Leaving the Imaginarium for the Holidays.

Ministry of Christmas Wonders

Hello Troops,
I was awoken this morning at 5:10 A.M. by my home's carbon monoxide alarm. There was no reason for panic. The air was good. The alarm sounded because we lost power. The detector makes a loud beep whenever the power goes out. The power came back on about 7:20 A.M. The house was cold and I dreaded to get up knowing what I had to face on the driveway and sidewalks. Yes, I hear many of you saying you had to do the same - shovel. It's one of those chores men do. We shovel.

I didn't know if our 10:00 A.M five hour Odyssey mission was coming in so I shoveled and then headed to the Space Center. Christine was there waiting. The group showed up right on time. This is our official last mission then of 2010. Christine was at the helm, assisted by Adam, Trevor H., Nathan M., and finally Jace. What's a mission without the sudden and unexpected arrival of Jace?

Isn't this so true of our fantastic maintenance folks? Thanks Kyle and Jon for your work!

Kyle Jones and Jon Parker were already at work when I arrived. They have the unseen job of cleaning up our basement shop and organizing our equipment. Its a nasty job that will take them a good two days to get things right.

On the bright side, they are hanging up the two new Magellan signs that have been sitting in one state or another for nearly two years. Jon just called to tell me they cracked the clear plastic shield over one of the large signs while they were drilling the holes for the metal brackets which hold the sign to the wall. I told him to hang the sign anyway (on the darkest wall of course). We will order another piece of plastic, but I've waited a long time for those signs and I'm going to get them!

It's 3:00 P.M. The Odyssey mission is just now done. We are done! It's time to put 2010 to bed. Let there be cheering and rejoicing throughout the Imaginarium. We can all grab our coats and rush through the streets to the Wonderland Station to catch the last trains to Reality.

"Attention, Attention, All non essential Imagineers are released from duty. Enjoy your holidays," the voice over the loud speaker just said. You don't have to tell me twice. I'm shutting this down and heading out. I'll post a few things on the way to the Station and perhaps again when I'm on the train.

End................... Time: 3:04 P.M. (IST) Imaginarium Standard Time.

Hello Troops,
I'm standing outside the Center waiting for the trolley to the train station. I've got a few minutes so I'll write a few more things and post them. The Imagineers around me are pretty psyched about getting home for the holidays. We feel sorry for our comrades that work in the Ministry of Christmas Wonders. Their building is just across the street from where I'm standing. It's got a large Christmas tree made of lights running up two sides of the 20 story building.

The guy standing next to me just pointed to a couple of people looking at us from the fifth floor. They're both wearing Santa hats and looking rather glum, at least that's the impression I have from this distance. They're waving at us. I'll wave back.

I'm back. Poor chaps, but hey, someone has to provide all the imagination required for the Christmas holiday. That's why the Christmas Ministry has one of the tallest buildings in the Imaginarium. This ministry employs more people than the all the other ministries combined, well except for the people that work for the Ministry of the Undead. They deal with Halloween. They're a scary bunch of oddballs for sure.

The trolley is late. Someone said they're running twenty minutes behind schedule due to the holiday rush. I think I'll walk the four blocks to the Wonderland Station. Talk to you later....

End...........................

I'm back. Just saw something that made my blood run cold for a moment. I snapped a picture with my camera phone. Here it is:

Some kid somewhere is having a great time wiping out an imaginary town with his Star Wars toys. That's what I love about working here in the Imaginarium. We don't create the thoughts that fuel imagination. We just enhance them and add a bit magic so they become very real to the playing child, or the adult for that matter. Yes, it will be duck and cover once the kid starts to fire but hey, its the Imaginarium. No one gets hurt, we just make it seem real.

THE SHOOTING HAS STARTED. YES..... THERE GOES A FEW FLOORS RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF THE BUILDING HOUSING THE MINISTRY OF FANTASY. I'm not a fan. They can have their unicorns and fairies and all the rest. OK, I've got to make this look real. The blasters are pointing my direction. That means the player is looking right at me in his imagination. Don't laugh, but I'm going to have to run and scream just like they do in those Japanese Godzilla movies. All in a day's work. Signing off, its time to act.

End..............................

I'm back. I'm sitting on a wooden bench beside the track. The Wonderland Station is packed. It will be a dash for the train when it arrives. No one wants to wait for the next one. I saw a funny sign on the wall near the drinking fountain on Platform 2. It is next to a metal door marked "Staff Only".

Clever huh?
Wait, that's the train. Everyone is surging forward. Gotta go........

End............................

I made it! Reality here I come. This train is equipped with monitors playing the latest creations from the Ministry of Advertising Science (MAS). They support the people in the real world that work in the Advertising business. The MAS is one of the largest professional Ministries in the Imaginarium. These guys take their jobs seriously knowing people's livelihoods rest on the work they do. My stop is coming up so I'll end this post with my favorite of the ones shown.

Enjoy and keep Imagining. We have families to feed and mortgages to pay.

Mr. W.

The Old Magellan's Last Mission, And Other News.

Hello Troops,
We're cocooned in marshmallow today in northern Utah. The sky is white and heavy. Its raining. I look at that as a blessing. Let it snow in the mountains and rain in the valleys. That is my definition of a perfect winter.

The Space Center officially closed for Christmas Vacation yesterday at 5:15 P.M. Jon Parker's voice was the last heard over one of our five microphones. His Voyager crew arrived 15 minutes late so, being full of Christmas cheer, Jon extended their mission an additional 15 minutes. We're like that at the Space Center. We bend backwards for our visitors, even at our own cost. We've a reputation to uphold. So, what happens at the Center over the next two weeks?

• Maintenance comes first. Kyle has returned from BYU Idaho to spend one week doing maintenance projects in the ships.
  
• I'll meet with the Flight and Set Directors to map out our summer camp schedule.
  
• Summer missions will also be on our agenda.
  
• Voyager Controls is something else I'll be working on with assistance from Emily and Jon. Our programmers are finishing up our new Cocoa controls for the Galileo. The Voyager is next.

Yesterday I made the decision not to convert the Voyager to iPads. We met for a couple hours with our Programming Guild listening to the pros and cons. In the end the cards weren't there for an all iPad ship. We will forge ahead with a new set of controls based on the Guild's Mercury Server. I want to thank Tod Hadley for attending. His input was valuable.

One good thing to come from the meeting is my desire to use iPads throughout the simulator for special activities and projects. The 2011 Voyager will be quite the ship when we finish with it.

In closing, I'd like to show you the pictures I took of the staff and volunteers that worked the last mission of the old Magellan before it was torn apart and the new Magellan built. The day after these pictures were taken construction on the new set began. A few months later, the new Magellan opened for the summer season.

Please forgive the photograph's resolution. They were taken with the Space Center's first digital camera. The faces are fuzzy but our old timers will recognized the staff and volunteers that worked that last mission.

Jackson Miller (Center)

One of the volunteers you'll see in these pictures passed away with cancer two years ago. Jackson loved the Space Center, and in his memory, his family sponsors a special yearly Space Center field trip for the Rowland Hall 5th graders.

Jackson was an awesome kid who worked whenever he could while he suffered through his cancer treatments. He worked his last mission about six months before he died. All his hair was gone, but his spirits were high.

Jackson, and the millions of people like him around the world, who face and fight deadly diseases are my true heroes.

And now, the Old Magellan's Last Mission....





For a quick chuckle, take a moment and go to the link below and watch this short Christmas video I posted on my Cloverdale Blog (The Village I created populated with the kind of people I understand). I think it would be cool if we made a video like this to advertise the Space Center - you know - old school. What do you think?

http://ourcloverdale.blogspot.com

Have a Great Weekend!
Mr. W.

A New Simulator in Logan?

by James Porter

There is a rumor going around that we are going to build a simulator in Logan. So where is this simulator going to be located? One idea that has been proposed for our program is to convert the main computer lab at the school (Thomas Edison Charter School) into a part time simulator. The design would allow it to still function as a computer lab, but in the evenings, weekends, and summers it will be able to take students on adventures into space.


In order for the lab to be able to function as a simulator there are going to need to be some big changes. One of the biggest is the addition of a wall to separate the control room from the bridge. There will also be a new lighting system, audio equipment, and general aesthetic elements such as paint to help create the atmosphere of being in a star ship. Their are other elements we hope to add to the simulator as we generate funds from running flights, but these are the basics we believe are needed to get a ship up and running.

The controls of the ship are currently being developed as part of the Openstardrive.org project led by Allan Stewart and Dave Wall. The open source programs will be able to run on the computers currently being used at the school instead of having to buy new systems.We are very excited by this prospect and the amazing opportunity we have been given to work with them and the aide they are providing us.

Here are some images that show how the simulator might appear in the future. On the left is a possible layout for desks, but more importantly shows the additional wall. The others are images from inside the simulator and control room. We'd love to have the new desks, but most likely they are a little further down the road.

In order for us to make these changes to the lab as well as purchase the necessary equipment to run the simulator, it is going to take some funds. We need the skills to build a wall or the money to pay someone to do it, not forgetting the actual materials as well. With the increase of equipment we will also be running some new electrical outlets and the lighting system. If you know someone who can help us with these tasks please contact us. The great thing about this project is that our estimates are showing a very attainable fund raising goal. We'll keep you posted on our progress.

James Porter
http://cachevalleysimulator.blogspot.com/2010/12/lab-conversion.html