You know, I didn't here the "food" notice, but the second one you mention ("...fucking with us"), I remember that, and I the time, I was wondering what he meant - I believe I thought he meant the fishermen (or other locals) they met - and maybe that explains the food bit (though I don't remember that - I was probably too engrossed with the figures hanging from the trees)...
Power probably won't go out, wanna know why? When was the first time that a power system used a computer? They sure as hell didn't start with 'em.
Don't know about the first time, but I do know that a lot of time sensitive microcontrollers are in place all over the electrical grid - many on transformers high up on telephone poles and such (mainly for time sensitive service related issues). Here is the kicker, though:
On the grid, in order to start a power plant up (after a blackout), another power plant has to supply power to it, so it can begin operating. If this backup system fails (it is an interelated grid thing which I only begin to understand), then those plants can't come back online. I don't know if you remember the blackout that happened in the western states a few years back - but that was caused by a cascade effect, because a treebranch fell on a line!
And what about the computers that run our nuclear generating stations? Have you thought about them?
Indeed, there are many computers in the electrical grid - if you think otherwise, you need to wake up to the truth!
The day I get a signed letter on power company letterhead from the president of the power company itself stating "I guarantee power will be available during the rollover." is the day I believe it!
Will there be food shortages due to power failures and crashing computers halting shipping? No There will be food shortages because stupid people expecting armagedden will raid stores and hoarde food en masse.
While it is easy to dismiss a Y2K meltdown as occuring because of a "crowd mentality" (which very well could occur - but wouldn't, if stockpiling was begun now, and hoarding didn't occur), this simplifies things too much. There is a very real possiblity that there could be a food shortage, due to our JIT food distribution system we have in place (BTW, regarding the comment I had elsewhere, about the day 10000 change and my employer not doing the Y2K fix then - that employer was a major food distribution software supplier)...
Only one link in this chain needs to be broken. I don't know where (or if) one will break - so let's just make an example: Let's say the break occurs in the trucks themselves (which ship to the stores from the warehouses).
How could this occur? Well, if the trucks are new enough, they might have computers (microcontrollers) on board monitoring when the engine was last serviced (for a major overhaul) - say it was set for 06-06-98. Now, when the year 2000 rolls around - the computer would see that it hasn't been service in -2 years! All of this assumes, of course, that the controller is working off of two digit years (which is actually a pretty good assumption - it has been the defacto standard for date display/use the world over for quite a long while!). Now, what will that controller do? It could do one of a number of things - shut down the engine, flash an idiot light, it could do nothing. But if it does shut down the engine - do you think the truckers are gonna haul out thier laptops (and yes, I am aware that truckers carry laptops these days!) and hack the code to fix the problem?
This is just one example of an embedded microcontroller in one area - in the food distribution/service industry, there are thousands of microcontrollers involved. If any of the critical ones fail, you don't get your bread tommorow (that, or you fight for it!)...
If a sewage plant can spill sewage due to a software failure, don't you think it is possible that there may be a chance that a software failure could stop the delivery of food?
DFL, damn you, you have got me preaching to ostriches as well!:)
DFL, forget about this - this crowd doesn't want to hear it. I don't know why, but that just seems to be the way it is.
Sure,/.'ers will rally together and say "Security through obsurity is not security!" - but will gladly turn a blind eye and refuse to see a very real problem.
What amazes me more is that many of the crowd here has to at least at one point in their life (unless they are all in school and have never worked at coding for a large DB in the RW) to have seen code that WASN'T Y2K compliant. I know I have - in fact, I remember a meeting in which we discussed another date related problem, one in which every date function would have to be changed throughout our system (the infamous PICK day 10000 issue). I remember remarking that we should do the Y2K fixes at that point as well. I was brushed off, and those fixes weren't implemented. I don't know if they have been yet. I have since left.
Fixing the functions aren't the only issues. Also at issue is the data itself (which could be in a variety of forms - I know I have heard and seen of some wierd forms!) within the database, or coming in via other interfaces. You also have to worry about different forms of correcting Y2K issues between interconnecting/intercommunicating systems. A good example would be a medical insurance company and a hospital's management software - what if one used a four digit year system (the safest, though the most difficult to implement), while the other used a sliding window technique (the cheapest for good protection - simply moves the issue to a later date in time)? What if both used a sliding window technique and one started the window in 1970, while the other started it in 1960? There is a chance that data communicated between the two systems could become corrupt - possibly resulting in both systems malfunctioning. While such a system isn't critical (though it could be), such interelations happen in other industries as well, ones which very well may be critical(such as the JIT related food distribution industry, food suppliers, and grocery stores - which generally have a 72 hour supply on hand - don't believe me? Go into a grocery store late at night, or a Walmart - and notice all of the stuff trucked out to be put on the shelves - within hours, it is all put out, ready for the next day - if any link fails in that chain, no bread for tommorow!)...
I don't know - things might go smoothly, there might not be any problem at all. It might be a day just like any other. Just remember the following:
"It is better to be prepared, and for it not to have happened, than to be unprepared, and for it to occur..."
IOW, laugh at DFL and myself now, and after the rollover, if you want - just remember, if rioting on the streets occur, and you come knocking on my door for protection, food, etc. don't be suprised if I answer the door with a shotgun leveled at your chest...
Let's just say pure cap can raise welts and blind you (permenantly? dunno...)! The stuff in pepper spray is actually diluted (and this stuff is pretty fuckin' powerful!)...
Actually, it is at 3.5 right now - they also have some kind of Windows version that is a replacement (of some sort) for VB.
I have only played around with 3.2 - for a DOS level BASIC it really kicks the crap out of QuickBASIC 4.5 (haven't ever played with Turbo Basic) - my favorite part is it's ability to inline assembler code (which you have to do if you want to use any VGA mode worth using!)...
In my opinion, however, I feel that home robots are still very much a hobby thing - and that we are far away from an "out-of-box" solution (unless you are willing to spend BIG bucks).
BTW - Does anyone know what happened to the company Odetics (based in Aneheim, CA) that made the six-legged walking robot "ODEX-1"? Did they go out of business? What ever happened to the robots? Does anyone or any company own any?
I remember watching a Scientific American Frontiers on Robotics a couple of years ago, in which various things were discussed (Cog was shown, as well as that other Brooks bot that has the funny looking face that can express suprise, etc).
One of the things that was shown was a competition at some school for making a robot that could fly, pick up a disk out of a ring, transport it over a three foot wall, and put it in another area - all under autonomous control.
One of the teams got really close - but couldn't release the ring (some High School entered a radio controlled blimp, that wasn't autonomous, that worked ok too), and so didn't complete the task.
They said that they were going to compete the next year - and from what I understand - they had an idea on releasing the ring. What I want to know is, does anyone know if this feat has been done yet, and who won it?
It sounds simple on the surface - but hard in practice from what I have seen...
Damn hard - take a laptop apart sometime (NOT for the faint of heart!), and you will see that EVERYTHING is non-standard. And good luck getting any specs from the manufacturer of the display - no one will give them to you (I once tried to buy a display of a laptop I had with a cracked one - while I found a supplier, they wouldn't sell it to me because I only wanted a single one). It might be possible if you are a large company, but not for the DIYer...
I am not saying that the size will forever continue, but as far as most people are concearned bigger is always better...
Kinda OT - but I remember working at a small mom/pop software shop that had a stand custom built and molded to look like a computer case - on top of this they mounted an IBM RS/6000 model 320 (at the time, it was classed as a workstation machine - as in desktop) - just to impress potential clients/investors (musta worked, to some extent - every year we made more sales and got larger)...
My desk at home is a full 8 feet wide and 24 inches deep, made of 2x4 (support), 4x4 (legs) and 1x12 (top) - a smaller piece of 1x12 exists for my keyboard and mouse. I built this thing because I didn't have enough room for my three machines - and I needed it solid so I could pile so much on it.
I don't know about you, but I get a kick when I see advertisements and magazine articles that seem to support the idea that a computer is supposed to be "pretty" and blend in with the surroundings (fuckin' designers!). If I could afford a Thinking Machines Blinkin' Lights Special, I would have that over the latest Uber-Cool Case...
Actually, what I have been thinking about doing is getting rid of my cases and building some kind of slide rack system for the boards - make the entire affair an open-air design, and say "Screw the FCC!"
You know, I support this, but from a different angle.
Being ultra portable would be great - but my take on things is that it seems each year they come out with one of two things regarding laptop screens: Higher res, or bigger display. What does this get us? HIGHER PRICES! Why?
Because they can't get the yield up to a point where the screens don't have bad pixels on large runs, because of various factors (simply increasing size or density increases the statistical chances of failure, for one). So we pay more for these screens, then we bitch because laptop either don't come down in price, or that they go up in price (not to mention every year a new cpu comes out, so that has to go in the laptop as well)...
Laptops would be a great thing for school use, at nearly every grade level - if they didn't cost so much. For most tasks (think about it - it is true!), higher resolutions/bigger screens/faster processors aren't needed! But you have no choice when you buy a new laptop.
I know some of you will think/say "Go away, whiner - buy a laptop off of Ebay if you are so hard up for money!"...
The truth is, I have bought a laptop off of Ebay that suits my needs (486 DX2 50, 24 meg ram, 1 gig drive, sound, 10 inch double scan LCD - cost $350!) - however, I don't get a warranty, support, or much in the way of upgradability. And why should I spend more on a laptop (new or used!) when next year it will be discontinued by the manufacturer or obsolete?!
I want to buy a new laptop that has a perfect 10-12 inch TFT display, with a low power Pentium 120 in it. This would be enough to do what is normally needed by a laptop. It should be cheap (around $500.00), have a long battery life (8 hours), and modular enough that I don't have to stick to a single manufacturer for any parts (for repair or upgradability - this alone would be nice to see in laptops today!).
We have the technology for this today - why the fuck aren't we using it?
On my 21" monitor I stay at least 4/5 feet from the monitor and the keyboard is 2/3 feet from the monitor.
Is this right? Are you saying 4-5 feet/2-3 feet? Or are you meaning 0.8 feet and 0.6 feet (respectively)? I am only asking this, because, right now, my face is maybe two feet from my 21 inch monitor, and the keyboard is about one foot away...
This place has it all - including parts that are damn near impossible to find retail! You can buy individual parts - not just whole kits (anybody need a bag of 1x1s?), so you can get those pieces you really need...
Even has online ordering - cheap prices too (for Lego)!
The original programming "system" LEGO came up with for the RCX isn't bad - it almost allows one to create a subsumption-based achitecture "program", instead of a top-down procedural one, possibly opening up the ability to create a system more like what Rodney Brooks (sp?) has done.
Not that I think LegOS or NQC are bad things or too hard. I like the control that they give (much more so than LEGO's stuff), but I wonder what if what the Mindstorms system comes with has been investigated in depth? I think maybe one of the problems/issues that it is more difficult to see what it can do is the fact that for certain experiments, you need more than one RCX unit...
Something right now is wrong with the site - couldn't get in, but no matter...
I went back and reread the original post, and I made the mistake of thinking the Superman ride being talked about was the one at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA (north of LA). After rereading the post - I relized that I was completely off base here. I apologize.
Regarding why I went on and on, though - Superman @ Six Flags Magic Mountain is like this long track that goes out of the station and then shoots straight up 400 ft or so. Then the riders plunge back down backwards - experiencing something like 5-6 seconds of free fall - then back to the station. The thing gets up to a very high speed (100 mph?) in short time using a magnetic linear motor system.
I haven't been on it yet - haven't had time to go there...
No, I am speaking of the one at Magic Mountain - FreeFall used to be something a Magic Mountain - except they lifted you up, elavator style, to the top of a tower (it was like 150 feet or something), then dropped you down the rails, which curved down and you slid on you back...
Anyhow, I don't consider Superman to be a rollercoaster, simply because it it doesn't have the historical requirements of a coaster - track, long train, curves, hills, ups and downs (ok, maybe ups and downs, but I mean hills, not a one time thingie).
Just because it rides on rails and was made by a coaster company does not make it a coaster - just a ride that uses coaster technology. That isn't to say it isn't fun, or that I wouldn't ride it - just that I don't believe it is a coaster in the true sense of the word...
Yes, I know this (I assumed, rather incorrectly, that by me saying "shutter glasses", that everyone knew I was meaning LCD shutterglasses, versus mechanical contraptions - which the first replyee seemed to think, and which was done - sorta - on a Vectrex)...
As far as polarization needing more than a small turn - yes that is true, didn't even think about that. I also though later that LCD shutter glasses might not even work properly, unless perhaps they were times to the horizontal refresh, and not the vertical.
This IS the way to go - no special cameras, high hackability (is that a word?) due to the building of the control, simple to set up - no special software, etc.
I was going to mention this kind of setup myself - but you beat me to it, eutychus! This is the way to do it. It would be different if he needed to do this a realtime streaming video - but at 1 FPS on the admin end, it isn't needed...
Why the hell are they doing the loop that way - it looks like a metal loop in a wood structure!
I would be more impressed if they built the loop out of wood - making a structure around it similar to the latticework that makes up the hills, etc (perhaps even incorporating the loop under a hill)...
Would this work? Or am I just spitting in the wind? IANAE...
I don't really consider this a roller coaster - not that it isn't fun (though I don't know - haven't been on it yet) - but to me, it just seems like a tall version of FreeFall...
Slashdot Mirror
There was the fake newscast "Through the Looking Glass" - maybe this is it?
You know, I didn't here the "food" notice, but the second one you mention ("...fucking with us"), I remember that, and I the time, I was wondering what he meant - I believe I thought he meant the fishermen (or other locals) they met - and maybe that explains the food bit (though I don't remember that - I was probably too engrossed with the figures hanging from the trees)...
Power probably won't go out, wanna know why? When was the first time that a power system used a
computer? They sure as hell didn't start with 'em.
Don't know about the first time, but I do know that a lot of time sensitive microcontrollers are in place all over the electrical grid - many on transformers high up on telephone poles and such (mainly for time sensitive service related issues). Here is the kicker, though:
On the grid, in order to start a power plant up (after a blackout), another power plant has to supply power to it, so it can begin operating. If this backup system fails (it is an interelated grid thing which I only begin to understand), then those plants can't come back online. I don't know if you remember the blackout that happened in the western states a few years back - but that was caused by a cascade effect, because a treebranch fell on a line!
And what about the computers that run our nuclear generating stations? Have you thought about them?
Indeed, there are many computers in the electrical grid - if you think otherwise, you need to wake up to the truth!
The day I get a signed letter on power company letterhead from the president of the power company itself stating "I guarantee power will be available during the rollover." is the day I believe it!
Amen! Though IANAC...
Will there be food shortages due to power failures and crashing computers halting shipping? No There will be food shortages because stupid people expecting armagedden will raid stores and hoarde food en masse.
:)
While it is easy to dismiss a Y2K meltdown as occuring because of a "crowd mentality" (which very well could occur - but wouldn't, if stockpiling was begun now, and hoarding didn't occur), this simplifies things too much. There is a very real possiblity that there could be a food shortage, due to our JIT food distribution system we have in place (BTW, regarding the comment I had elsewhere, about the day 10000 change and my employer not doing the Y2K fix then - that employer was a major food distribution software supplier)...
Only one link in this chain needs to be broken. I don't know where (or if) one will break - so let's just make an example: Let's say the break occurs in the trucks themselves (which ship to the stores from the warehouses).
How could this occur? Well, if the trucks are new enough, they might have computers (microcontrollers) on board monitoring when the engine was last serviced (for a major overhaul) - say it was set for 06-06-98. Now, when the year 2000 rolls around - the computer would see that it hasn't been service in -2 years! All of this assumes, of course, that the controller is working off of two digit years (which is actually a pretty good assumption - it has been the defacto standard for date display/use the world over for quite a long while!). Now, what will that controller do? It could do one of a number of things - shut down the engine, flash an idiot light, it could do nothing. But if it does shut down the engine - do you think the truckers are gonna haul out thier laptops (and yes, I am aware that truckers carry laptops these days!) and hack the code to fix the problem?
This is just one example of an embedded microcontroller in one area - in the food distribution/service industry, there are thousands of microcontrollers involved. If any of the critical ones fail, you don't get your bread tommorow (that, or you fight for it!)...
If a sewage plant can spill sewage due to a software failure, don't you think it is possible that there may be a chance that a software failure could stop the delivery of food?
DFL, damn you, you have got me preaching to ostriches as well!
DFL, forget about this - this crowd doesn't want to hear it. I don't know why, but that just seems to be the way it is.
/.'ers will rally together and say "Security through obsurity is not security!" - but will gladly turn a blind eye and refuse to see a very real problem.
Sure,
What amazes me more is that many of the crowd here has to at least at one point in their life (unless they are all in school and have never worked at coding for a large DB in the RW) to have seen code that WASN'T Y2K compliant. I know I have - in fact, I remember a meeting in which we discussed another date related problem, one in which every date function would have to be changed throughout our system (the infamous PICK day 10000 issue). I remember remarking that we should do the Y2K fixes at that point as well. I was brushed off, and those fixes weren't implemented. I don't know if they have been yet. I have since left.
Fixing the functions aren't the only issues. Also at issue is the data itself (which could be in a variety of forms - I know I have heard and seen of some wierd forms!) within the database, or coming in via other interfaces. You also have to worry about different forms of correcting Y2K issues between interconnecting/intercommunicating systems. A good example would be a medical insurance company and a hospital's management software - what if one used a four digit year system (the safest, though the most difficult to implement), while the other used a sliding window technique (the cheapest for good protection - simply moves the issue to a later date in time)? What if both used a sliding window technique and one started the window in 1970, while the other started it in 1960? There is a chance that data communicated between the two systems could become corrupt - possibly resulting in both systems malfunctioning. While such a system isn't critical (though it could be), such interelations happen in other industries as well, ones which very well may be critical(such as the JIT related food distribution industry, food suppliers, and grocery stores - which generally have a 72 hour supply on hand - don't believe me? Go into a grocery store late at night, or a Walmart - and notice all of the stuff trucked out to be put on the shelves - within hours, it is all put out, ready for the next day - if any link fails in that chain, no bread for tommorow!)...
I don't know - things might go smoothly, there might not be any problem at all. It might be a day just like any other. Just remember the following:
"It is better to be prepared, and for it not to have happened, than to be unprepared, and for it to occur..."
IOW, laugh at DFL and myself now, and after the rollover, if you want - just remember, if rioting on the streets occur, and you come knocking on my door for protection, food, etc. don't be suprised if I answer the door with a shotgun leveled at your chest...
Let's just say pure cap can raise welts and blind you (permenantly? dunno...)! The stuff in pepper spray is actually diluted (and this stuff is pretty fuckin' powerful!)...
Actually, it is at 3.5 right now - they also have some kind of Windows version that is a replacement (of some sort) for VB.
I have only played around with 3.2 - for a DOS level BASIC it really kicks the crap out of QuickBASIC 4.5 (haven't ever played with Turbo Basic) - my favorite part is it's ability to inline assembler code (which you have to do if you want to use any VGA mode worth using!)...
If they do, I doubt they will take it to heart - after all, there is profit involved...
Here's one that seems like a "garage level startup":
Gecko Systems
In my opinion, however, I feel that home robots are still very much a hobby thing - and that we are far away from an "out-of-box" solution (unless you are willing to spend BIG bucks).
BTW - Does anyone know what happened to the company Odetics (based in Aneheim, CA) that made the six-legged walking robot "ODEX-1"? Did they go out of business? What ever happened to the robots? Does anyone or any company own any?
I remember watching a Scientific American Frontiers on Robotics a couple of years ago, in which various things were discussed (Cog was shown, as well as that other Brooks bot that has the funny looking face that can express suprise, etc).
One of the things that was shown was a competition at some school for making a robot that could fly, pick up a disk out of a ring, transport it over a three foot wall, and put it in another area - all under autonomous control.
One of the teams got really close - but couldn't release the ring (some High School entered a radio controlled blimp, that wasn't autonomous, that worked ok too), and so didn't complete the task.
They said that they were going to compete the next year - and from what I understand - they had an idea on releasing the ring. What I want to know is, does anyone know if this feat has been done yet, and who won it?
It sounds simple on the surface - but hard in practice from what I have seen...
Damn hard - take a laptop apart sometime (NOT for the faint of heart!), and you will see that EVERYTHING is non-standard. And good luck getting any specs from the manufacturer of the display - no one will give them to you (I once tried to buy a display of a laptop I had with a cracked one - while I found a supplier, they wouldn't sell it to me because I only wanted a single one). It might be possible if you are a large company, but not for the DIYer...
I am not saying that the size will forever continue, but as far as most people are concearned bigger is always better...
Kinda OT - but I remember working at a small mom/pop software shop that had a stand custom built and molded to look like a computer case - on top of this they mounted an IBM RS/6000 model 320 (at the time, it was classed as a workstation machine - as in desktop) - just to impress potential clients/investors (musta worked, to some extent - every year we made more sales and got larger)...
Desktop! I dohn neehd noh steekin desktop!
My desk at home is a full 8 feet wide and 24 inches deep, made of 2x4 (support), 4x4 (legs) and 1x12 (top) - a smaller piece of 1x12 exists for my keyboard and mouse. I built this thing because I didn't have enough room for my three machines - and I needed it solid so I could pile so much on it.
I don't know about you, but I get a kick when I see advertisements and magazine articles that seem to support the idea that a computer is supposed to be "pretty" and blend in with the surroundings (fuckin' designers!). If I could afford a Thinking Machines Blinkin' Lights Special, I would have that over the latest Uber-Cool Case...
Actually, what I have been thinking about doing is getting rid of my cases and building some kind of slide rack system for the boards - make the entire affair an open-air design, and say "Screw the FCC!"
You know, I support this, but from a different angle.
Being ultra portable would be great - but my take on things is that it seems each year they come out with one of two things regarding laptop screens: Higher res, or bigger display. What does this get us? HIGHER PRICES! Why?
Because they can't get the yield up to a point where the screens don't have bad pixels on large runs, because of various factors (simply increasing size or density increases the statistical chances of failure, for one). So we pay more for these screens, then we bitch because laptop either don't come down in price, or that they go up in price (not to mention every year a new cpu comes out, so that has to go in the laptop as well)...
Laptops would be a great thing for school use, at nearly every grade level - if they didn't cost so much. For most tasks (think about it - it is true!), higher resolutions/bigger screens/faster processors aren't needed! But you have no choice when you buy a new laptop.
I know some of you will think/say "Go away, whiner - buy a laptop off of Ebay if you are so hard up for money!"...
The truth is, I have bought a laptop off of Ebay that suits my needs (486 DX2 50, 24 meg ram, 1 gig drive, sound, 10 inch double scan LCD - cost $350!) - however, I don't get a warranty, support, or much in the way of upgradability. And why should I spend more on a laptop (new or used!) when next year it will be discontinued by the manufacturer or obsolete?!
I want to buy a new laptop that has a perfect 10-12 inch TFT display, with a low power Pentium 120 in it. This would be enough to do what is normally needed by a laptop. It should be cheap (around $500.00), have a long battery life (8 hours), and modular enough that I don't have to stick to a single manufacturer for any parts (for repair or upgradability - this alone would be nice to see in laptops today!).
We have the technology for this today - why the fuck aren't we using it?
On my 21" monitor I stay at least 4/5 feet from the monitor and the keyboard is 2/3 feet from the monitor.
Is this right? Are you saying 4-5 feet/2-3 feet? Or are you meaning 0.8 feet and 0.6 feet (respectively)? I am only asking this, because, right now, my face is maybe two feet from my 21 inch monitor, and the keyboard is about one foot away...
This place has it all - including parts that are damn near impossible to find retail! You can buy individual parts - not just whole kits (anybody need a bag of 1x1s?), so you can get those pieces you really need...
Even has online ordering - cheap prices too (for Lego)!
Pitsco-Lego/Dacta
The original programming "system" LEGO came up with for the RCX isn't bad - it almost allows one to create a subsumption-based achitecture "program", instead of a top-down procedural one, possibly opening up the ability to create a system more like what Rodney Brooks (sp?) has done.
Not that I think LegOS or NQC are bad things or too hard. I like the control that they give (much more so than LEGO's stuff), but I wonder what if what the Mindstorms system comes with has been investigated in depth? I think maybe one of the problems/issues that it is more difficult to see what it can do is the fact that for certain experiments, you need more than one RCX unit...
Something right now is wrong with the site - couldn't get in, but no matter...
I went back and reread the original post, and I made the mistake of thinking the Superman ride being talked about was the one at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA (north of LA). After rereading the post - I relized that I was completely off base here. I apologize.
Regarding why I went on and on, though - Superman @ Six Flags Magic Mountain is like this long track that goes out of the station and then shoots straight up 400 ft or so. Then the riders plunge back down backwards - experiencing something like 5-6 seconds of free fall - then back to the station. The thing gets up to a very high speed (100 mph?) in short time using a magnetic linear motor system.
I haven't been on it yet - haven't had time to go there...
No, I am speaking of the one at Magic Mountain - FreeFall used to be something a Magic Mountain - except they lifted you up, elavator style, to the top of a tower (it was like 150 feet or something), then dropped you down the rails, which curved down and you slid on you back...
Anyhow, I don't consider Superman to be a rollercoaster, simply because it it doesn't have the historical requirements of a coaster - track, long train, curves, hills, ups and downs (ok, maybe ups and downs, but I mean hills, not a one time thingie).
Just because it rides on rails and was made by a coaster company does not make it a coaster - just a ride that uses coaster technology. That isn't to say it isn't fun, or that I wouldn't ride it - just that I don't believe it is a coaster in the true sense of the word...
Yes, I know this (I assumed, rather incorrectly, that by me saying "shutter glasses", that everyone knew I was meaning LCD shutterglasses, versus mechanical contraptions - which the first replyee seemed to think, and which was done - sorta - on a Vectrex)...
As far as polarization needing more than a small turn - yes that is true, didn't even think about that. I also though later that LCD shutter glasses might not even work properly, unless perhaps they were times to the horizontal refresh, and not the vertical.
I guess I need to get back to thinkin'!...
This IS the way to go - no special cameras, high hackability (is that a word?) due to the building of the control, simple to set up - no special software, etc.
I was going to mention this kind of setup myself - but you beat me to it, eutychus! This is the way to do it. It would be different if he needed to do this a realtime streaming video - but at 1 FPS on the admin end, it isn't needed...
Why the hell are they doing the loop that way - it looks like a metal loop in a wood structure!
I would be more impressed if they built the loop out of wood - making a structure around it similar to the latticework that makes up the hills, etc (perhaps even incorporating the loop under a hill)...
Would this work? Or am I just spitting in the wind? IANAE...
I don't really consider this a roller coaster - not that it isn't fun (though I don't know - haven't been on it yet) - but to me, it just seems like a tall version of FreeFall...