Al Lutz: "Next Generation" RFID personalization coming to Fantasyland attractions

[wdwmemories]

If it's a win-win scenerio as I hope it will be, great. But I'm sure it will be used to justify things Disney fans won't like as well.

I am sure you are right. If people look hard enough, they will find the good AND bad in anything. The bad is just easier to post about!

To me this sounds like a cool idea. It's not like they are implanting the chip in your skin. If you don't like it, don't do it.

 

[Jasonflz]

Hopefully this is better than ET.

 

[Rayray]

Just to throw out a few numbers for the ppl making arguments for or against RFIDs:

According to my electronics professor, someone that owns a portion of the patent on this idea and helped perfect it (he's soon to be billionaire in all likelihood i might add), the range of an RFID can be extended depeding on the specification (up to 30 meters he claims). Furthermore, the order of the cost for one RFID component for an item is on the order of cents. The cost lies more in the initial implementation.

 

[tirian]

To me this sounds like a cool idea. It's not like they are implanting the chip in your skin.

Then they'd be going all Antichrist/666 on us. :lookaroun

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

The pins didn't do THAT per say, but they did light up with ALL there colors at certain points in a ride or show.

Still do, from what I've told. I should really remember to bring one back to WDW and test it...

The pins did light up individual colors at some points. In Ellen's Energy Adventure, during the big bang, the pins flashed red only.
That was one of the only attractions where it still worked when I had mine in 2005 I think. Have no clue if they still work now.:lol:

Edit: I just remembered another place that they went off was all lights flashed in the fireworks room of El Rio.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The pins did light up individual colors at some points. In Ellen's Energy Adventure, during the big bang, the pins flashed red only.
That was one of the only attractions where it still worked when I had mine in 2005 I think. Have no clue if they still work now.:lol:

Really, now!?:lol: That's pretty cool.

You sure that these are the 100YoM Magical Moments pins or do you have one of the later versions?:wave:

 

[kimmychad]

If you think there was an uproar over the "finger printing" at the turnstyles, just watch for the privacy screamers on this one.

I personally love the idea, they can almost track everything that a resort guest does now with their Key to the World card....people just don't think about it.

I refuse to give out my zip code when I'm being checked out at a store so I'd avoid any kind tracking like this.
And I agree with you that disney can track you when you use your key to the world card when it's used, which is why I only use it to get into my room and for dining credits.

It bothers me when the cm asks how many times I've been to disney when I call, I never understood that one. the wife and I avoid being tracked to the extent that we can help it, and any company that finds it necessary to do so will lose my business.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Maybe I'm too naive about this, but why are so many people worried and paranoid about Disney tracking you?:lookaroun:lol:

If they do track you, it's just for demographics/customer profiling...

 

[yankspy]

Maybe I'm too naive about this, but why are so many people worried and paranoid about Disney tracking you?:lookaroun:lol:

If they do track you, it's just for demographics/customer profiling...

It may be a generational thing in some cases. My Father refuses to do any banking online because he feels like his information will be "out there".

In other cases, people don't like getting a lot of junk mail/e-mail.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

It may be a generational thing in some cases. My Father refuses to do any banking online because he feels like his information will be "out there".

In other cases, people don't like getting a lot of junk mail/e-mail.

I think people have started to believe in 1984...:lookaroun:lol:

 

[TubaGeek]

I refuse to give out my zip code when I'm being checked out at a store so I'd avoid any kind tracking like this.
And I agree with you that disney can track you when you use your key to the world card when it's used, which is why I only use it to get into my room and for dining credits.

It bothers me when the cm asks how many times I've been to disney when I call, I never understood that one. the wife and I avoid being tracked to the extent that we can help it, and any company that finds it necessary to do so will lose my business.

And... who cares?!?
Who gives a rat's behind if they're "tracking" you?
What bad could possible come from knowing your zip code and how many times you've been to Disney? All you're doing is making the person talking with you annoyed at your noncompliance.

BTW, your zip code is 15301 and you've been to Disney 5 times... BWAHAHAHAHA! NOW I WILL HAVE YOUR SOUL!!!

 

[WDWFigment]

And... who cares?!?
Who gives a rat's behind if they're "tracking" you?
What bad could possible come from knowing your zip code and how many times you've been to Disney? All you're doing is making the person talking with you annoyed at your noncompliance.

BTW, your zip code is 15301 and you've been to Disney 5 times... BWAHAHAHAHA! NOW I WILL HAVE YOUR SOUL!!!

I have to say I agree with this. I am a strong advocate of privacy for those who truly value it as an important liberty, but do you really care about the right to be let alone when you disseminate that private information on the internet? It seems as if a lot of people who have qualms with being tracked freely volunteer the information in other settings. Do they really care about Disney tracking them, or are they just being difficult?

 

[WDW1974]

Okay, good, because those three examples you chose are about a decade old now.

I'm not familiar with the WDW Monorail/Pressler thing, but the two Disneyland examples you've got are from the old alt.disney.disneyland days circa 1998 or so. I should know, as I was there on that old alt.disney.disneyland board reading Al under this same exact TP2000 screen-name using a 200Mhz Pentium desktop with a 56K dial-up modem! And TP2000 seemed like such a hip, forward-thinking Y2K name at that time too! :lol:

And if my memory of 1998 serves me correctly, Al didn't say that Pressler was considering turning the Mark Twain into a gift shop. Al claimed Pressler was considering turning the Mark Twain into a floating hot dog stand! Also, as I remember, there was an issue with a blue dress and a Presidential intern around that same time.

Yeah. I was simply pointing out that Al has been way off at times. And sometimes has run with info that should have been vetted better. Anyone here who recalls the recent furor over Phil Holmes' job status should understand you need to be careful what you write (even if that was started by people fairly high up the WDW food chain).

But I could point out other instances where Al has written things more recent that turned out to not be true like a Halloween fireworks show for DL or the River Belle Terrace being knocked down for a new restaurant complex to a PeopleMover replacement coming to a Toy Story themed area where the BBQ is now (although that is now kinda true in a different way) etc ... and guess what? All of the above had some truth in them, but weren't ready and Al ran with them.

Again, I don't wanna bash him. I respect the job he does. But his hits tend to overshadow his misses.

Paul Pressler left Disneyland in 1999, and left the Disney Company entirely in 2002. Al was on the warpath with Pressler in the late 1990's though, as you also seem to remember.

Yeah. And while they were awful at their jobs, he needs to let his issues with them go. They are long gone.

But if this NextGen thing "isn't a huge secret" in WDI, then why was Al the first to mention it? How come we always have to wait for Al to get the really juicy stuff? Just wondering that out loud I guess, don't really need an answer from anyone. But at least Florida got a juicy Al rumor this time, instead of him only focusing on Disneyland rumors.

Al is the biggest name in the online blogger fan community. I can't say why Al chose to run with what he did now. I know I have decided to be more cautious in what I put out and when because I'd rather not have to backtrack when circumstances change.

As to this being a WDW rumor, while it will (possibly) affect WDW first, it has implications in Anaheim and beyond ... so it is very big picture.

 

[WDW1974]

Glad to see you're still here. I was afraid too many people had complained about you for not swallowing the pixie dust.

Nope. Still here ... just been busy with a major work project and preparing for a move.

I have noticed that a couple of trolls have apparently gone back to Maelstrom where they belong, so that's a good thing too!

 

[WDW1974]

I think people have started to believe in 1984...:lookaroun:lol:

It's a reality.

The scary thing about the Internet Era is just how easy it is to get ahold of all kinds of personal information. companies compile all sorts of sensitive information on millions of people and then hackers get into it and it goes godknowswhere.

Every keystroke you hit on a computer, every webpage you access is recorded for posterity ... the doctor's records that used to be written in pen on paper are now available by computer.

And let's not forget all the social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc ... where all sorts of personal info is put out there (more by young people who don't quite get the damage this stuff can do to them). I found out last week about what drugs a certain relative of mine (who I have never met, thankfully) uses because of what he put out on a profile.

Privacy is a thing of the past and I find that very scary.

Much more so than what Disney has done so far.

Think about the big picture and ask yourself if you want the world to know anything and everything about yourself? That's the direction we're headed.

And let's not even talk about the wonderful folks at Homeland Security and what they have been allowed to do under the guise of protecting us ...

1984?

Oh yeah, we're there ...

 

[WDW1974]

I have to say I agree with this. I am a strong advocate of privacy for those who truly value it as an important liberty, but do you really care about the right to be let alone when you disseminate that private information on the internet? It seems as if a lot of people who have qualms with being tracked freely volunteer the information in other settings. Do they really care about Disney tracking them, or are they just being difficult?

Sometimes with Disney it is just a royal pain in the .

When I call to find out a rate quote on a room or make a dining reservation maybe I don't want to spend time going thru a menu of how many times I have been there, when my last visit was, what my phone number and address are etc ...

Disney doesn't need to know I have been there 213 times (a made up number) to book me a table at the California Grill for dinner.

I think with these new advances, the invasiveness is going to be even worse.

 

[TP2000]

I refuse to give out my zip code when I'm being checked out at a store so I'd avoid any kind tracking like this.

If you really feel that strongly about it, why not just throw them off by giving totally false information?

For Zip Codes, you could use one of my old ones I had 30 years ago, 98155. That's Seattle, in a nice community in the northern suburbs on the shores of Lake Washington. And it's about 3,000 miles from where you live, so it will really throw the grocery store tracking software off there in Pennsylvania.

Seattle is a beautiful city in a stunning part of the world. Go for it! 98155 pride! :lol:

 

[kimmychad]

Maybe I'm too naive about this, but why are so many people worried and paranoid about Disney tracking you?:lookaroun:lol:

If they do track you, it's just for demographics/customer profiling...

I guess I just don't see a need for disney to know how many times I've been there or to know where I traveled from, my age or anything else.
it doesn't improve my experience when they can tell me the last time i was there, and i'd prefer not to be profiled at all, thank you. and while disney intentions may be completely harmless, others may not be.

I work 2 jobs, one part time and one full time. my part time job decided they needed to know all about my fulltime job - the name of the company, where it's located, my yearly and hourly salary, etc. it just boils down to it being none of their business.

 

[kimmychad]

If you really feel that strongly about it, why not just throw them off by giving totally false information?

For Zip Codes, you could use one of my old ones I had 30 years ago, 98155. That's Seattle, in a nice community in the northern suburbs on the shores of Lake Washington. And it's about 3,000 miles from where you live, so it will really throw the grocery store tracking software off there in Pennsylvania.

Seattle is a beautiful city in a stunning part of the world. Go for it! 98155 pride! :lol:

lol the last time i went to a clothing store i gave my zip code as 90210. the girl got a laugh, i told her she could use it or none at all.

 

[TP2000]

Al is the biggest name in the online blogger fan community. I can't say why Al chose to run with what he did now. I know I have decided to be more cautious in what I put out and when because I'd rather not have to backtrack when circumstances change.

As to this being a WDW rumor, while it will (possibly) affect WDW first, it has implications in Anaheim and beyond ... so it is very big picture.

I will never understand why WDW doesn't have an Al Lutz type persona to spill the beans and dish the dish regularly like he does. Little old Disneyland has the king of the Disney theme park bloggers, that's for sure.

Certainly there are great personalities here that offer up some juicy info on occasion, like Lee and Martin and such. But Al's widely retrievable website "updates" and his willingness to be interviewed and quoted by major media like the LA Times and Wall Street Journal is something entirely different. Too bad that doesn't exist for WDW, as I'm sure there's plenty more dirt in Orlando than there is in Anaheim.

But at least Al threw out some juicy info none of us had heard about for WDW this time!