The Daily Valet. - 7/6/23, Thursday
✔️ Are These Really Safe?
Thursday, July 6th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Do it for the Thread!
Today’s Big Story
Are Roller Coasters Safe?
A handful of startling events have shined a new light on amusement park safety
Are you a fan of thrill rides? Personally, I like them for the same reason I like horror movies—it's invigorating and scary without any real threat of danger. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Because a slew of recent incidents have raised serious concerns about an amusement park staple: roller coasters.The first occurred at a park in North Carolina, where a roller coaster was shut down after a crack in one of the support pillars was discovered by someone at the park ... who was waiting in line for the coaster. Another incident was in Sweden, where one person was killed and nine others injured following a partial roller coaster derailment that sent riders plummeting to the ground. And over the holiday weekend, a Wisconsin roller coaster malfunctioned in midair—trapping eight passengers upside down for several horrifying hours.While roller coasters are ubiquitous at amusement parks across the world, these events have called into question just how safe they really are. Did you know that in the United States, there is no federal regulation around roller coaster safety, and state-specific regulations only began in 1981?Despite this, industry insiders maintain that roller coasters are very safe, and “safety is at the forefront of everything we do,” Jakob Wahl, president and CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, told USA Today. Of course, it might depend on where you ride, since “no two states have the same regulation,” amusement park consultant and inspector Ken Martin told NBC News. He feels that while roller coasters are mostly safe, uniform regulations could decrease the number of onboard accidents.But when you look into the numbers, the rides do seem safer than, say driving or boating. There were an estimated 130 serious ride-related injuries at North American theme parks in 2021, according to the National Safety Council's latest ride safety report. For perspective, 658 people died in boating-related accidents that same year, and another 42,915 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents—and neither of those tallies include nonfatal injuries. Put another way: The IAAPA estimates the odds of being seriously injured on a fixed-site amusement park ride as 1 in 15.5 million rides taken. Those are pretty good odds.
FYI:
According to the Carowinds park in North Carolina, technicians inspect each ride daily before the park opens, but didn't catch the crack in the support pillar.
Vegas Is Now Home to a Massive LED Sphere
To say the futuristic entertainment venue is a game-changer would be an understatement
Go big or go home is kinda the unofficial motto of Las Vegas, right? So it makes sense that this bonkers building—a game-changing entertainment venue—is now calling sin city home. The MSG Sphere won't open to the public for almost three more months, when U2 christens it with a series of concerts. But anticipation is growing after it lit up on the Fourth of July and video spread online Wednesday.At 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, it's being billed as the world's largest spherical structure. Its bowl-shaped theater reportedly contains the world's highest-resolution wraparound LED screen. And its exterior is fitted with 1.2 million hockey puck-sized LEDs that can be programmed to flash dynamic imagery on a massive scale—again, reportedly the world's largest. It certainly looks like nothing we've ever seen before.And apparently, inside, it will feel completely different, too. The theater boasts a towering 16K LED screen enveloping the audience and over 160,000 speakers ensuring pristine sound quality for every seat. Additionally, haptic seats and 4D machines will further enhance the sensory experience by vibrating and inducing various environmental effects. But some people are already joking online that the enormous, swirling visuals of the $2.3 billion structure will cause traffic accidents.
See It In Action:
This video from the creative technical director of the project shows just how unreal it looks in real life. But that's the whole point.
With the wheels of the superhero train finally showing signs of slowing down, and the list of potential reboot candidates getting smaller each year, Tinseltown needs a new ready-made supply of instantly identifiable IP.”
- InsideHook on why 2023 is the year of the middleman
Revenge of the Bots
People Hire Phone Bots to Torture Telemarketers
You probably don't answer them, but maybe your parents do. Perhaps the unwanted scam calls clog up your voicemail. They're annoying but can be downright dangerous. Complaints about unwanted telephone calls are “far-and-away the largest category of consumer complaints to the FCC,” with the average American receiving 14 unwanted calls a month, according to the Federal Communications Commission.This is why some savvy people are now employing chatbots and AI to frustrate and waste the time of those irritating telemarketers and scammers. The Wall Street Journal reports that automated dialers at call centers can easily crank out 100 calls a second, constantly searching for people willing to stay on the line. And one California consultant and tinkerer, Roger Anderson, now sells a call-deflection system, called Jolly Roger, that does just that.Futurism says it's finally a good use of AI. The Jolly Roger tool offers a convincing-sounding voice powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 that can waste time and frustrate telemarketers and scammers by roping them into a painfully drawn-out and ultimately pointless conversation—sometimes for up to 30 minutes.
FYI:
Despite the FCC's best efforts, such as requiring caller ID authentication and creating a national database of blocked numbers, millions of unwanted calls slip through the cracks.
Is Threads a ‘Twitter Killer’?
Here’s what to know about Instagram’s new app for public conversations
After months of secretive work, Zuckerberg's much-hyped new Twitter-killer app, Threads, officially went live Wednesday night. And it looks a lot like Twitter. Which is exactly the point. Many social media users are ready—desperate even—for a solid Twitter replacement, as the app has been going through a particularly rough phase in what many see as its gradual product degeneration under Elon Musk's leadership.Built on the Instagram network, you're able to reuse your Instagram username, and with a few taps, you can bring your network of friends and followers with you. The whole set-up process took me less than a minute. Of course, many tech companies have tried capitalizing on Twitter's turmoil. But Threads has a leg up, says the New York Times, since it's backed by Meta's deep pockets and Instagram's enormous user base of more than two billion monthly active users.The app opens up to a scrollable feed of short-form text limited to 500 characters a post, with the ability to add individual or carousel photos and videos. (The scrollable carousel is quite nice.) Posts will include content from accounts users follow, as well as from creators suggested by the platform's recommendation algorithm. You can engage by liking, commenting, reposting—including quoting a post—or even sharing it to your Instagram story or feed.
Dig Deeper:
Mashable says Twitter is not a free app anymore. Yes, the free version exists, but they say it's getting less usable by the day.
In Other News
The 48-hour military operation was one of the largest in years.
Have you heard about ...
A Beach Body Quick Fix
Personal trainers give us some tips on how to instantly look more fit
It’s not an uncommon problem. You're about to head to the beach or the pool and you're feeling a bit self-conscious. But we're all ready to get outside, feel the sun on our skin and enjoy ourselves, right? Thankfully, there are exercises you can do to give your vanity muscles a pump to look their best. Just ask Ashley Borden and Gregg Miele, two personal trainers who know a thing or two about getting in shape and doing it on a deadline.They've worked with everyone from Ryan Reynolds to Nick Jonas, and while they'll be the first to tell you that there's no substitution for a quality fitness routine, there are moves you can do to focus attention on the right places. “I call them the action-hero muscles,” says Borden. “The muscles that everyone lusts after.” Here's what the trainers suggest.
Get Started:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A performance cap
Norda's tech-performance cap is lightweight and includes reflective printing to boost visibility in the dark, while the Coolmax wicking band helps alleviate sweat from dripping down onto your face.
Get It:
Shield cap, $85 / $68 by Norda
Morning Motto
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