New Roller-coaster at Alton Towers

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Alton Towers Resort announced today that its new 2013 roller-coaster, The Smiler, is going to ‘marmalise’ the minds of riders to give them a thrill like no other. Not only will the ride involve plunging 30-metre drops, hurtling speeds of up to 85km per hour and extreme turns, but The Smiler will feature twisted psychological effects to mess with riders’ mind.

The combined physical and mental assault is rationalised by a new report from researchers at New Scientist magazine revealing that mental anticipation is a key-contributor for ensuring an extraordinary thrill experience.

Existing roller-coasters at the UK’s leading theme park already put the body through its paces. Now, The Smiler will play with the mind by blurring the lines between illusion and reality. Riders will be subjected to five mind manipulations including jabbing needles, blinding lights and optical illusions, to maximise the fear factor.

The Smiler’s 5 Mind Manipulations:
• The Inoculator (A jab of happiness as you pass by stage one of the Marmalisation process)
• The Tickler (Aims to tickle you until you cant resist smiling)
• The Flasher (A giant flashing device, blinding you as you hurtle underneath the leg)
• The Giggler (Infectious, intoxicating laughing gas)
• The Hypnotiser (Has the power to disorientate, mesmerize and disrupt your self-awareness)
The Thrill Report, commissioned by Alton Towers Resort and compiled by researchers from New Scientist, details the importance of using mental and physical cues on roller-coasters so riders can experience a greater sense of excitement.

The report has found that the ultimate ‘Thrill-Factor’ is composed of five ‘acts’ similar to the set-up of a play. This is because thrilling experiences work best when constructed as stories or narratives.
Exposition explains the set-up: a ride’s branding and its look and feel do this.
Rising action increases the user’s anticipation of discomfort. Queuing is part of this “act”, and the slow climb of the roller-coaster
Climax or crisis essentially the moment of terror, a precipitous drop or jerk, supplying both physical and mental cues for fear
Falling action involves turning terror into release, catharsis or pleasure. After a precipitous drop, roller coasters often follow smoother curves that are more enjoyable than the drop.
Denouement a period of reflection, a time to compare notes with friends, get a photo of ourselves on the ride, and maybe claim we weren’t scared at all.
“All the experiences we use to generate thrill – whether a scary film, bungee jump or roller-coaster – involve an element of fear. This ancient emotion is triggered by either a physical stimulus, such as pain or being thrown around, or a mental one, most commonly the anticipation of danger such as the rising action on a roller-coaster. Roller-coaster designers believe that by pulling both our mental and physical strings, it is possible to create the best possible thrill”, the report edited by New Scientist editor, Jeremy Webb says.

John Wardley, a ride consultant at Alton Towers Resort, commented: “We know people get a thrill when they ride roller-coasters, but in order to heighten that feeling of excitement we needed to design a roller-coaster that also incorporates a variety of mental cues. The Smiler will be different from other traditional coasters in that it will combine intense physical effects to put the body through its paces, along with the unique mental elements to mess with the mind. After riding the coaster they will have experienced full mind and body marmalisation.”

The Smiler will be Alton Towers Resort’s biggest ever investment and will feature a track the length of ten football fields, 30-metre drops and speeds of up to 85km per hour. The Smiler is an all controlling force committed to ensuring you smile. Always.

For more details on the The Smiler, coming to Alton Towers Resort in May 2013 visit www.the-smiler.com.

Backin Up Song

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This woman was involved in an armed robbery in a US Grocery Store. The news story has gone viral after it was turned into a song.

 

 

Woman’s Dating Video

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This woman makes a video for the online dating site Eharmony (first video) then it went viral on the web when it was made into a song (second video)

 

Yahoo Work From Home Policy Stopped – How wrong can they be?

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Surely as a leader in IT and comms they should practice what they preach?

“Physically Together”: Here’s the Internal Yahoo No-Work-From-Home Memo for Remote Workers and Maybe More

Courtesy of a plethora of very irked Yahoo employees, here is the internal memo sent to the company about a new rule rolled out today by CEO Marissa Mayer, which requires that Yahoo employees who work remotely relocate to company facilities.

“Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home,” reads the memo to employees from HR head Jackie Reses. “We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.”

Painfully awkward as this is phrased, it means every Yahoo get to your desks stat!

I reported earlier today that the move will apparently impact only several hundred employees, such as customer service reps, who work from home full time. But numerous sources told me that the decree extends to any staffers who might have arrangements to work from home just one or two days a week, too.

The changes begin in June, according to the Yahoo memo.

After that, employees who work from home must comply without exception or quit. One top manager was told that there would be little flexibility on the issue.

The anger from impacted employees was strong today, because many felt they were initially hired with the assumption that they could work more flexibly.

In fact, even waiting for the cable guy is questionable. “And, for the rest of us who occasionally have to stay home for the cable guy, please use your best judgment in the spirit of collaboration,” wrote Reses.

The tone and tactics have infuriated some at the company. Wrote one impacted Yahoo employee to me: “Even if that was what was previously agreed to with managers and HR, or was a part of the package to take a position, tough … It’s outrageous and a morale killer.”

Most tech companies encourage workers to stay on their campuses, offering free food and other perks. But none enforce such rules beyond staff needed to operate an office.

“Our engineers would not put up with that,” said one tech exec. “So, we’d never focus on it.”

In the comments section of my first story on the HR change at Yahoo, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg wrote:

“For anyone who enjoys working from wherever they like in the world, and is interested in WordPress, Automattic is 100% committed to being distributed. 130 of our 150 people are outside of San Francisco.”

The issue is an interesting and controversial one, with some certain that working at home is the wave of the future, while others considering it hurtful to productivity.

Well, we’ll presumably see which this way goes in time.

Earlier, when asked about the change, a Yahoo spokesperson said the company does not comment on internal matters. The memo was released after my story on the change was published this morning.

But, you don’t need any comment when you can read for yourself the new working order at the Silicon Valley Internet giant:

YAHOO! PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION — DO NOT FORWARD

Yahoos,

Over the past few months, we have introduced a number of great benefits and tools to make us more productive, efficient and fun. With the introduction of initiatives like FYI, Goals and PB&J, we want everyone to participate in our culture and contribute to the positive momentum. From Sunnyvale to Santa Monica, Bangalore to Beijing — I think we can all feel the energy and buzz in our offices.

To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.

Beginning in June, we’re asking all employees with work-from-home arrangements to work in Yahoo! offices. If this impacts you, your management has already been in touch with next steps. And, for the rest of us who occasionally have to stay home for the cable guy, please use your best judgment in the spirit of collaboration. Being a Yahoo isn’t just about your day-to-day job, it is about the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices.

Thanks to all of you, we’ve already made remarkable progress as a company — and the best is yet to come.

Jackie

Hide your kids, Hide your wife

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Watch the original story here then watch the second video further down.

 

Then this

 

London Buses Paying Cash

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I seldom use buses in London, but this morning I needed to and thought it was a great excuse to try my new bus stop app. Got to the stop and the app said 2 minutes for the bus. Bus arrived on time and I tried to pay the £2.40 minium fair in cash with a £10 note. The bus driver looked at this tenner and said “what’s that, you can’t use that” and told me to get off the bus and get change.

Armed with a cup of tea and three pound coins, I checked the app for the next bus, 7 minutes. When the bus arrived I put on the tray the three pound coins for my £2.40 fair. The bus driver said “you have to be joking, we don’t carry change.”  Keep the change was my reply.

Now where did I put my oyster?

Olympic Park Tour

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Olympic ParkOverview
Take an exciting behind-the-scenes tour and see how the Olympic Park is being transformed into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

From the moment you arrive, you’ll be part of the Onsite Team and will be issued with safety workwear. You’ll enjoy an exclusive “backstage” tour, including a bus trip into the Park and a journey up the UK’s tallest sculpture, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, with a chance to take in amazing views of the London skyline.

From the top of the sculpture you can see St Paul’s Cathedral, the Shard, Canary Wharf and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. On a clear day, Wembley Stadium is visible to the north and Crystal Palace to the south.

The Park In Progress Tour is a journey through the Park’s past, present and future. You’ll gain an insight into future plans from a spectacular vantage point – the first opportunity to see what lies ahead.

Celebrating the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the tour is a chance to find out about the evolution of the Park’s iconic sporting venues and parklands into London’s newest destination.

Every day will give a different view as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park takes shape and gets ready to open to the public from summer 2013.

The tour begins from the Park In Progress Site Office, which is a short walk from Pudding Mill Lane DLR Station.

BUY TICKETS NOW

Great Napkin Fold

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image

Great idea for a napkin fold.

January Sales or Huge Con?

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People go crazy for the January sales, but that item you’ve had your eye on for a long time will probably never be in the sale.
I used to work in a huge department store many years ago and this is how the sales work:

Firstly, most stores have two seasons, Winter and Summer, hence why you have Winter Sales and Summer Sales. It’s an excuse for the retailer to get rid of excess stock to make room and free up the money to buy the next season’s stock.

Stores only put items on sale that are not selling. If they can’t move it, they have to reduce it.

End of line electrical goods, to make room for the newer improved feature rich product, that new Sony TV will NOT be in the sale, the old model that you don’t really want will probably be in the sale, but only because they want to get rid of it to make room for the new one, often the discount will be more the longer the item is on sale, if the store can’t sell it at -10% then towards the end of the sale they might reduce it -30%. The store is desperate to get rid of it (but it’s an old model remember.)

Stores use the sales to get rid of stock that is slightly imperfect or has packaging damage. So when you buy something in a store and get it home then realise you don’t like it anymore and the store refunds it, they can’t sell it as new, as the packaging is damaged etc, these kind of items will go in the sale.

When I worked in that department store we would be paid double money to come in on Boxing Day and clear out the China Department of all the good stock, pack it away and send it back to the warehouse. Then the pallets would turn up with all the sale stock. Slightly damaged stock, slight imperfections, printing errors where the pattern wasn’t quite perfect. All the good stuff was safely packaged away ready to be brought back out once the sales were over.

Same with shoes, all the shoes would be sent to the warehouse and all the imperfect ones would be brought out and thrown on the shelves in a jumble. Stitching errors and badly glued fabrics, look carefully at your bargain shoe, I bet the quality is poor. At the end of the sale, what’s left would be shipped back to the warehouse and the good stock sent back to the store.

All sale stock is “Sold as Seen”, you still have the same statutory rights, but if you’re aware it’s “seconds” or slightly imperfect you can’t return it. The shops normal “good will” to customer returns goes out the window during the sales.
If you buy something in a sale such as that old model new Sony TV, you still have all the same legal rights to a refund/repair as if it wasn’t in the sale. Stores that say NO REFUND on sales items are breaking the law. You can still get a refund if the item is faulty or doesn’t match the description or is not fit for purpose.

The other sales trick, is to put the price up a few weeks before Christmas only to bring it down in the sales. Sounds like a bargain, but it was just as cheap a month or so away.

Stores also package and group items together to make it sound like more of a bargain. Put three lotions and potions in a basket wrapped in cling film and throw it in a end of aisle bin dump and the customers can’t buy enough of them. They wouldn’t dream of buying these items normally.

Lastly the biggest trick for retailers is to have one big discount item that sounds too good to be true. For example a £5000 TV for £599. This item does exist, but only one of them and it’s probably already reserved by the store manager. These kind of items are used in promotional adverts and TV news stories to make the sales sound so amazing, this gets the people queuing over night. But I guarantee you won’t get that big name bargain and guess what, because you’ve queued over night you have to buy something, or you’d have wasted your time, and you’ll believe yourself that you have got lots of bargains, but really, you probably haven’t.

You may get some items at discount in the sale, but probably none of the items, you really wanted or needed, but “we can’t resist a bargain” even if it’s not a genuine one.

Items neatly on a shelf don’t attract our attention. Put a big sale sticker on it and mess them up in a basket and people can’t get enough of them.

Fools and their money are soon parted.

How to handle Christmas Shopping (The stress free way)

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1. Buy some cards today
2. Put some cash in them
3. Pour a large gin and tonic and put feet up.
4. Wonder what everyone else makes a fuss about?

Let’s be honest, people don’t want the things you buy them, so give them the cash to spend it on what they want!

Job done!