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Archive for June, 2010

Kamikaze Thrill Rides

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Kamikaze (Divine wind) was a squad of Japanese suicide fighter planes used in World War II. The pilots were trained to cause suicidal crashes, causing collateral damage. The word has now come to be used when referring to intentional suicides.

Republican Kamikaze ride

A recent article by blogger Joe Klein was titled ‘Republican Kamikaze ride’, criticizing the ways of the Republican Party, possibly to denote the ‘suicidal’ act of the GOP (Grand Old Party).

Kamikaze Thrill rides

Kamikaze (Ranger) is a truly scary yet a must-try amusement thrill ride. The ride consists of two arms each holding a metal riding car (gondolas) at its end, which is completely enclosed. There are rows of seats each fitted with safety gears and locks to secure you to your seat.
The ride begins by oscillating the arms, both going the opposite way to balance weight. As the ride proceeds, the caged gondola goes totally upside down, stays there for few frightening seconds before swinging back and forth to continue the ride. You would want to scream your life off, but you’d be so awed that you lose your voice for some time!

Major Features of Kamikaze Ride

2 caged gondolas loaded simultaneously, present one at each opposite arm. Capacity: 32 each
Ride duration is 1.5 min
A force of 2.5 Gs (2 times the force produced on an idle object) is created during the ride
A maximum speed of 14 rpm (rotations per min) is achieved
Assembling time: Less than 5 hours; requires skilled operators
Maximum thrill guaranteed!

Safety concerns with Kamikaze Ride

You need to be at least 122 cm to ride so that you don’t slip out of the gondola when it goes upside down. The deaths and accidents reported so far have been due to the height factor only. Otherwise it is a perfectly safe ride for adults.
People with high blood pressure, above 50 years of age and pregnant women are completely banned from this ride due to its dramatics.
This ride can make some people sick to their stomach. So watch out if you have a weak stomach.

Variants of Kamikaze Ride

Right after its invention in 1984, many variants of the Kamikaze have come about. Eg: Sky Flyer, Footloose, Hawk 48. Here the riders dangle from their feet.

If you have the guts (and the stomach and the height!) come on and feel the mind blowing gush of the killer Divine wind, Kamikaze!

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Free Fall Ride for the Ultimate Amusement Park Action

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The concept of ‘free-falling’ was introduced by famous philosopher and physicist Galileo Galilei by showing that an object as light as a feather and a coin with significant mass, both will fall at the same speed under the influence of gravity.

Free fall rides operate on this basis. The riders are taken up to the highest point and let to ‘free-fall’ under gravitational force, 9.8 m/s2 (or commonly denoted as 1 G). The fall is truly a sensational and dramatic moment where riders feel their guts plunge farther into their bodies along with the sensation of being dropped ruthlessly towards Earth!

Free Fall Ride @ Six Flags

Six Flags is an amusement park in Georgia. Is has two other branches; one in Texas and another one at St. Luis. The first generation Free fall ride was built here and was popular until the advent of Drop Towers, which people found to be more exciting than this particular ride.

The ride here consists of an L-shaped base, for stability. Over this is the massive ride track, curved at the base, towering a height of 90 ft (27.4 m). The riders hop on to the enclosed ride car at ground level and start the scary ascend. This is followed by an even more scarier yet exuberant descend straight down!

The tracks are curved at the bottom to decelerate the speed of the car, to avoid injury to the passengers. The ride lost its popularity after couple of tragic accidents.

Tallest Free Fall Ride

Now-a-days with improvement in technology and people’s voracious capacity for more thrilling rides, new generation free fall rides have come up throughout the country. But the best and most sought after of all is the Big Shot ride at the Stratosphere Las Vegas casino tower. It stands 1081ft high (329m) but drop height is only 160 m for safety reasons. It drops at 45 mph and can create acceleration of ~ 4 Gs (4 times 9.8 m/s2).

And the fastest free fall rides is the The Giant Drop. The dropping speed is 135 Km/hr (84 mph) and lasts for 5 dreadful seconds. Pleasantly gut wrenching, isn’t it?!

Terminal Velocity Free Fall Ride

Going a step further, there is this one of a kind free fall ride situated in Extreme World, Wisconsin, where you are taken up to a height of over 100ft and allowed to fall to the Earth with absolutely no attachments to break your fall!

But you will be fitted with a CFF – controlled free fall harness to make sure your falling posture is correct. Once you are left to fall, you accelerate to about 70 mph (112.65 Km/hr). You hit a soft cushiony net to nullify the impact. So you feel nothing but a floating sensation.

Do you have the guts to try new dares?! If you are nodding, then make sure you have a strong heart to get on these rides. Happy falling!

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Turbo Slides – Twisting Thriller Ride

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Water slides are everybody’s favorite when it comes to experiencing the adrenaline pumping action. But the slide with a twist is the turbo slide. Here the slide is contorted from the usual shape to give you the twisting and action packed water sliding. The diameter of the slide is ~ 24” and the height can be anywhere from 5ft to 77ft (1.5 – 23 m) which can be reached by ladder or steps attached to the slide. It can carry a maximum weight of 125 to 325 pounds (56 – 147Kg) at a time. There are two types of turbo slides:

The closed type where the sliding dome is covered all over and looks like a long twisted tube
The open type where the slide is deeply curved to retain and carry gallons water

Closed Turbo Slides aka Super Turbo Tube Slides

The structure has a contorted cylinder with a big enough diameter to fit even adults. There is a flume at the top of the slide to keep the water going along the length of the slide which gives a smooth yet exciting ride to the pool at the end of the slide. This is idle for home-pool side slide as well. The ‘tube’ turbo slide gets its name from the enclosed slide, which gives it a tube like appearance. Some of these are used as land rides, where the slides end in a pit of soft sand.

Open Turbo Slides

Open turbo slides are usually very long and gather lots of momentum due to the length and height and end in a huge pool. The riders even wear inner tubes out of safety concerns. But worries apart, the mere feel of sitting at the top of the high slide, moments before you are about to slide down the steep slide, can get your hormones rushing and once you come out of the pool, you can’t help but be all smiles!

Turbo Twister Pool Slide

If you have a swimming pool at home and want your kids to experience the same fun they could have at a water park, then you couldn’t have been luckier! The pool version of the turbo slide is an instant solution. It is 5ft-8ft tall, safe for kids below 12 yrs of age, can carry 40 gallons (151 liters) of water per minute and ends in your own pool.
This pool slide is a great getaway for your kids from their day-today routine. Price range is $2,000 to $3,000.

Water rides can be real wild escapade for young kids, especially those who love water and loads of splashing. Install one at home besides the pool or ride down the tallest and biggest of ‘em all to grin your way down to sloshing!

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Train Rides for Amusement and Enjoying the Scenic Beauty

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Everybody loves change. And going on a train ride to view breath taking scenery is definitely a welcome change. Train rides are often imagined as a ride only taken upon visiting a hill station. But that is not true. Riding on a train is common in amusement parks as kiddies’ ride, in zoos to view animals and in garden parks as daily attractions to get a nice view around.

These rides are equally fun for both a silent observer and an overly-enthusiastic kid! Just the thought of travelling in a mini sized train with its small little windows and seats and typical chug-chug and woo-woo sounds is enough to get your bags packing to get a taste of one of these yourself, isn’t it?!

Scenic Train Rides

Hill stations are great places to get a wonderful panoramic view. Due to the altitude at which the trains are driven, they still use steam engines as properties of water and steam are least disturbed by the pressure differences and temperature. Some of the famous scenic train rides that take you sedately are:

Talgo: Madrid – Oviedo (Spain)
Bernina Express: Chur (Switzerland) – Tirano (Italy)
Kuranda Scenic Railway: Cairns, Queensland, Australia – Kuranda
Shivalik Express: Kalka – Shimla
The Goldenpass: Zurich – Geneva
Toy train of Darjeeling at Ghum

Some of the train rides connect hilly to sunny countries and some just take you around the aesthetically pleasing picturesque place.

Zoo Train Rides

Some zoos and animal sanctuaries have facilities for their tourists to view the animals in their natural habitats. For this, train rides are often arranged, which take you through the home grounds of lions, tigers, giraffe, deer, elephants and even birds. These lion train rides and tiger train rides can be compared to lion and tiger safaris. This is both exciting and informative.

Amusement Park Train Rides

This is another favorite kiddies’ ride in any amusement park. Children love to hop on to the toy train and have a happy joy train ride. According to history, the earliest amusement park ‘trains’ were actually nothing more than a trolley manned by couple of men. Then later came the steam engine operated trains and much later the electric trains. But to keep the legacy going, some amusement parks still have working steam engine driven trains.

Sometimes we need to slow down and go into a mellow mood to enjoy little things of life. Train rides give you an opportunity to do just that.

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Relax and Laze in the Lazy River Ride

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

If you love water theme parks, then the best way to relax yourself is by visiting a lazy river water ride to cool yourself off. Lazy river is a common water based ride seen in almost all amusement parks and even resorts, these days, due to their popularity. As the name suggests, the setup of this ride is a shallow river like water flow about 2.5 to 3.5 feet deep. The speed of the flow is just enough to keep you going around the ride gently sipping your favorite drink! This is one of the rides which is safe for kids too as the water is not too deep and the water current is friendly.

Inner-tube Rides in the Lazy River

Colorful inner tubes are the favorite mode of transportation for the lazy river rides. Grab an inner-tube, inflate it, pull is over you, set it around your waist and you are all set to glide. To add more ambiences to the ride, the ride’s path is made scenic so that enjoyment is not compromised. Also, artificial waves are added using machines to give the feel of a real river.

There is another version of the same ride, only that here you don’t float freely on the water. Here the person is towed to a speed boat or a motor boat and is dragged along the water for an adrenaline-pumping action. Of course, this won’t be a ‘lazy’ ride anymore.

I Don’t Have the Equipments for Tubing!

Not to worry. There are plenty of rental companies which charge you for renting inner-tubes and other equipment you might need for the ride. The tubes are commonly called as ‘doughnuts’ or sometimes ‘biscuits’ because of their resemblance to the earlier-mentioned confectioneries. They sound sweet, but are made of inflatable plastic.
You might want to check out this one for a holiday and click a happy picture of your entire family, tubing!

Lazy River Water Theme Parks

Outdoor lazy river rides

This usually consists of an outdoor water body, converted to suit the gentle rides. This might not be taking any course, but is essentially shallow with little waves. The structure is a natural one like the Guadalupe River, Texas.

Indoor Lazy river rides

Artificial shallow water courses are constructed as a part of huge theme parks. Water waves are created by machines and the ride ends as a slide or a common water pool. The most famous ones in this category are: Rapids Water Park, South Florida, Wa Tiki Water Park of Dakotas, and Sandcastle Water Park, England to name a few.

If all this has got you excited, then what are you waiting for? Book a ride for your family now and begin a relaxing float in the laziest river of all!

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Pendulum Dowsing – Instructions and Techniques

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Ever played the game ‘Let me guess the gender of your kids’ with friends? You used a chain, held over someone’s hands and if it oscillated, it was a boy and if it rotated it was a girl? Well, that was pendulum dowsing.

A pendulum is a swinging device made of crystal or metal hanging from a chain, which is hand held. Pendulum dowsing is a technique which is used by people to locate water, minerals, lost objects and even for predicting the future. It is an ancient art of divination and dates back to the 15th century where it was essentially used for locating metals and minerals. Today advanced techniques and equipments are available in the market and you can be a dowser too.

What’s the Science behind Pendulum Dowsing?

Energy is omnipresent. It is said that the pendulum acts as an antenna to pick up signals from the surrounding and transmits it to us, which is picked up as electrical signals by the brain. It is an equivocal question on how it actually works. But since this art is still prevailing, we can assume that pendulum dowsing does have some success rate. Albert Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci were some of the well known dowsers of the past century.

How to Become an Effective Pendulum Dowser?

To use the pendulum for proper dowsing, you need to follow the simple steps here:

Relax your mind; only then can you concentrate better.
The sub-conscious mind can neither perceive nor produce any information. So be alert.
Discard any disbelief that you might be harboring in your mind. This will only distract you more.
While holding the pendulum, do not try to make it swing. Let it take its own course.

With these simple steps, your mind is now ready to dowse. Let us look into the techniques of actual pendulum dowsing.
Pendulum Dowsing Techniques

To interpret the response of your pendulum, you need to do the following:

Take a sheet of paper and draw all the eight directions, clockwise and anti-clockwise direction arrows.
Take the pendulum in your hands, hold it by its string and give a good suspension length (1 foot – 3 feet). There is no specific length. Just suit yourself.
Now comes the difficult part. Look at the pendulum and ‘order’ it to rotate or swing. Do this using your mind power and will and not your fingers. Be honest with yourself while you are performing this.
Once you have successfully made your pendulum to dowse (which can take a while, even days to master) you can now move onto using the pendulum and interpreting its response for more serious reasons (predicting future, for self improvement, finding lost objects, locating deeper water veins, etc).

Pendulum dowsing is a divination art which if used properly can let you gain more positive vibes and let you live a quality life.

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Outdoor Water Slides – A Fun Way to Keep Cool

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Come vacations and there you are, helplessly planning on how to keep your kids engaged. Vacations are gala times for families to get-together, especially kids. Outdoor water slides are great way to begin your fun-fare with family. Get those swimsuits on and jump on the slides for a splashing time!

Outdoor Water Slides for Home

Who doesn’t love the splashing water cooling you off with each drop? If you have a big enough backyard to fit a slide and a few over-enthusiastic kids assisted by adults, of course, you might want to save the extra dollars by buying your children an inflatable outdoor water slide, instead of a holiday at Disneyland. And for this, all you need is a pump or a blower to inflate the rubber slide and loads of water.

These differ in size and type. Some are for toddlers and others for young kids. There are huge varieties to choose from. There are double slides, twisting slides, tunnel slides, cartoon-themed slides and so on. Some are as tall as 8 ft and offer a smooth sliding with as little spilling as possible. While some give a crazier splashy ride from the top. They are made from approved materials. Hence, it is perfectly safe if your little one loves to take a bite of the outdoor water slide.

If you have a swimming pool, then you can buy an outdoor water slide without the pool setup. Your kids can slide and take a dip directly into the shallow region of your swimming pool, thereby saving you some bucks.

Pros are:

Low maintenance cost
Safer than life size rides
Safe for toddlers

Cons are:

Most likely, it might lie idle after vacations

Is It Affordable?

Yes. The price range is ~ $100 – $500, depending upon the ‘facilities’ in the slides. Below is a comprehensive list of outdoor water slides and their price tags.

Outdoor water slide                                          Price
Swimming pool water slide                            $ 100.90
Inflatable pool fun slide                                  $ 125.00
Banzai Falls original Water Slide                  $ 225.00
Sportscraft Aquawave II                                 $ 249.00
Kidwise Double slide                                         $ 359.00
Banzai The Plunge Water slide                       $ 349.99
Sun Searcher Inflatable Water slide            $359.99
Kidwise Big surf Residential                            $ 469.00
Banzai Big Curve Plunge slide                         $ 479.00
Banzai Drop Zone Water slide                        $ 498.54

There are lots more to this, but if you feel this is lot more than what you had planned for, you can always go for hiring a water slide just for the holidays. The hiring cost comes down quite a bit and can always fit your budget.
Enjoy the summer at home, giving your kids the unique experience of water slides and get their heart racing! Buy or hire an outdoor water slide now and watch your kids having time of their life!

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Moon Bike Rides – A Moment with Nature

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Moon bike rides are common for the bicycle enthusiasts. Some do it for fun, some for a cause and some just to knock those extra pounds off their bodies. Moon bike rides can be a great way for a family outing, when the moon is full and out bright with the breeze blowing just right. That is almost like a poem!

Full Moon Bike Rides

Once a month, when the moon is all white and generous with its moonlight, bikers pedal away as groups to enjoy the night beauty of Mother Nature. There are many clubs which offer such rides throughout the year. Here are some gears you will need for moon bike rides:

1.A good bicycle, preferably with gears in case you decide to try out varied terrains
2.A sturdy helmet, which you are advised to wear at all times
3.A flash light (a must)
4.A map
5.Water bottle. You lose loads of minerals during biking.
6.Bike repairing tools
7.Good knowledge of repairing bike glitches, such as punctures.

If you are going alone, carry a cell phone/hand phone for safety. If you are going as group of 2 or more, then you may want to try slow biking so that you can ride and talk at the same time.

Chase the Moon Midnight Bike Ride

This moon bike ride is being done with a cause. It was started by Pam Bellm and Ed Bonifas in 2003 at Fox Valley. They wanted to bring meaning to the society through these rides and hence they came up with the idea for the Chase the Moon Midnight Bike Ride.

Each year during the month of July, huge numbers of bikers come together and start on a bike ride right at the stroke of midnight from the Marmion Academy, Fox valley. They return the next day early morning back to the academy.

The fund collected from the bikers is donated for various causes each year. The first year’s collections, which were over $15,000, went for the girl scouts, the second year’s collection for the boy scouts and on its third year funds were flowing from everywhere and the Ride needed someone to manage their financials. It was then they chose their beneficiary, the Conservation Foundation.

For more details, you can visit The Chase the Moon Midnight Bike Ride’s website where you can get details regarding the next moon bike ride, where to register, route-map, etc. They can also be found on Facebook.

Following these revolutionary riders’ footstep, or rather, ‘tire-tracks’, let us too try to make some difference on the planet. Let us bike and conserve resources. Save Earth!

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Mini Jeep Rides for Kids

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Mine jeeps are new age version of electric cars. They are designed to give your kid a head start in a skill considered necessary these days – driving. These toy vehicles are ideal for kids from 4 yrs to 12 yrs. Some mini jeeps are built to hold one adult and one kid so that the parents can have an eye on their toddler while he/she is going wild with enthusiasm!

Mini Jeep Rides at Amusement Parks

Mini jeeps never fail to attract attention in parks which are now-a-days biased towards teen and adult oriented rides. For children, a ride in their own car is more fun than going around in a merry go round. To seize the market, modern trailblazing mini jeeps have come up with amazing new features and safety measures. Boy, these kids do have their own way!

Features of Mini Jeeps

Battery operated
Roomy and double seated
Speed: 2.5 – 5 mph
Reverse gear
Real FM Radio
Plastic body
Available with remote control

Comprehensive List of Mini Jeeps and their Price

Brand
Features & Price

Jeep® Wrangler

http://www.bestpricetoyssale.com/images/Fisher-Price-Firerock-Jeep-Wrangler.jpg

Power Lock® Brakes
Runs on 6V battery
Remote controllable
Speed: 3.5 mph max. forward and reverse
Special Wheels to avoid getting stuck in grass and mud
Max weight:65lb (29.5 kg)
For ages 2 to 6 yrs
$ 220.00

Barbie™ Jammin’ Jeep® Wrangler

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=900004&e=storeProduct&pid=54715

Power Lock® Brakes
Runs on 12V battery
Remote controllable
FM Radio
2 speeds: 2.5 and 5 mph
One speed reverse
Special Wheels to avoid getting stuck in grass and mud
Max weight:130lb (59 kg)
For ages 3+
$ 270.00

Kawasaki Brute Force ®

http://www.proarmor.com/store/images/Kawasaki-Brute-Force-750-KVF-750–05-large.gif

Ford F 150 Monster Traction

http://images.hayneedle.com/mgen/master:FPC064.jpg

Monster TractionTM drive system
Runs on 12V battery
FM Radio
2 speeds: 2.5 and 5 mph
One speed reverse
Cup holder, low batt. Indicator, roomy truck bed
Special Wheels to avoid getting stuck in grass and mud
Max weight:130lb (59 kg)
Double seated
For ages 3+
$ 350.00

Jeep® Hurricane with Monster Traction™

http://batterypoweredrideontoys.net/res/img/ultimate_00000.jpg

Monster TractionTM drive system
Runs on 12V battery
FM Radio
2 speeds: 2.5 and 5 mph
One speed reverse
Cup holder, adjustable seat
Power wheels TM
Max weight:130lb (59 kg)
Power Lock® Brakes
Double Seated
For ages 3+
$ 436.00

Go ahead and get your kids one of these for Christmas or birthday or simply as a surprise. They will cherish it lifelong!

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Kids’ Rides – The Electric Car

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Electric cars are cars driven by stored up electricity or batteries. They are a huge hit with the environment friendly citizens who want to make a difference. They are not the only fans. Kids love cars too. In fact, if you have young kids, they would have definitely demanded for a car of their own at some point of your life time. Electric cars are great way to develop eye-hand coordination.

Kids can have their way now. With advancement in technology, many kiddies version electric cars have come up in the market. They go through loads of tests and stringent specifications to make sure your tiny tot is safe in his/her ride.
These days many day care center and amusement parks have kids cars to keep them engaged under adult supervision.

Features of Kids Electric Cars

They are battery operated and come in more than 500 different designs and colors.
They are usually available in 36 volt (36V), 24 volt, 12 volt and 6 volt battery power.
Single and double seated versions with safety belts
Rubber tires for firm grip and noiseless drive
Real time accelerators which increase the acceleration a wee bit letting your child experience a unique drive.
Speed: 2mph – 5 mph
Best for kids older than 2 yrs of age.

Kids Electric Car – Price Range

Brand
Features
Age-group
Price
Fisher Price
Voltage: 6V, 12V
Speed: 2 to 5 mph

6V: 1 – 2 yrs
12V: 6 – 12yrs
$150 to $430
Groupe Berchet
Voltage: 6V, 12V
Speed: 2 to 5 mph

2 – 5 yrs
$350 to $750
MicroMotorX
Voltage: 6V, 12V
Speed: 3 mph

1 -3 yrs
$100 – $200
INJUSA
Voltage: 6V, 12V
Speed: 4.3 mph
1-2 yrs
Available only on request: sales@injusa.com

Electric Cars at Amusement Parks

Although the new age amusements parks have become increasingly teen and adult oriented, there are still fun rides reserved for tiny tots. Electric car rides and bumping car rides are some of the favorites.

Bumping car ride is an amusing version of the usual car ride where the cars are wheel-less and are driven by electricity. There is a steering wheel and an accelerator but no brake. Hence, the only way to come to a stop is by bumping onto one another! The area is kept small and the cars more. This way, you can be rest assured of bumping all the way.

There again is an adult version of this. For kids’ version, the impact of bumping is almost nothing, so that your child enjoys the ride and doesn’t bruise himself/herself during the ride.

Next time your kid cries for a car, give him/her a bumping ride of their life at an amusement park or gift them an electric car from the wide varieties to choose from.

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