Our World: 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

Disney Thrill Rides

A man claims his stroke was caused by Walt Disney World's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride.

5 Disney Thrill Rides

Disney, known more for its charm, whimsy, and cuddly characters than for white-knuckle, thrill rides, nonetheless offers some exciting thrills and here are five of Disney's the most thrilling rides.

No summer will be complete without some water fun and one sure way to have just that is to enjoy a ride down one wild water slide. Not exactly kid-friendly, this outrageous water slide, at 120 feet tall and up to 60 mph, is considered as one of the tallest and fastest water slides in the US.

Just in case the name didn't give it away, the Tower of Terror is one of the most thrilling rides you'll find anywhere in Disney World, Orlando. From the creepy atmosphere to the breath-taking plunge, the Tower of Terror is a must for any serious thrill rider. There are multiple freefall drops and launches, and other psychological thrills to satisfy most riders.

Aside from the spooky storyline and somber atmosphere, the Tower of Terror ramps up the thrills by offering a different experience each time. The drop sequence changes frequently, so you'll never know when you'll take the plunge — even if you've already ridden dozens of times.

3. Expedition Everest

The Expedition Everest railway car, in Disney's Animal Kingdom, will hurl you forwards, backwards and all around the mountain -- you'll even encounter an angry yeti along the way. This is a "must see" for any serious thrill seeker. This is world’s first roller coaster to not drive its passengers absolutely insane with the clicking noise of the eminent ascent to the ride’s peak.

During this roller coaster you’ll head up the peaks of the Himalayan Mountains, which will offer great views. But you won’t have much of a chance to take in the view before your train is barreling its way through dark tunnels, whipping left and right to avoid the massive paws of the Yeti. And did I mention it not only goes downhill, but at times you’re going backwards?

4. Mission: SPACE

Mission: SPACE launches visitors into a simulated space adventure with a pulse-pounding liftoff followed by the sensation of weightlessness in outer space.

Designed to simulate a real rocket launch, Mission: SPACE offers plenty of thrills for those hearty enough to give it a try.

Here is what you can expect: the ride begins with the launch countdown, and they throw in some psychological effects that help build the tension you might experience before a launch.
As the countdown approaches, the seats tilt back into the launch position of facing the sky on your back. At lift off you feel the engines roar and blast off. The ride creates large G Forces, and a tremendous feeling of increasing speed as the craft escapes the Earth's gravitational pull.
As the flight continues there is a simulated feeling of weightlessness. Each member of the four people in the vehicle has a mission to accomplish during the simulated flight to Mars. Each mission's outcome depends on how well the team performs during the flight.
After the ride ends, you enter the attraction post ride area that features games that everyone can play. There is also be an interactive play area for kids and adults.

5. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (commonly referred to as simply Rock 'n' Roller Coaster) is an enclosed steel roller coaster ride, designed as a high-speed, high adrenaline limo ride through the streets of Hollywood racing to get you backstage at an Aerosmith concert, at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. This extreme coaster is teamed with the exciting sound of America’s legendary rock band, Aerosmith, creating a high-speed thrill ride that will literally rock ‘n’ roll guests.

The coaster accelerates to 57 miles per hour making this the second-fastest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort. The riders experience 4.5 Gs as they enter the first inversion, more than an astronaut did on a space shuttle.

*****

You can experience these rides without leaving your home because here are the 'full' five rides, as seen on youTube:

Enjoy!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Outdoor Life: Family Camping

A St. Charles, Missouri man has died as a result of a bite from a copperhead snake while camping.

Essential Tips for Family Camping

You've reserved a campsite, organized your camping gear and made plans for some fun family activities to keep everyone busy. If this is your first foray into family camping, however, there are still a lot of little things to think about, like setting up the gear and planning meals.

Like the ice chest, for example. To get the maximum performance out of your ice chest, pre-cool it with ice at least six hours before loading it with your food and drinks. When it's time to load the ice chest, use fresh block ice, which lasts longer than cubed ice. Also, only load the ice chest with refrigerated or frozen foods, so you do not waste precious ice cooling-down warm food and drinks.

It's much easier to locate clothing if everyone has their own duffel bag or backpack. A large garbage bag works great for dirty laundry. Remember, the bathroom and shower facility may be some distance from your campsite, so everyone needs shower shoes and towels.

The exterior of your tent has a waterproof coating that is susceptible to damage from abrasion and UV rays from the sun. Protect the floor of your tent with a large tarp, or a specialized piece of material from the tent manufacturer called a footprint. Keep the tent zipped-up during the day, in order to keep insects out.

Sleeping bags absorb moisture from your body during the night and that moisture reduces the efficiency of the insulation inside the bag. Unzip your sleeping bags, during the day, so they will air-out and dry. Sleeping bags also come in different lengths. I should have been just fine in a regular length sleeping bag, but I decided to buy the taller version which allowed me a bit of wiggle room for my feet and I didn't feel like it was too short.

Try before you buy! I mean it too. Take the sample of the camping sleeping bags you are interested in and lie down in them on the store floor. Yes, you are supposed to do this.

Many love the great outdoors! And sitting around a campfire is one of the special times we all enjoy. During the summer, when humidity is low and wind is high, grass and debris can become tinder for a stray campfire ember. Remember, keep your campfire small - A campfire is less likely to escape control if it is kept small. A large fire may cast hot embers long distances. Add firewood in small amounts as existing material is consumed.

If the idea of falling asleep under the stars and roasting marshmallows around a campfire appeals to you, but the reality of pitching a tent and sleeping on bumpy ground does not, glamping, the new term being used for upscale — or glamorous — camping, could be your ideal green vacation.

Glamping:

Going camping, but with glamour. A combination of the two words, glamour and camping. It's like regular camping , but with nicer things than usual, being warmer, and more comfortable - luxury camping. Glamping isn't done by usual outdoor types who climb mountains. The comfort of a hotel into the great outdoors. Although the concept has been around for years, it has really started to take off with the launch of sites like Glamping.com and Glamping Hub, which help teach people about the joys of glamping and match potential glampers with the experience they're looking for.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Scary Rides

Disney World’s monorail turned into a frightening ride when it was struck by lightning. About 120 people were evacuated, and there were no injuries, according to Reedy Creek fire officials.

World's 5 Scariest Theme Park Rides

We've learned about the different types of Amusement Parks. Read about the World's Tallest Waterslide. Even saw that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, in Orlando, would soon open. Now, let's look at the five scariest theme park rides in the world.

Lets star with Colossus, a roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England.

Colossus was the world's first roller coaster with ten inversions. The world record for having the most inversions (14) on any other roller coaster in the world was achieved by The Smiler at Alton Towers in 2013. Alton Towers is in the county of Staffordshire, United Kingdom and the flagship attraction of Merlin Entertainments in the United Kingdom.

The rider experience's a vertical loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and five heartline twists. For a real ride experience, however, you have to be there. If it isn't the vertical loop or the feeling of a headchopper effect, before pulling sharply upwards into a fairly intense cobra roll, that thrills you perhaps it is quickly being pulled through two corkscrew elements and then confronted by four consecutive clockwise heartline rolls before an unexpected final inversion (a counter-clockwise heartline roll) thrusts you close to the surrounding foliage.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself

Kingda Ka

Kingda Ka is roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, United States. It is the world's tallest roller coaster, reaching a height of 456 feet, and the second fastest, 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. The park recently opened the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, a drop tower standing 415 feet tall and attached to the existing Kingda Ka roller coaster. It billed as the tallest drop tower ride in the world.

What is it like? Well, at the end of the launch track, the ride, or 'train' as it is called, climbs the main tower and rolls 90 degrees to the right before reaching a height of 456 feet. It then descends 418 feet straight down through a 270-degree right-hand spiral, climbs the second hill of 129 feet, producing a moment of weightlessness then makes a left-hand U-turn. All in about 28 seconds from the start of the launch. Phew!

Here is your experience!

Scream is a drop tower in Heide Park, Soltau, Germany. With a height of 338 ft, it is considered the tallest "gyro drop" free-fall ride in the world. If you should lose a shoe on your ride up you can retrieve it at the bottom because your travelling time is only 82 seconds, two seconds of which are the actual fall. The deceleration phase lasts for 5.5 seconds. You can watch a two-minute film about Scream, the ride here.

The Tower of Terror II is roller coaster located at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. When the Tower of Terror opened on 23 January 1997, it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world but now is the 4th in the tallest roller coaster rankings, 3rd in the tallest roller coaster drop rankings and 4th fastest.

Here is what happens. Sitting in a new 5-metric-ton passenger vehicle, called the 'Escape Pod', that seats 14 riders you are accelerated to 100.0 mph in seven seconds along a 676 ft launch tunnel then pitched up 90 degrees to the vertical and pulling 4.5Gs. You are weightless during the entire vertical section of the ride for about 6.5 seconds, 3.25 seconds going up and 3.25 seconds falling back down. If that isn't enough, the car then pitches back down to horizontal and enters the tunnel. The Escape Pod continues to hurtle back into the station where it comes to a fairly rapid stop.

Sounded like fun but I watched Tower of Terror II then changed my mind.

Insanity is one of four thrill rides belonging to Stratosphere Las Vegas, a tower, hotel, and casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Dangling the riders over the edge of the tower and then spinning in a circular pattern at approximately forty miles per hour, it is the second highest thrill ride in the world. The other three thrill rides are the Big Shot (highest thrill ride in the world), the Sky Jump (a controlled descent, Bungee jumping-like ride) and X-Scream (third highest thrill ride in the world).

You can watch others taking the ride or take about 32 seconds and do it yourself . Me, I'll watch.

Honorable Mention

I wasn't going to include the SkyJump Las Vegas, an 885-foot controlled free-fall thrill ride, because it is really only scary to some people, me for example. But here it is anyway:

SkyJump Las Vegas

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Dangerous World

29 Photos Of People Toying With Death.

In the following pictures you’re about to see the insane risks people take just for the thrill. While I think some of these photos are just beautiful, it certainly leaves me a bit speechless!

#1.

SHAMS /BARCROFT MEDIA/Barcroft Media /Landov

#2.

Gordon Wiltsie25

#3.

#4.

Corey Rich

#5.

Brian Mosbaugh

#6.

Keith Ladzinski

#7.

Natasha Sadovskaya

#8.

#9.

#10.

#11.

#12.

#13.

Solent News/Rex/Rex USA

#14.

Lucas Gilman

#15.

Jordan Matters

#16.

Romina Amato

#17.

Roof Topper

#18.

secondglobe.com

#19.

Desre Tate

#20.

Michael Nichols

#21.

Isaac Gautschi

#22.

Ronny Randen

#23.

Krystle Wright

#24.

Alex Honnold

#25.

Christian Pondella

#26.

Greg Sims

#27.

Dan Carr

#28.

Jared Alden

#29.

Alex Emanuel Koch

SHARE these photos, and tell us what YOU think in the comments. Do you think it's worth it to risk your life in order to experience something that no one else will?