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pluk

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  1. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Coaster in Rant   
    You didn't just make that point though, did you? By the way you worded it and where you posted it you attacked the team of the forum. This is a hugely inflammatory and frankly unfair way to approach the subject. I can't believe you are stupid enough not to know exactly what you were doing. 
     
    There are lots of relevant conversations to be had about diversity in this forum, in the wider community, possibly in the industry itself. I have no idea what the demographics of each are. That conversation is absolutely encouraged but barbed comment in a thread called rant is not a sensible way to go about that.
     
    As has been mentioned, the team can only be recruited from the user base and the user base is what it is, it is not targeted to anyone in particular with the sex and race of users not known. 
     
    Your is likely to be detrimental to the cause you purport to support. If the only way the diversity of the forum, and by extension the team, can widen is by organic member sign up do you think insinuating there is a racism and sexism issue here is going to help that? Would someone coming to the forum and seeing your comments think this would be the place for them? 
  2. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Coaster in Rant   
    Makes post heavily implying that there is some casual sexism and racism at play in the running of this site. Blames the responder for pulling the race card. Genius.
     
    I can't speak for the admin, but this is a small site which is basically used by those who find it, and in turn modded by those who are here. There's no marketing, there's no targeted effort to attract anyone in particular, it's just here. The mods can only be selected from those who are here and who apply, it's not like it's paid or advertised elsewhere.
     
    What just might put new people off getting involved is obnoxious hateful posts, like some the ones you make. Even if the recipient of 'banter' (or whatever you would call it) is in on it, how does it look to outsiders? Not welcoming
     
    The content is theme parks and basically devoid of race in any meaningful way; as it's largely anonymous I don't see how we could ever know the demographic that is here and you don't know who you are engaging with. I suspect that might be why @StevenVig hadn't really thought about race in that way in the community as he said? I might not be as alert to it myself, would be interested to know if there has ever been anything here that you have found offensive or discriminatory if you are happy to talk about it? 
     
  3. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Coaster in Rant   
    Does it deeply sadden you, or would you just like some attention? You are historically one of the most insulting people in here and you've been warned about it before. The last time you were warned it was for being insulting to one of the very few people here who I know not to be white. Probably not very welcoming to actual or potential members from a more diverse background, is it? Maybe putting more thought into your actual actions would be better than these shallow words?
     
    The last time there was any significant change of the team it was promoted on the forums, applications were submitted blindly, and the existing team chose a couple of people blindly based on their application. I wouldn't know, and I'm sure the team wouldn't know, the ethnicity or sex of the applicants. I have no idea about the sex or ethnicity of the vast majority of users here, the nature of forums mean they are to a large extent pretty anonymous, especially if you want them to be. 
  4. Haha
    pluk reacted to Benin in Unpopular Opinions   
    I miss the days of the bad Thorpe Park ride names.
     
    Boretex, Zodicrap, Thrush, Colossus, Sore, etc.
  5. Like
    pluk reacted to Mark9 in Unpopular Opinions   
    New 2020 perspectives. Now including bloggers and vloggers.
     
    - People who think preferring Nemesis Inferno to Nemesis is some kind of hot take and controversial. It's really not.
    - There's a certain level of humour out there that think calling a ride 'Nemesis Inferior' or 'Poo Fire' are the peak of humour. The only rollercoaster name adaptation that is acceptable is 'Intrimidator'
    - LONG videos. I'm sorry, most people don't even spend 30 minutes in the Alton Towers Gardens so how in the hell can I be expected to watch a 42 minute video on the subject, NO.
    - RMC THIS, RMC THAT. My god, can we just have an old style wooden rollercoaster that people just leave alone. RMC are a fantastic ride manufacture but there is room for both types of ride.
     
  6. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Exodus Matt in Rant   
    Makes post heavily implying that there is some casual sexism and racism at play in the running of this site. Blames the responder for pulling the race card. Genius.
     
    I can't speak for the admin, but this is a small site which is basically used by those who find it, and in turn modded by those who are here. There's no marketing, there's no targeted effort to attract anyone in particular, it's just here. The mods can only be selected from those who are here and who apply, it's not like it's paid or advertised elsewhere.
     
    What just might put new people off getting involved is obnoxious hateful posts, like some the ones you make. Even if the recipient of 'banter' (or whatever you would call it) is in on it, how does it look to outsiders? Not welcoming
     
    The content is theme parks and basically devoid of race in any meaningful way; as it's largely anonymous I don't see how we could ever know the demographic that is here and you don't know who you are engaging with. I suspect that might be why @StevenVig hadn't really thought about race in that way in the community as he said? I might not be as alert to it myself, would be interested to know if there has ever been anything here that you have found offensive or discriminatory if you are happy to talk about it? 
     
  7. Like
    pluk reacted to Benin in Rant   
    Coaster groups are very white male dominated. Especially the forums. Only about 1 or 2 forums actually have a half decent female presence, but that is down to a fair amount of work on the members part to become an established part of the community and then part of the site's team. A lot of the time the females at meets have been dragged into it by boyfriends or family members. Very rare to see girlfriends dragging their other halves along (does happen though).
     
    BAME is even lower in numbers. I might not even need additional hands to count how many I've seen or met on meets over the 17 (Jesus I've been in this game a while). 
     
    At the end though you cannot flat out force people to join a forum on what is an incredibly niche interest. People like theme parks as a general visit thing but do they LIKE them? 
     
    It's an incredibly difficult situation for many industries. Engineering has a very similar issue in terms of a lack of numbers in diversity as it was always seen as a bloke's thing to do (current company has 1 female in the engineering side, the rest are admin or finance). And with a lot of management at the companies being an old boy's club made it hard for any women involved to advance unless you had the right people in charge (this isn't a point at the running of this forum). But you've got to build the interest in it first before demanding that there be diversity, as you are then potentially promoting people to senior roles who aren't always best suited for them as a tick boxing exercise.
     
    If there's one thing I have noticed about the coaster community; it's the very prominent number of LGBTQ+ members. Which is a fantastic positive to consider.
  8. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Martin Doyle in Rant   
    Makes post heavily implying that there is some casual sexism and racism at play in the running of this site. Blames the responder for pulling the race card. Genius.
     
    I can't speak for the admin, but this is a small site which is basically used by those who find it, and in turn modded by those who are here. There's no marketing, there's no targeted effort to attract anyone in particular, it's just here. The mods can only be selected from those who are here and who apply, it's not like it's paid or advertised elsewhere.
     
    What just might put new people off getting involved is obnoxious hateful posts, like some the ones you make. Even if the recipient of 'banter' (or whatever you would call it) is in on it, how does it look to outsiders? Not welcoming
     
    The content is theme parks and basically devoid of race in any meaningful way; as it's largely anonymous I don't see how we could ever know the demographic that is here and you don't know who you are engaging with. I suspect that might be why @StevenVig hadn't really thought about race in that way in the community as he said? I might not be as alert to it myself, would be interested to know if there has ever been anything here that you have found offensive or discriminatory if you are happy to talk about it? 
     
  9. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Mattgwise in Rant   
    Does it deeply sadden you, or would you just like some attention? You are historically one of the most insulting people in here and you've been warned about it before. The last time you were warned it was for being insulting to one of the very few people here who I know not to be white. Probably not very welcoming to actual or potential members from a more diverse background, is it? Maybe putting more thought into your actual actions would be better than these shallow words?
     
    The last time there was any significant change of the team it was promoted on the forums, applications were submitted blindly, and the existing team chose a couple of people blindly based on their application. I wouldn't know, and I'm sure the team wouldn't know, the ethnicity or sex of the applicants. I have no idea about the sex or ethnicity of the vast majority of users here, the nature of forums mean they are to a large extent pretty anonymous, especially if you want them to be. 
  10. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Martin Doyle in Rant   
    Does it deeply sadden you, or would you just like some attention? You are historically one of the most insulting people in here and you've been warned about it before. The last time you were warned it was for being insulting to one of the very few people here who I know not to be white. Probably not very welcoming to actual or potential members from a more diverse background, is it? Maybe putting more thought into your actual actions would be better than these shallow words?
     
    The last time there was any significant change of the team it was promoted on the forums, applications were submitted blindly, and the existing team chose a couple of people blindly based on their application. I wouldn't know, and I'm sure the team wouldn't know, the ethnicity or sex of the applicants. I have no idea about the sex or ethnicity of the vast majority of users here, the nature of forums mean they are to a large extent pretty anonymous, especially if you want them to be. 
  11. Like
    pluk reacted to JoshC. in 2019 Season   
    Whilst I totally get your point of view, this is a very different thing to staff being rude to guests.
     
    The general comment was that staff are quite friendly and nice to guests. How they treat people behind the scenes and in their personal lives is very different, and not something that can really be judged by people who don't work there.
     
    Equally, it's not really fair to tar all staff with the same brush because of bad personal experiences you have had.
  12. Like
    pluk got a reaction from JoshC. in Rant   
    Does it deeply sadden you, or would you just like some attention? You are historically one of the most insulting people in here and you've been warned about it before. The last time you were warned it was for being insulting to one of the very few people here who I know not to be white. Probably not very welcoming to actual or potential members from a more diverse background, is it? Maybe putting more thought into your actual actions would be better than these shallow words?
     
    The last time there was any significant change of the team it was promoted on the forums, applications were submitted blindly, and the existing team chose a couple of people blindly based on their application. I wouldn't know, and I'm sure the team wouldn't know, the ethnicity or sex of the applicants. I have no idea about the sex or ethnicity of the vast majority of users here, the nature of forums mean they are to a large extent pretty anonymous, especially if you want them to be. 
  13. Like
    pluk reacted to Benin in Rant   
    In TPMs side of things, who are prominent members of the forums who are either BAME or female AND are suitable candidates for working on the team?
     
    If the numbers aren't there then the representation won't be. And having a situation of putting someone on the team purely as a tick box exercise isn't the point of racial or sexual equality. 
     
    It's precisely the same issue with football managers. Between the ridiculous amounts of money making teams believe they would be taking a risk with younger managers; how many BAME people are going through the coaching system in order to get those roles? Not enough.
  14. Like
    pluk got a reaction from alexander in Black Mirror Labyrinth   
    Black Mirror is an odd one IP wise, in not having a set structure or regular characters. It could mean anything so surely is just a name above the door? If this had had any creative input from Charlie Brooker, which in reality is the only real consistent which makes Black Mirror Black Mirror, they would clearly have been shouting about it from the off as it would be actually meaningful to the marketing.
  15. Like
    pluk reacted to JoshC. in The Coronavirus Thread   
    With Germany and the Netherlands now having most of their parks open, Polish parks opening this week and Scandinavian parks reopening throughout the month, two big countries that are still yet to reopen parks are Belgium and France.
     
    Parc Asterix are set to reopen on June 15th, with a max of 5000 people a day. Haven't looked into other French parks in much depth, but with the exception of Disney (which I believe is classed as within the Paris region, which is still hit quite hard?), I believe other parks are reopening soon too.
     
    As for Belgium, the story is a bit more interesting. The current date set Belgian government was June 8th, which is set for review this week. The current plan however is that this date could be pushed back until July 1st or August 1st, to which all the big Belgian parks have reacted...in an upset manner... https://www.looopings.nl/weblog/14563/Belgie-wil-pretparken-tot-1-augustus-gesloten-houden-attractieparken-reageren-woest.html
     
    With Belgian people able to cross borders to Netherlands and Germany soon (if not, already), they're particularly worried that when they do reopen, they'll have lost the reopening boost that would come, along with the fact they miss half of the summer season.
  16. Like
    pluk reacted to Martin Doyle in Rant   
    I am really getting quite sick and tired of seeing enthusiasts moaning and crying about POSTPONED trips to theme parks this year thanks to the pandemic.
     
    Look, I know this page is ofcourse a forum dedicated to a theme park and I myself am very proud of being an enthusiast. However, I do feel some enthusiasts on social media really need to look at what's going on in the world before they go on an Ian Beale style "IVE GOT NOTHING LEFT" sulk about postponed park visits. People are losing their jobs and with that, the abillity to make a living to pay the bills. More importantly, many people are losing loved ones to this virus. So with all that happening, I personally find it hard to feel sympathy to a bunch of people who are crying over not being able to visit parks that will STILL BE AROUND when all this is said and done. Those who are losing loved ones do not have that luxury. I have a friend who lost her nan recently and was not even allowed to attend her own nans funeral. So yes, forgive me if I find it hard to feel sorry for having to wait a little longer to ride the likes of Shambhala,Taron, Zadra,Taiga and Iron Gwazi or going to flaming Disneyland Paris.
     
    Rant over. Again I know this doesn't apply to all enthusiasts but I am seeing enough of it to really get on my wick.
     
    It's not just postponed park trips. It's also the sulking over canceled festivals and concerts. People should check their priorities as far as I'm concerned.
  17. Like
    pluk reacted to Marc in The Coronavirus Thread   
    I see a lot of comments on us not testing arrivals and genuinely don’t see why it’s important at the moment?
     
    Firstly - I don’t see why anyone arriving is anymore likely to have the virus than someone already here.
     
    Secondly, with the restrictions / social distancing in place which people arriving have to follow - if someone does have it then following the rules in place make it unlikely to spread anyway.
     
    Of course when the infection rates are low and it’s more under control in the U.K. testing / quarantining arrivals is much more important.
  18. Thanks
    pluk got a reaction from Han30 in The Coronavirus Thread   
    Those measures are an utter utter nonsense.
     
    They are taking the physical spacing aspect of the advice without thinking about the reason for it or why it is effective. A 2m physical gap does not create some magical barrier the virus can not cross, it is just a workable compromise to total isolation which makes infection from one person to another less likely in every day situations like passing or talking in the street. Once you start moving at speed through each others space a small distance like that becomes meaningless; anything containing the virus expelled by someone in front will be showered over someone sitting two or four or six rows behind, they may as well be sitting in each others lap.
     
    It's so ineffective they may as well just fully open and accept the risk, or remain closed and properly mitigate the risk. Giving a false sense of safety is the worst possible thing to do.
  19. Like
    pluk got a reaction from JoshuaA in The Walking Dead - The Ride: SPOILERS   
    First time ride for me today. 
     
    - It's really well hidden and has broken the flow around the area. No approach from Storm Surge, cut off the walkway around the store, and actual entrance isn't even in view when you commit to the path that only goes to it. All for an 'exit through the shop' opportunity?
    - Pre-show is OK, doesn't rely too heavily on having to know TWD already.
    - Long smelly corridors on entrance and exit remain long and smelly. No actors today.
    - Requiring two riders per row remains an incredibly dumb and troublesome rule.
    - The little scenes you shoot through are passable, the last one with the screens is the best but hardly breathtaking.
    - The ride is too light throughout to be dark. Highlights the overall poor nature of the hardware the dark can disguise quite well. It's so obviously a kiddie/family coaster with an adult theme. That being a thing is still just mental.
     
    Overall? Meh. It was far more enjoyable in its previous guise as a pointless but straight up cheesy fun rave coaster in the dark. I'd happily ride X a couple of times any visit, I'm not sure I'd want to bother going back on TWD ever again really.
     
     
  20. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Mer in The Coronavirus Thread   
    Those measures are an utter utter nonsense.
     
    They are taking the physical spacing aspect of the advice without thinking about the reason for it or why it is effective. A 2m physical gap does not create some magical barrier the virus can not cross, it is just a workable compromise to total isolation which makes infection from one person to another less likely in every day situations like passing or talking in the street. Once you start moving at speed through each others space a small distance like that becomes meaningless; anything containing the virus expelled by someone in front will be showered over someone sitting two or four or six rows behind, they may as well be sitting in each others lap.
     
    It's so ineffective they may as well just fully open and accept the risk, or remain closed and properly mitigate the risk. Giving a false sense of safety is the worst possible thing to do.
  21. Like
    pluk reacted to Mark9 in Top 10's   
    I'm jumping on this bandwagon.
     
    Bottom ten rollercoasters
     
    10. Top Thrill Downtime. I can feel the eyebrows rising at this already. Frankly, it may have been better then sex in 2003 but right now it spends most of its time closed. For something that takes up that much space, is so dominant on the horizon and so famous, its open to close ratio is way off. The ride don't get me wrong is pretty good but it's so much hassle to ride and its just not worth the time it takes for something that short and is so risky. The risk isn't worth it.
     
    9. Blue Tornado. I'm not an SLC hater and even if there was two or three in my worst list, I wouldn't put them all in here because frankly, its all the same thing. Blue Tornado is far and away the worst one just because its slightly longer and has more head banger moments then the others. it's not well looked after.
     
    8. Superman The Escape at Magic Mountain. WHEE YOU LAUNCH BACKWARDS, WHEE YOU CAN'T FEEL THE SENSATION BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY SEE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN AND CANT TELL THE HEIGHT. It's better when you come back down the tower and back into the station as you can actually feel the speed. But it just misses the original intention of the ride.
     
    7. Saw: The Ride at Thorpe Park. I find this ride pretty grating at times. A lot of my bottom rides have in common the dread that comes before riding. That feeling of 'is it going to hurt me' Rides should not have that and Saw has it in a couple of places. it doesn't help that I feel the layout is pretty lacking and short.
     
    6. Stampida at PortAventura. It's our heroes at KumbaK again, here to wreck a potentially good ride with their awful trains. I'm glad nobody wants there business anymore because they shouldn't be allowed near rides again.
     
    5. Green Lantern at Magic Mountain. I feel like I'm being unjustly cruel as this was more of a guilty pleasure then hate but I have to face facts. Would I feel worried about whacking my head riding this again. Yes I would. Would my fiancé ride it again? No. Has it been closed for ages because of a potential law-suit. Yes it has. Therefore decision made. 
     
    4. The Mighty Canadian Mine-Buster at Canadas Wonderland. I probably would have liked this had it not destroy my crotch. It's out and back layout is fine but I did't have any enjoyment as the restraint continued to try and kill me. 
     
    3. The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I'm not here for previous record holders and that nostalgic kick they have, I'm here for cold hard honesty. This thing sucks. Airless hills that just go on and on, a first drop that just wrecks your spine, a mid course break run that slows you so much that the following helix is just like an awkward road roundabout. I like the ending where the train swoops through the scenery into the end. But its too little, too late.
     
    2. Rustchebanan at Bakken. Destroyed by Kumbak really, this ride used to have a break-man to control the speed but then our heroes swooped in and added magnetic breaks all over the ride to completely kill the pacing and create this vile thing. The final nail in the coffin is the restraints that get tighter and tighter as it goes. Nah.
     
    1. Tornado at Bakken. Contraption of evil. Rough, vibrating, painful. Restraints that cut into your shoulders and leave scars. Man, this things a travesty. Would you like a launched lift hill into a shed that quickly descends into pain after pain. Definitely my least favourite rollercoaster of all time.
     
  22. Like
    pluk reacted to Exodus Matt in Top 10's   
    Think we need some more Top 10 variations.
     
    Top 10 Theme Park Soundtracks:


    10/  The Island Theme- Thorpe Park Resort
    The direction of the park has been heavily  questionable over the last number of years, however the introduction of the main theme is one of the few better things that has arguably been introduced. I know this placement will be a mixed-bag to some, but I think the introduction of this music definitely gives the entrance area at least, more of a build up and atmosphere. It does beat the chart music indefinitely.
     
    9/ Main Street USA- Disneyland Paris 
    One of my most exciting theme park memories was visiting Disneyland Paris for the first time (5 years nearly already?), but nothing could’ve helped boost that feeling than the beautiful Main-street  soundtrack. Comprising a mixture of traditional songs and ones from shows/musicals, the playlist beautifully helps put together what must be one of the most impressive theme park entrances around.
     
    N.B I believe the park use the mix from the original park now.

    8/ Valhalla- Blackpool
    Dramatic and forcefully attention grabbing, nothing pleases the ear more than listening to the main theme of Valhalla. The ride may not be operational for 2020, but least it’s soundtrack still boosts out from the nearby speakers.
     
    7/ Droomvlucht- Efteling 
    6/ Euromir- Europa Park
    One of the weirdest (yet wonderful) pieces of mainstream theme park music to exist. The unique soundtrack greatly complimented the ride, whether it’s in the queue line or going up the lift of forever. It works perfectly!
     
    5/ Fata Morgana- Efteling
    Efteling stride with some truly magical pieces of music, but not many can overturn the wonders of the score of Fata Morgana. Meaning to be a mirage, the music perfectly blends amongst the many rich scenes of the attraction, whether that be the grand palace suite or town scenes within the ride. The attraction is essentially an Arabian take on Pirates Of The Caribbean, but that doesn’t take anything away from the ride. 
     
    4/ Klugheim/Taron Soundtrack- Phantasialand 
    PHANTASIALAND real,y know how to master mysterious and whimsical themes in their parks and the music really seems to hit the nail on the head there. What I like about the Klugheim theme is how the music is varied yet developed throughout the area giving enough balance to keep it interesting, whilst also entailing a strange yet uncharted vibe to the area.
     
    3/ Phantom Manor- Disneyland Paris 
    I am completely aware this is a variation and re-work of the original Hsunted Mansion soundtrack, but there is something just remarkable about this theme working. Whilst I’m yet to experience either of the American rides, the theme from the Paris definitely takes the music a step further by giving a deeper more meaningful and perhaps emotional content. This wraps the whole Frontier Land Story together rather nicely. 
     
    2/ Chiapas Theme- Phantasialand 
    I adore much of Phantasialand’s music, but the Chiapas theme tops all of it. Mysterious, upbeat and soothing are just some of the words you could use to describe the soundtrack. From it’s main theme to it’s wonderful (yet hilarious) disco room Varient. The Budapest orchestra and IMA score struck gold here!
     
     
    1/ Europa Park suite, - Europa Park
    This piece of music is honestly gorgeous, atmospheric, cinematic and makes for an amazing soundtrack. You know a piece of music is great when it gives you a positive vibe and always make you feel better after listening. 
     
    Tried to give a variety of music here, hence why some things didn’t make the cut.
  23. Like
    pluk got a reaction from CharlieN in The Coronavirus Thread   
    Those measures are an utter utter nonsense.
     
    They are taking the physical spacing aspect of the advice without thinking about the reason for it or why it is effective. A 2m physical gap does not create some magical barrier the virus can not cross, it is just a workable compromise to total isolation which makes infection from one person to another less likely in every day situations like passing or talking in the street. Once you start moving at speed through each others space a small distance like that becomes meaningless; anything containing the virus expelled by someone in front will be showered over someone sitting two or four or six rows behind, they may as well be sitting in each others lap.
     
    It's so ineffective they may as well just fully open and accept the risk, or remain closed and properly mitigate the risk. Giving a false sense of safety is the worst possible thing to do.
  24. Like
    pluk got a reaction from CharlieN in Paultons Park   
    It certainly makes sense from a return on investment point of view. If there is any sort of season to be had this year people will be queuing up to get in without much encouragement this year after missing out for so long, so the investment would be wasted. Holding this back until next year when hopefully things are back to some sort of normal should get people through the turnstiles again and give them a return.
     
    I really hope it works for them.
  25. Like
    pluk got a reaction from JoshC. in The Coronavirus Thread   
    Those measures are an utter utter nonsense.
     
    They are taking the physical spacing aspect of the advice without thinking about the reason for it or why it is effective. A 2m physical gap does not create some magical barrier the virus can not cross, it is just a workable compromise to total isolation which makes infection from one person to another less likely in every day situations like passing or talking in the street. Once you start moving at speed through each others space a small distance like that becomes meaningless; anything containing the virus expelled by someone in front will be showered over someone sitting two or four or six rows behind, they may as well be sitting in each others lap.
     
    It's so ineffective they may as well just fully open and accept the risk, or remain closed and properly mitigate the risk. Giving a false sense of safety is the worst possible thing to do.
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