!) and Emily’s parents had the room next to ours. One of the first things we did while unpacking was to peel the labels off our deodorants and stick them on the wall. We thought that would be really funny. Now, when anybody walked in the door, on the wall to the immediate left, they were greeted by Sure, Lady Speed Stick and Secret, respectively. This amused us to no end.
Another fascination with toiletries that we had was an obsession with heisting anything and everything we could off of maids carts throughout the hotel. I can’t even begin to speculate how many mini-bottles of Mickey Mouse shampoo I went home with. The three of us could have easily opened up a Disney drugstore in Westchester.
Furthermore, each time we left the room for the day, we found immeasurable delight in leaving each and every electronic or appliance-like device running full-blast. Every morning, without fail, we turned on both sinks, the shower, the bathtub, the TV at full volume, the clock radio at full volume, the lights, and the air conditioning. We also plugged in our electric razors and left them running. Looking back on it, I can honestly say that we were complete and total jackasses.
I have no idea why we got such joy out of wasting electricity, but we did. One day our television was so loud that other hotel guests complained to the front desk. Emily’s mom got a call, since the room was under their name. She then called our room, assuming we were just watching television at an obnoxious volume. She was then greeted with the lovely “…if you wanna leave a message just shake your rump” message, which we were ordered to change once she tracked us down.
The Disney World trip also sparked within the three of us a cult-like devotion to the popular eighties sitcom Mr. Belvedere. We grew up watching Mr. Belvedere, and found comfort in his great wit and wisdom. We became increasingly obsessed with the wise-cracking British butler. So much so, that we drew naked pictures of Mr. Belvedere holding a strategically placed Hostess Ding Dong.
Our obsession with Mr. Belvedere could easily have landed us in any number of mental institutions. The episode of Mr. Belvedere which was the most clear in our minds was the one where the mother, Marcia Owens, an attorney, decided to go back to work after taking a leave of absence to raise her three children, Heather, Wesley and ????. Now that Mr. Belvedere was taking care of things, she had some free time. Anyway, she got a job working at a place in the mall called The Legal Hut. Then, there was the Very Special Mr. Belvedere in which teenage Heather was almost raped. That one gave us chills. We laughed about Mr. Belvedere’s weakness for junk food, particularly Hostess cakes. Mr. Belvedere, to this day, has remained a constant in our ever-changing lives. For the love of God, when are they going to release that piece of T.V. magic on DVD!!??
Every day revolved around hunting for boys. The most memorable ones were Derek, Ricardo, Will and Seth. We met Derek in the Dixie Landings hotel lounge. He was about our age and he was wearing a Rage Against the Machine tee shirt. That was good enough for us, so we zeroed in on him. At first, everything was going great. Derek’s parents were delighted that their son had made little friends. Then, we started calling his room. Constantly. He began avoiding us. So we dropped by his room. That freaked him out. Derek was officially out of the picture. We had fun stalking him, though. I think we even asked the front desk at the hotel to give us his home address and telephone number. We pretended that he had left his watch in our room. They wouldn’t give us Derek’s contact information.
And then there were Ricardo and Will. Ricardo and Will were polar opposites but close friends just the same. Ricardo was from Puerto Rico but was working in Orlando for the summer and had one of those Disney season passes. Similarly Will had a season pass and was doing local landscape work. Will was from Alabama. He had the stereotypical southern twang. Example: At one point Will asked me,
“Do y’all know where they sail cotton candy?”
My reply: “Sail cotton candy! What? That’s a stupid idea.”
Turns out he wanted to know where they SELL cotton candy.
Allie “dated” both Ricardo and Will in increments throughout the trip. One night, Allie stayed out particularly late with Ricardo. Emily’s dad was concerned because he came to our room to check on us around 2 a.m. and Allie was nowhere to be found. By 5 a.m. there were still no sightings so Emily’s dad rounded the two of us up and we scoped out the hotel grounds for signs of Allie and Ricardo. We finally found them in a random swimming pool re-enacting scenes from The Blue Lagoon. Emily and I ran ahead to warn her that Mr. Murray was approaching. But it was too late. Mr. Murray uttered a stern,
“Allie, time to get out of the pool!”
Thesis: ‘It’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow…’ October 13, 2008
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Call to action: When Walt Disney originally envisioned EPCOT, he pictured a model community housing 20,000 residents living on the cutting edge of technology, as opposed to the popular theme park. This never happened, for various reasons. Given the major, arguably unforseeable technological advances since Disney’s death, this plan would not only have worked — it would have flourished. And — all cryogenics jokes aside — perhaps should be resurrected.
EPCOT was originally an acronym (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), but was recently changed to the sentence-case Epcot. The community was to be laid out in a circle, with a business center (literally) surrounded by community buildings such as libraries, hospitals, rec centers, schools, etc.; encircled by homes on the edge. Streets would be pedestrian only. Cars would only be permitted underground. People would commute to work and school via a monorail system.
Outline:
- Talk about Disney’s life and how it relates to EPCOT. Assume my readers don’t know what EPCOT is and explain Disney’s vision, as well as what it became (theme park).
- List 3 or more reasons why EPCOT will work and present evidence.
- List 1 or more reasons people will argue that EPCOT won’t work, break those reasons down, and explain why people are wrong.
- Conclusion: Reiterate why EPCOT will work, and work well!
‘It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working on my blog’
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Being a huge Beatles fan, I am quite partial to Lisa’s (no last name) blog ‘My Beatles Blog‘ — which is “written” by a teenage girl as if it were the 1960’s. Timestamps and everything — even retro-style colors, fonts and images! Of course the joke is that the technology to produce a blog wouldn’t have existed back then. However, it is so well produced that if you didn’t know any better, you’d believe Lisa. I believe the site was originally created in conjunction with a book written about the Fab Four. But it is entirely independent of the book and gets updated daily. Go Lisa!
In this particular entry, Lisa is disappointed by an unfavorable New York Times review of a Beatles TV appearance. The article apparently suggests that Beatlemania is a phase.
But it wasn’t.
