Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

[Monty]

I'm taking a screenshot of this...

Maybe Spirit could add it to his Sig??? LOL!

Hey, I can play nice betimes...

 

[Pentacat]

It's context.. you see it for what it is because you know him and his style.

Imagine someone else quoting that post to another website.. or repeating it verbally.. or the like. Without the context, it means much more. And that ambiguity is not by chance... it's an intentional style. A tool used to juice up writing.

It's tabloid tactics. Sensationalism. Lutz uses similar flair to juice up his writing. It's why Kevin's articles read so much more flat.. while Lutz uses tricks to try to make you double take by introducing concepts midstream as if they should have already been common knowledge.. etc. It's all writing style and not by chance.

I'm sorry but I would constitute this forum as mostly entertainment driven and not some kind of technical exercise. Of course you've called me out for this same thing in the past so I freely admit that I'm guilty of the same flamboyant tendencies in my posts .

If people are reading this forum with some kind of journalistic expectation (the word "Rumor" is in the title after all) then I would say that's the fault of the reader and not the author. The context or expectation should be established based purely on the forum title. Of course there are people that don't recognize context, you can't teach someone critical thinking after all.

As far as Lutz is concerned, he knows his audience and how to cater to them which as worked out nicely for him over the years. You may not like it, or think it to be disingenuous, but his content is popular and compelling and a good deal of that has to do with his writing style.

 

[flynnibus]

As far as Lutz is concerned, he knows his audience and how to cater to them which as worked out nicely for him over the years. You may not like it, or think it to be disingenuous, but his content is popular and compelling and a good deal of that has to do with his writing style.

The same can be said of geraldo... Springer.. Limbaugh... National inquierer...

Or to put it in a popular context here.. Walmart's popularity doesn't quantify it as quality

 

[djkidkaz]

Haven't they already done that with the Princess fixation or is that the half you are referring too? Wouldn't this bring it to an admirable 100% of the customer base. If my high school biology lessons have been retained at all our species has two basic genders, male (boy) and female (girl). This would kind of balance things out wouldn't it? I'm sorry, but, based on your comment, I couldn't really tell which side of the fence you fall on with this topic.

Thanks that's what I was gonna say.

 

[wannab@dis]

He made up the the part about actually doing it.
He did not make up the fact that he could have done it.

People are indeed being given access into strangers' accounts.
How long before someone sees the incorrect information on their screen, says "Hey, that isn't what I planned for my trip!" and decides to "correct" it by changing dates, reservations, etc?

Seems like it's bound to happen sooner or later, if it hasn't already...

I never implied he actually did it... but he loves to make up and exaggerate to sell his point. I haven't seen details of what supposedly happened, but from what I can tell of the app, there's no way to make changes that would charge someone else. Booking other rooms (at a higher price), having something delivered... all exaggerations. You know it, but you'll still defend. Too many of the minions will take whatever he says as truth and then spread it around. That's what he wants. He knows it and you know it.

 

[wm49rs]

I never implied he actually did it... but he loves to make up and exaggerate to sell his point. I haven't seen details of what supposedly happened, but from what I can tell of the app, there's no way to make changes that would charge someone else. Booking other rooms (at a higher price), having something delivered... all exaggerations. You know it, but you'll still defend. Too many of the minions will take whatever he says as truth and then spread it around. That's what he wants. He knows it and you know it.

If someone were to log in and see someone else's information, unfortunately the possibility would exist. And that is precisely what is being reported as happening on more than one (random) occasion.

 

[rudyjr13]

I'm a tech guy so some of this project I love. Wi-Fi was great in November. RFID to get into the hotel was great. I like the app on my iPhone. The new tap to enter and pay sound great.

My biggest beef as it relates to the parks (privacy conerns aside) is that some of this money could have gone to better use. Plus the idea behind scheduling Fast Pass ahead of time is VERY conerning to me being a father of a 2 and 3 year old. I can't plan trips to Dumbo out 60 days in advance...doesn't work. We took advantage of the current fast pass system in November to have some great rides on Dumbo in order to bypass the playground. I used to be a fan of that playground until the 3 year old straight up lost it when it was time to ride the ride.

No one can honestly say some of this money could not have been used more wisely on rides, transportation, and shows. If we were also getting major funding to those aspects of WDW, I think many of us would not be complaining. We sit here still as the calendar turns to March without any official indication as to what is happening at DTD and DHS.

I canceled my trip plans for April with the family but will now be at the Loews Universal in May for a work conference. I'll stop over at WDW at night because I have an AP. I don't know that I'd do that otherwise...

 

[Lee]

I never implied he actually did it... but he loves to make up and exaggerate to sell his point. I haven't seen details of what supposedly happened, but from what I can tell of the app, there's no way to make changes that would charge someone else. Booking other rooms (at a higher price), having something delivered... all exaggerations. You know it, but you'll still defend.

Sir, I know nothing of the sort...
In fact, I have been told by someone who has experienced the...umm...glitch...that they were in fact able to make changes to the other persons account, had they been so inclined.

I'd appreciate you not being quite so....accusatory.

 

[John]

OK, I wasnt sure if I wanted to put this out there but I think its relevent to what has been discussed here. Some of you know I am a TA and ofcourse specialize in Disney. I just got a call from a friend of one of my clients who ask me to look into her reservations. She apparently just recieved an email that Disney was cancelling her reservation. SHe isnt within the 45 window yet and has no clue as to why this has happened. I am not assumeing that it has anything with NG but it sure does sound fishey. I have never had this happen.

 

[Lee]

OK, I wasnt sure if I wanted to put this out there but I think its relevent to what has been discussed here. Some of you know I am a TA and ofcourse specialize in Disney. I just got a call from a friend of one of my clients who ask me to look into her reservations. She apparently just recieved an email that Disney was cancelling her reservation. SHe isnt within the 45 window yet and has no clue as to why this has happened. I am not assumeing that it has anything with NG but it sure does sound fishey. I have never had this happen.

Interesting. Let us know how it goes...

 

[wannab@dis]

Sir, I know nothing of the sort...
In fact, I have been told by someone who has experienced the...umm...glitch...that they were in fact able to make changes to the other persons account, had they been so inclined.

I'd appreciate you not being quite so....accusatory.

Funny, nothing shows up in any searches of this supposed glitch... well, other than you and '74 talking about it. Why not link to a credible source? There are many tech sites out there that would publish credible sources in a heartbeat - showing a large corporation having privacy issues is a big deal. But, nothing.

 

[Lee]

Funny, nothing shows up in any searches of this supposed glitch... well, other than you and '74 talking about it. Why not link to a credible source? There are many tech sites out there that would publish credible sources in a heartbeat - showing a large corporation having privacy issues is a big deal. But, nothing.

Outside of the fan community, I'm unaware of the issue being discussed at all. Perhaps the "outside world" should be made aware...

What we need around here is an intrepid investigative reporter from the Sentinal...but those are hard to find.

 

[John]

Funny, nothing shows up in any searches of this supposed glitch... well, other than you and '74 talking about it. Why not link to a credible source? There are many tech sites out there that would publish credible sources in a heartbeat - showing a large corporation having privacy issues is a big deal. But, nothing.

I am possibly dealing with it....right now. Waiting on the person to call me back as to why her reservation was mysteriously cancelled. The system wouldnt just cancel a reservation for no reason. She isnt in the 45 day window so it makes no sense. I am waiting for a return phone call after she speaks with DIsney.

 

[wannab@dis]

Outside of the fan community, I'm unaware of the issue being discussed at all. Perhaps the "outside world" should be made aware...

What we need around here is an intrepid investigative reporter from the Sentinal...

How about some links to those other discussions? Again, I can't find anything.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Jay Rasulo can lose his job over this? I will be watching this intently.

Isn't it understood that Iger, Rasulo, and Staggs aren't likely to be around in a few years regardless? I would think the only thing that MyMagic+ will effect regarding their employment is the size of their severance package.

 

[Lee]

How about some links to those other discussions? Again, I can't find anything.

There was supposedly one on the DIS, and a couple reports here.
Anybody feel like finding a link? I don't.

 

[RSoxNo1]

You know how you can go to Home Depot and buy a stock lock set that includes a key? And you can buy a few with the same number on the box so that the same key can work with multiple locks? Somebody else could take their house key and let themselves into your house because you both bought that same stock lock and key set. It's possible there is a similar situation. There is possibly an overlap in the keys being distributed and the system is going to the first door that opens.

That's an interesting comparison. However, the difference here is that Home Depot doesn't list the other people's addresses on your receipt.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I was going to stay out of this debate other than to point out the irony since it's impossible to know what happened and to what extent it's an issue. First, I haven't seen specifics on the issue, so anything said is speculation. But, that doesn't seem to stop those that WANT to see this system fail. Why? I'm not sure.

If it's true that profiles belonging to other users are being seen, then it's possible there's an issue in the authentication services. Standard practice is to transmit true authentication information as little as possible. This would include the email address / password combo to sign into the system. Once sent, the normal practice is to use authentication ticket / tokens for future requests within the same session.

This problem may be due to an issue at the token level... with a token not being globally unique within the system. Disney uses a single sign on authentication method for a single account login to access multiple systems. Basically each user interface system takes the authentication data, transmits it for authentication, retrieves a token, and then uses that token to retrieve data from the backend systems. Normally, the token system is a singular module within the n-tier application that receives requests from multiple UI locations -- website, kiosks, mobile site, apps, etc. However, it's possible they created multiple modules for authentication for different UI systems. If so, the token may not be truly unique across all systems. So, a mobile app user gets a token of 123456789 that is connected to user ABC and a website user gets a token of 123456789 for a different user. Basically, the token is unique within the specific UI system, but not within the token cross reference for the backend system. This could explain the profile issue being reported.

As Flynn has already noted, an issue such as this could be introduced from multiple teams writing different parts of the system without access to singular modules usable for multiple teams. If this happened, it was probably due to trying to get the systems created by multiple teams to reduce application development timelines. Again, each team tested their systems without problems, but the unit tests were not built for combined system usage. I'm not downplaying the issue, just speculating on a possible cause. If this speculation is close to accurate, the good news is it's easily (design, not necessarily implementation) fixed by implementing a singular authentication token system shared by the different UI systems.

Finally, for full disclosure, I do not work for anyone remotely connected to NextGen...

While I appreciate the explanation, I'd appreciate it even more if Disney plantered their site until they weren't giving out personal information erroneously.

I also object to your saying because you haven't seen it personally it's all speculation. I dont' think it was your intent for it to read that way, but it comes off as very defensive and insulting to the multiple people that have reported this problem independent of one another.

 

[Longhairbear]

Funny, nothing shows up in any searches of this supposed glitch... well, other than you and '74 talking about it. Why not link to a credible source? There are many tech sites out there that would publish credible sources in a heartbeat - showing a large corporation having privacy issues is a big deal. But, nothing.

I also read the original posts on another site. It wasn't just one guest, but quite a few that were getting someone else's account, and not their own.

 

[RSoxNo1]

As somebody who also really dislikes the preplanning aspects I am not sure how much of the expense could have been avoided. I think a lot of the infrastructure upgrades (like so many around property) were going to have to occur at some point lest Disney not be able to keep up with changing expectations of the hospitality industry or be stuck maintaining a dying system. Others have already been offering these types of services to great fanfare. I really do think touch-to-enter hotel rooms and touch-to-pay systems are going to be wide-spread expectations. It's also not much new over the existing system where one card can be used as your hotel key, admission media and payment medium.

Where I think Disney is foolish is in their belief that they can leapfrog everybody else who has been moving forward in these directions and so improve upon the concept that it in of itself becomes a large draw to vacationing at Walt Disney World. It's Pleasure Island all over again. They've abandoned what was their (attractions, service, physical experience) in the hopes that what is to come will be something better.

See here's the problem with booking in advance. It totally eliminates the convenience of being able to do it from your phone. I would much rather have a system where you can access things electroncially via a smart phone if it means making reservations up to 180 days in advance is no longer required.

The advantage of the smartphone integration is being in line for one thing and getting a Fastpass for another. This makes the enforcement of the return window less of an issue as well. Add in the aspect of ordering food from your phone at QS restaurants and these are all good things. But that convenience goes out the window if you're at a disadvantage doing things day of.

I'm curious to see if Disney has seen increased day of reservations using the My Disney Experience App and if that will result in them shortening the reservation window from 180 days down to 60 (or even smaller).