"YourDay" Theme Park Videos

Along the same lines as the "Awesome Alton Towers Video" thread I made a couple days ago, I found this company that is going to start making personalized DVDs of guests' visits to theme parks. It looks like they're starting with Alton Towers. The stock video of the park looks amazing. If they have high quality videos of people on the rides, I would actually consider buying one. I've never purchased the on-ride photos before, but this whole-day DVD thing looks like a great idea.

http://www.yourdayvideo.com/index.html

Thoughts?

One of the special features explained on the website...

"Invaluable data-tracking.

Theme parks can access a range of marketing and tracking data to reveal or confirm guest information such as the flow of guests through the park, total time spent in the park and the most popular rides."

I just don't like to be tracked. It makes me uncomfortable. There are many other uses for this technology (RFID, I assume) not explained to the public that may be objectionable to some. I fear that it may be abused in the future.

I don't 100% dislike the idea of buying a DVD of my day. If it was possible that they didn't film my day unless I purchased the product first, I wouldn't object to it at all.

What are you doing inside a theme park that you don't want to be filmed doing?

I dont think its so much any thing your doing as it is the decay of our privacy.

I'm not the kind of guy who disobeys the law, if that's what your asking SFoGswim. We are already being watched/tracked too much and it's just about ready to slip down the slope, that's all I'm getting at.

This is just one more step in the eventual recording of everyone's movements. A decade or so from now we will have excepted that everything we do, everything we buy or sell, everything we think about, our likes and dislikes, our values and beliefs, will be stored in a database and that info will be sold to anyone who wants to buy it.

I think it can be summed up in just one word...Invasive.

I understand there's a lot of people concerned with the whole privacy thing these days.

I understand it, but I don't get it.

I have no problem with being filmed walking to the corner store, having the world know I bought Pringles, condoms and a copy of 'Biker Chick' magazine and then being filmed walking back.

What I find interesting is the way the internet is opening people's lives to the world, yet at the same time privacy concerns seem to be higher than ever.

For instance, Dex is not even cool with being filmed while walking around a public place, but if I click on the link in his signature, within five minutes I know what he looks like, where he lives, where he works, what he thinks, where he plans to be in the near future, who his friends are, what he does and so on.

This isn't a 'pick on Dexter' thing, however. I think his views and actions are very indicitive of a large segment of people. I just find that juxtaposition very interesting. Kind of like, "I'll tell the world very personal things as long as I choose to, but gathering generic, public info on your own is bad."

Fascinating stuff to me. :)

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Lord Gonchar said:I have no problem with being filmed walking to the corner store, having the world know I bought Pringles, condoms and a copy of 'Biker Chick' magazine and then being filmed walking back.

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Ahhhh, but when are YOU up for re-election? ;)

Seriously though, the 4th amendment has taken HUGE hits in the last 5-6 years...I no longer expect my rights to privacy to extend beyond my front door.

As far as the video itself, I assume there's *enough* people out there willing to pay for the videos...won't be me, though.

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dexter said:

This is just one more step in the eventual recording of everyone's movements. A decade or so from now we will have excepted that everything we do, everything we buy or sell, everything we think about, our likes and dislikes, our values and beliefs, will be stored in a database and that info will be sold to anyone who wants to buy it.

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Theorectically, I agree with. But in practicallity, I think we are already all but there. From my office window alone, I can see half a dozen surveillance (sp) cameras. My job keeps a record of everytime I scan in or out of work. My ISP knows when I am at home using the internet. Costco knows my eating habits. The UPS/Fed Ex guys know what I'll buy via mail order. Hell, the postman has a good idea about what hobbies I like based on magazine subscriptions.

At this point, we are likely already being filmed far more than we think or would truely be comfortable if we knew it. Like I said, I'm with you on the theory, but I think reality will show that there is a ton of crap out here that aint making its way back into the horse!
lata, jeremy
--R.I.P Barbarro

When I was in London, I was AMAZED at the number of CCTV cameras throughout the city. Each public bus for instance, has about 4 cameras on it. FOUR cameras on one bus. That's a LOT!

But, back to this DVD thing, I think its a great concept. Their stock footage looks great too. Way better use of technology than the lame ride photos.

It's not the loss of privacy that most people are probably worried about, it's the idea that you need to behave a certain way because every move you make is being captured forever (or at least as long as the technology lasts).

"There she is picking her nose when she thought nobody was watching... he chews his food like a horse with his mouth wide open... what's he doing? he looks like a total dork there standing in line... don't those kids do anything but whine?... you know, those shorts do make her ass look like the side of the barn." Yep, that's also part of your day at the park.

I play hockey, vids, go running, go to the gym, sit on my ass when I'm not at work, watch the tube, fulfill my coaster nerd habits, rent movies, read magazines while on the craper, snor when I'm sleeping, play poker three nights a week at my buddies house, have UFC night aswell etc.
Watch me all you want when there isn't any thing special going on over here. Thats what I say. I wonder if it makes them feel special! Or really cool!

ride on

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RatherGoodBear said:
"There she is picking her nose when she thought nobody was watching... he chews his food like a horse with his mouth wide open... what's he doing? he looks like a total dork there standing in line... don't those kids do anything but whine?... you know, those shorts do make her ass look like the side of the barn." Yep, that's also part of your day at the park.

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Yeah, that's what's generally known as 'people watching' :)

I do see what you're saying with the archival nature of the footage, but I still don't get the concern.

I just don't have a problem with a couple of people paid to monitor the cameras watching me stratch my ass. As long as it doesn't turn into the Ass-Scratching Gonch website, TV show and radio broadcast along with You Tube and Podcast updates, I'm fine with it - I am what I am. I still say if I'm doing it in a public place for all to see, then having a camera see it too is no different.

Even the concern about being 'tracked' via RFID, doesn't bother me. It's no secret that I walked from the gate to a certain ride, waited 15 minutes then walked to the restroom and so on. And hell, if it helps them run the park more efficiently - more power to them.

Part of the issue is more the secrecy of the data collection and processing. I'd be much more okay with it if they told me up front exactly who was going to be viewing my data and why and especially if it were going to be sold.

If they tell me right up front, I don't know if I'd be happy about it, but I'd be a whole lot less unhappy.

One of the things I can see as being good--liability protection. "Miss, you claimed that junior did nothing wrong to the character, well we have tape that shows junior kicked him in the family-jewels really hard."

The last thing though "Enhanced Guest Memory" thing just doesn't make a bit of sense. Does that mean that cameras are only going to be placed on rides out-of-site of queues?

This really doesn't make any sense when you read the part above. "Your Day" is claiming that they'll forget all about their awfully-crowded day and long lines on repeated viewings. If they've got footage of people everywhere in the park for liability, then how does the person forget a crowded park? It all sounds way too weird and advanced.

I guess the last technical question is, well, how in the heck exactly does this all work? I understand that each DVD will come with a short explanation chapter to explain it, but I'm trying to get my head around it now:)

The RFID tag, I've read about it before. Wal-Mart was or is requiring every item to carry one. Okay, so it tracks your moments--Person A rides Oblivion and is recorded for however long, then the recording stops.

In theory, Person A continues onto Air, let's say, but wait--a wrench get's thrown into the works. Person A continues to ride Oblivion a few more times since the park isn't that busy. Not only that, but person A was actually part of group B, C, and D, who've decided to sit down for a while, as they needed a breather after Oblivion. So does the experience only get recorded once to DVR, or does it record every single ride?

Lastly, what's the manpower needed for this kind of thing? I'm guessing you've got a large server that's recording all the information, but there's some kind of proprietary software that's recording each time-instance as the day goes on. So does it require all kinds of people to finalize each disc, or does the software do all the work?

I've got to give it to the company as they're pretty slick. With the whole memory erase before each new day they're basically saying "Unless you pay us money for your memories, they'll be erased forever." Guilt is such a powerful emotion.

I'm guessing that your ticket stub will have an RFID in it (which will contain a unique number). When the RFID in your pocket or fanny pack (lol) passes a RFID reader in the seats of a ride, or near a camera on the walkway, the unique number embedded within your ticket will be remotely recorded along with the exact time the camera was filming you. The computer then compiles all data and video from your number and you can buy the video which will be edited into a nice little movie.

That's just how I think it could be done.

This technology could be dangerous if it is implemented the way some of the mega-corporations are planning to use it in the near future, imho.

www.spychips.com is the website for a wonderful book I have read about the subject of RFID's.

RFID is revolutionary. Although I feel that the technology could be very useful to mankind, but if used against the everyday person it could possibly cause the people of the world to become enslaved by the ones who control it.

Maybe I'm just paranoid, or maybe I'm right and the dystopia is soon beginning.

Actually, you mentioned something interesting Gonch.

RFIDs to track where you are in the park and where you go for how long to help the parks run more efficiently.

If they did it anonymously.... i.e. the RFID tag would know everything about you except who you are. So they'd know that a 24-year-old male with brown hair, hazel eyes, 5'9", from eastern PA walked down a certain midway, to a certain ride, saw the line (which had 342 RFIDs already in the queue) and walked away to go ride another ride which only had 137 RFIDs in it. They'd also be able to count how many people rode the ride without a friggin turnstyle. Some point in the ride could count how many RFIDs are on the train (like halfway up a coaster lift, for example). They could see that only 3 RFIDs used a particular restroom before noon, so they (most likely) wouldn't need to actually staff an attendant before then -- just send an attendant from another bathroom for a quick once-over just in case. In no case, however, would they know that it was actually me.

Sounds like a win-win proposition for both the park and the guest - the park can run more efficiently with more accurate data, and the guests win because of a more optimized, well-run park is usually more... well... fun!

I think you guys are reading WAY more into this. I honestly don't think they are going to be videoing you throughout the entire day. I think its meant just for rides. So, like the new Top Gun DVDs you can buy, this is a DVD for every ride in the park. On certain sections of each ride, when you pass the video camera, it captures your video. Then, all of your "captures" are spliced into stock footage to make a park montage. But, everyone's montage is basically the same - except the people in it. That's really ALL I think this YourDay thing is. AT didn't install 5000 cameras throughout the park and 25,000 people to watch the footage and post it on websites. Its just a merchandising ploy to get people to buy DVDs. Talk about paranoid. Geesh!

^But most of us on here are Americans, and we're programmed to be paranoid!:) Everything and anything can harm us, but only if we wait until 11 p.m. at night to find out what it is or what we can do about it.

A typical (and recent) headline went like this; "You may be driving a car with a defective airbag and not even know it." But they never tell you at 6 p.m. what model it is when most people are watching!

Oprah Winfrey (an extremely popular talk-show host in America for those who don't know) has a legion of fans (and billions in the bank) based on shows about things we should be paranoid about. While it's not everyday on her show--typically it's a lot of fluff involving her celebrity friends--it's a high percentage of her material, if you will.

halltd, I think you've hit the nail on the head as far as how they're going to "convince" you that your day wasn't really all that busy. By using stock footage on a less-crowded day, it might partially "erase" your memory. As long as the park is only using the cameras in the park for security and liability purposes (as they claim), than no one has anything to worry about.

One thing I thought about after my original post was that a lot of parks will say that they can record you at will and not compensate you for it. The other option is on the day they record the footage they have a sign up that says "Recording in process. If you don't wish to be recorded, please stay out of this area." That would save them the hassle of trying to trackdown every person who walked through the area to sign a release form.