Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Californian Elitist]

Am I the only person with a bit of hope for a surprise announcement?

You're not the only one (I myself don't believe there will be any surprises, though).

 

[Funmeister]

In case you weren't aware, I am currently at WDW. I overheard a CM say that Tomorrowland is going to get some TLC next year, with Buzz going down for a bit. Given the CM was working at Buzz, I at least believe that Buzz will get a refurb next year. Not sure how true the rest of this is or if any insiders have heard anything.

Considering the cannon essentially gave me galactic hero the other night, I think it needs it.

Yeah...those 2D plywood cutouts need some new paint!

 

[Magenta Panther]

First, I knew (like I have ESPN or something) that you were gonna be the next post after my totally unnmadeup post quoting Mrs. Lee and what you were going to say! Scary.

But as to the above, don't you believe that Disney has sorta fostered an environment where folks feel so gouged, so nickel and dimed that the human response is to try and get back at the Mouse somehow? Sure, there were scammers 30 years ago who would fake an injury, but the GAC abuse, the soda thievery, the avoiding parking, the shoplifting even ...do you see that as the natural result when a beloved company becomes an Evil Queen?

I don't see or hear of folks trying to pull the stuff at UNI or SW or BGT that always happens at WDW.

Is this chicken and egg? Or is this the result of when people feel they're getting taken and they want a little something back?

Huh. Maybe what you're describing explains all the graffiti and trash-throwing and attempt to steal bits of park attractions that I myself have witnessed at WDW. Sad...

Man, how I wish Roy Disney Jr. were still alive and could start up Save Disney again...

 

[Tom Morrow]

That is the best description of my problem with modern society. The attitude of people today is basically "turn off your brain and just live for yourself. Don't question anything, just stay with the status quo. Everything any corporation or government does is the best decision, No matter what. Intelligence is frowned upon and some of the brightest people on earth are considered uptight or elitist or are considered "problems" and get put into "Special Education" because our lackluster education system does not know how to nurture their intellectual gifts and want them to be "Normal" rather than celebrating their uniqueness. and of course the biggest insult of all to me is when people claim that life is dependent upon your outlook that if you somehow think positively things will automatically go positive and that any negativity in this world is only in your mind and bad things only happen to those who deserve it and there is nothing you can do about it.
We live in an age where stupidity irrational fear vulnerability and manipulation are considered virtues rather than vices

I know it was a couple pages back, but THIS. Thank you! This is something I struggle with. Have a problem with the way something is? Life not going well? Well its all entirely your fault because you aren't thinking positively! And then of course you'll always hear these lines from extremely privileged people who are obviously used to things working in their favor.

Saw this over at Orlando Theme Parks news. New devices installed in the tunnels under the main street train station at MK. New part of Next Gen?

I swear I remember seeing these a few months ago. I could be wrong, though. Is it just me or has the amount of noticeable cameras in the parks increased drastically in the last few years?

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Yeah...those 2D plywood cutouts need some new paint!

I'm guessing between it and TSM you like TSM better? (not factoring wait times in)

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I swear I remember seeing these a few months ago. I could be wrong, though. Is it just me or has the amount of noticeable cameras in the parks increased drastically in the last few years?

I think so, and in all honesty, it makes me feel better, though it also makes me afraid to pick my nose!

 

[Funmeister]

I'm guessing between it and TSM you like TSM better? (not factoring wait times in)

Honetly? MIB is the best "shooter" attraction imho in Central Florida.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Honetly? MIB is the best "shooter" attraction imho in Central Florida.

Never been to Universal, but I am a fan of MIB so it sounds cool!

 

[SirLink]

You're our only hope!

Nope, this Company needs outside help Stacey Snider or bust basically.

 

[GoofGoof]

OK, let's attempt to get serious again.

Disney is not evil. (Bob Iger may well be, but that's another story for another thread at another time.)

Sure, criticize NGE as you like, I sure do, but to say TWDC longs to truly place you and your family in a 'cybercuff' is pretty close to ridiculous. Right?

What isn't so clear though is where the boundaries for this initiative actually lie. Or, if there are any 'boundaries' with regard to data collection and control of your vacation experience once at WDW. That's where it is not only ripe for questioning, it's the responsible thing, the prudent thing to do.

It's simple. The bottom line is information can be dangerous. Information, unchecked by those in the know and unchallenged by the consumer that makes its way into undesired channels, can be misleading, misguided and driven to false interpretation. At WDW, it could also lead not merely to financial but physical vulnerability. Actual, serious, real world danger.

And, no, wishes, trust and Pixie Dust will not protect you.

Remember something, unlike Google or those 'loyalty' programs discussed, NGE has been built to TARGET AND PROFILE specific individuals. Here, every -- individual -- 'guest' in Orlando. Everyone at WDW.

Not just Mom. Or Dad. Or Uncle Lou and Auntie Sue. Everyone. Sorry, no exceptions, no exclusions, no substitutions and no opting out. Not, that is, if you want to actually do anything beyond hand TWDC your hard earned money and get to experience the amazing new (ask @TalkingHead) toilets all over property.

I welcome, in that Spirited way, questions or provocative posts by fellow posters (@flynnibus this certainly includes you and I owe you a note, which hopefully will come this weekend) who may know more about the technical aspects of this program because they work in the field. This forces me to go back and review certain items/documents/aspects applying the lens these posters suggest is needed. They are right.
But understand this as well.

While this is not the front page of the New York Times, I'm kind of beholden to standards higher than what one might typically find on a fan forum. As you all know well, too well, I like to vet material as thoroughly as possible and am hesitant to post without a near-certainty that the information I have is accurate. Especially when it is very important ... whether Pizza Planet or Mama Melrose's is going to become the Star Wars Cantina isn't quite as important (besides, as we all know, Trek beats Wars on so many levels!!!)

As many folks have requested more information on it, my experience with the frontline hardware on the CM side was limited but telling. Also, to be clear, this was provided in plain sight and in the front of the house. Obviously, I have no intention of telling you where, when or whom allowed me to play, just that a Spirited pal in the management ranks. But play I did ... what follows is as close to a blow by blow (no fanboi/Imagineer jokes here, please ... but you can think them) description of how some of the tech is set up to work ... it is 100% accurate unless George Kalogridis a lot smarter than I take him to be (and I do know the man) and he punked me knowing that I'd run to my MAGICal family and tell tales. So ...

The Apple-based technology used by the servers in restaurants is awkward and unnecessarily 'clunky'...The front desk/retail outlet terminals combined with the iPads are also needlessly cumbersome in practice. What should make things easier (that is the purpose, right?) seems to do the opposite. Guess they need to spend $4 billion.

It sure appears that the designers wanted the objects to be both functional and symbolic. We've seen that with the gateless system already in use at the parks.

As for time savings and ease of use, that is absolutely false. In fact, for most transactions, using the NGE technology adds several extra (needless?) steps. Should those steps be eliminated, you're still required to have another form of identification and payment "for verification." (This walletless BS is just that. As of now, according to the agreement you accept, Disney requires the aforementioned upon demand.)

Here's an example of paying for a table service meal with your MAGIC band:

1) server 'wakes' the device from its power-save mode;

2) server unlocks the device;

3) server alerts the device to either begin a new check or retrieve an existing one;

4) server then retrieves your check through a manual input;

5) server verifies check with customer;

6) server 'mates' the device with payment form -- your band;

7) server has you enter your PIN;

8) server manually walks the device to a register/terminal where a "unique" barcode is scanned from the handheld to that register or terminal;

9) server waits for the two devices to sync and deliver a printed receipt;

10) server brings the receipt to you for you to adjust/review...add the gratuity...and...finally, you sign and walk away -- transaction completed all in ten easy steps that ensures the next E-Ticket at the MK will come after UNI's third gate debuts.

Now, if that's efficiency at work to you, great. For me, a simple swipe of a KTTW or credit card always worked or a few green bills took care of it. Not anymore. Not with NextGen.

Without detailing the guts of the devices, as that's proprietary as Disney modified these existing Apple tech products, you -- the CM with the handheld device -- have access to that guest's itinerary. Important distinction here though, when running a typical charge you would likely only see the MAGIC band holder's identifiers. You're even prompted to refer to the guest by his or her first name (again, before, I suppose, it was just too hard to read that information from a card...)

BUT, the devices -- the iPad and iPhone based ones -- have 'menued' or tiered options allowing the CM to select any information within the NGE portfolio Disney has generated on you. Yes, by design, this includes where you are from, who you are traveling with, even where the system has detected you as having visited and where your next stop is supposed to be. All of this is supposed to make your experience all the more personal.

Right now, and on the devices I was privy to, you could find information that went well beyond the individual and the 'need-to-know' level at the location. You can find out not just the details of Guest XYZ's present trip, but the system appears to have integrated 'knowledge' of your 'relationship' with TWDC. There are fields for information to further enhance identification and further profile you.

This is not, to my experience, nearly a fully operational system though. For example, the options or fields/screens for additional information were not (are not?) active yet. At least, on the hardware presented to me, they weren't. As well, this kind of access, now available to any CM with a device and the ability to maximize its present usability, must be restricted when this is formally introduced to the consumer -- to the guest.

(Even then, there's some basis for concern given the product and the sheer number of people who will have open access.)

I have some more information on 'the guts' that cannot be published. Yet, anyhow. (More because there is no way of knowing IF this WILL EVER be functioning or functional than any other reason.)

As to the many comments, again, whether you agree/disagree/like/dislike, I welcome the commentary. It provokes thought, it promotes needed conversation on the topics involved.

That said, it is important to note that there's a troubling undercurrent -- a thread that runs through this entire project -- at play here. It's almost as though "tracking" is simply not sufficient to explain properly the aim/goal/mandate of NGE.

More, it is stalking. No, not in the some-guy-in-the-shadows way. But stalking just the same.
In that unlike tracking, NGE is less about seeking out what you want to do and more about predicting and 'suggesting' -- if not outright forcing you into or dictating -- certain experiences and/or behavior.

To me, that's a worrisome threshold to cross. One of many with this project.

And, after reading, in particular the comments of @danlb_2000 and @flynnibus, I reviewed everything I'd already poured over. It has me wondering why everything is so bathed in manufacturer-like, profoundly depersonalized terminology. I first thought I was just technically challenged by an over-reliance on acronyms. Then, I checked this stuff another time.

Many of the acronyms are from the world of huge contractors and governmental agencies.

Not entertainment companies.

But, more importantly, there's a complete void of discussion on cost, impact, yield, return...There's just nothing discussing the financial realities of developing a program -- any kind of program. Instead, it's all about "engagement" ... "deploying" ... "employing" ...and maximizing "scale" ... "site"... the "unique environment" ... the "venue" ...

I'm almost inclined to wonder if TWDC is a client here. That Disney is working on this for another company or companies as well as itself (?). There was a major shift with NGE that took hold in the summer of 2010. That's when Disney moved sharply from relying on contractors to hiring away those contractors under dubious titles with scary-strong IT backgrounds. Disney also brought aboard a cadre of new 'experts' on data collection, warehousing and systems integration from the non-corporate world.

Then again, we have a company that has removed the gates from the entrances to its four main parks. You really can't do that. You just can't.

Well, you can't do that unless your plans for NGE and its techno-reach goes far deeper than we have begun to discuss.

Having said that, I still think the idea of presenting Mickey as an overlord with cybercuffs on his minions -- oops, I mean Pixie Dusters -- is off. Maybe not ridiculous to consider, but still awfully close. NOT close enough to ignore though.

Thanks for the update. Did your contact give you any idea why they would make your entire profile available to every cast member with a handheld device? What's the company line for doing this? This seems like a terrible idea to me. I get they are trying to make it more personal but my name and maybe where I'm from would be good enough for a waiter to have a personal conversation if that's the goal. Some low level employee or kid in the college program should not have access to all of my reservations, plans and my hotel information. They are just opening the door for major, major problems. Anyone with even half a brain can see that.

I'm not that upset with Disney building a profile on me and trying to extract more cash from me, but I don't want literally thousands of people walking around with iPads listing every detail of my trip. That's very troubling and really just plain creepy.

 

[PhotoDave219]

It is. Except the giant spinning part at the very end that makes you wanna puke.

Its significantly more difficult than Buzz but not as hard to get a high score as TSMM.

Edit: I really dislike the autosave feature, especially when its something you chose not to click "send" on....

 

[WDWDad13]

Thanks for the update. Did your contact give you any idea why they would make your entire profile available to every cast member with a handheld device? What's the company line for doing this? This seems like a terrible idea to me. I get they are trying to make it more personal but my name and maybe where I'm from would be good enough for a waiter to have a personal conversation if that's the goal. Some low level employee or kid in the college program should not have access to all of my reservations, plans and my hotel information. They are just opening the door for major, major problems. Anyone with even half a brain can see that.

I'm not that upset with Disney building a profile on me and trying to extract more cash from me, but I don't want literally thousands of people walking around with iPads listing every detail of my trip. That's very troubling and really just plain creepy.

honestly...why is that a big deal? They have your history at the parks while you're at the parks? I just don't see what is so troubling. It's not like there is any criminal past or all your web browser searches since you were a teen showing up you don't want someone at the emporium seeing. lol

when we make an "account" online....it tracks EVERYTHING we do (a lot more than we realize)... just like this site. If Disney didn't collect history now some of us wouldn't be mailed discounts

 

[SirLink]

The Apple-based technology used by the servers in restaurants is awkward and unnecessarily 'clunky'...The front desk/retail outlet terminals combined with the iPads are also needlessly cumbersome in practice. What should make things easier (that is the purpose, right?) seems to do the opposite. Guess they need to spend $4 billion.

It sure appears that the designers wanted the objects to be both functional and symbolic. We've seen that with the gateless system already in use at the parks.

As for time savings and ease of use, that is absolutely false. In fact, for most transactions, using the NGE technology adds several extra (needless?) steps. Should those steps be eliminated, you're still required to have another form of identification and payment "for verification." (This walletless BS is just that. As of now, according to the agreement you accept, Disney requires the aforementioned upon demand.)

Here's an example of paying for a table service meal with your MAGIC band:

1) server 'wakes' the device from its power-save mode;

2) server unlocks the device;

3) server alerts the device to either begin a new check or retrieve an existing one;

4) server then retrieves your check through a manual input;

5) server verifies check with customer;

6) server 'mates' the device with payment form -- your band;

7) server has you enter your PIN;

8) server manually walks the device to a register/terminal where a "unique" barcode is scanned from the handheld to that register or terminal;

9) server waits for the two devices to sync and deliver a printed receipt;

10) server brings the receipt to you for you to adjust/review...add the gratuity...and...finally, you sign and walk away -- transaction completed all in ten easy steps that ensures the next E-Ticket at the MK will come after UNI's third gate debuts.

Wait so what your saying is Disney has been scammed into paying more instead of using Visas "Contactless" API.

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

[wdisney9000]

and of course as far as the modern view of history You would think Terrorism did not exist prior to 9/11 and we declared war on it. All the Tim McVeigh's, Charles Manson's and Unabomber's who were out there before 9/11 were supposedly not actual terrorists by the modern Post-9/11 definition of "terrorist" that we are supposedly now in an everlasting war with. It's just crazy. You can't declare war on something that is not an actual concrete thing. Not that I am saying trying to prevent terrorism is bad, Its just are we willing to sacrifice sanity out of fear.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste" - Winston Churchill (or more recently, Rohm Emanuel) First, they create a scary problem. Second, when the people are shaking in their boots they offer the solution, but... it comes at a price. NGE is basically of the same design. Its an answer to a problem that never really existed. Disney created the imaginary problem of needing to "fix" the system. Who the hell was complaining that they wanted to reserve FP's six months out, or that its too confusing, or the KTTW card needed to be improved to a wrist band? Now they offer the solution of NGE. Its a farce to obtain what THEY (TWDC) truly want and they sell it to us in a pretty little package. So while we get all excited like Jo-Jo the idiot circus boy staring at our wristband, they are gathering all the info they need from us to do only God knows what with. Just ask yourself this,.. If so many people had been confused or complaining about the system and/or it needed to be fixed to enhance OUR experience, why just in Orlando? Do guests visiting the other Disney Parks not complain or get confused by regular FP? Do they not deserve the same "enhanced" experience Orlando will have? And dont give me that crap that they are testing it in O-town first or that Disney doesnt control some of the other parks.

 

[JenniferS]

Edit: I really dislike the autosave feature, especially when its something you chose not to click "send" on....

Ditto!

 

[Clever Name]

Then again, we have a company that has removed the gates from the entrances to its four main parks. You really can't do that. You just can't.

Well, you can't do that unless your plans for NGE and its techno-reach goes far deeper than we have begun to discuss.

We've discussed this in abundant detail. The "electronic gates" are far superior.

 

[BryceM]

Honetly? MIB is the best "shooter" attraction imho in Central Florida.

Or in the world. It is extremely well done.

 

[Clever Name]

This is pretty typical of IT related marketing literature which is meant to be read by executives. I have read many marketing brochures from IT products that have contained tons of abbreviations and buzz word but when I get to the end I ask myself "What does this product actually do?".

 

[MattM]

Only here can you openly talk about never paying a company for hotel rooms, sodas, EMH, etc and complain when the company takes other measures to raise revenues.

 

[Funmeister]

Only here can you openly talk about never paying a company for hotel rooms, sodas, EMH, etc and complain when the company takes other measures to raise revenues.

You must be bored. You should start your own thread.