These Are Trying Times...

An awful long absence has been broken, and in these trying times, we are shocked to see what is becoming of the US under a new notorious president. Science and human rights have been threatened. History has taken a back seat to potential repetition. And adding to the start of a Second Cold War, we wonder...

...how will Epcot Center survive the next four years? Will it be able to survive the next eight years?

Hence this is why WOL4EVA is inviting many of our readers to come over and discuss in the comments section

<blockquote>If the President were to have control over Epcot, what exhibits or attractions will he put up? Whats the worst thing that can happen?</blockquote>

While all we can do is speculate, this is what this post is for. In fact, WOL4EVA has decided to open up discussion because the right way is to unite. However, it's best to discuss in civility as always; hate only breeds hell.

So hang in there, all.

 

STOP PRESS: An interesting Link for a Next Gen Wonders...

Hello there, readers! After stumbling on this post on Tumblr, this one is a rather interesting link to do with a possible idea for a next generation Wonders of Life, and one which well fits in Future World, as quoted below:

"My idea: The Future of Humans Sure, lets consider this. I believe (don’t quote me on this) that the infrastructure for Body Wars still remains in that building. Why not instead of looking at how human life currently operates, why not theme the pavilion around the future of human existence? "

You can have a peek at one of the interesting ideas at this link: http://ryanmeerdo.tumblr.com/post/24089024143/blue-sky-what-to-do-with-wonders-of-life Resuming normal transmission in three, two...

Footsteps - You! The Experience

Welcome back, readers, and in another issue of Footsteps, we focus on another state of the art exhibit, already mentioned a little way back in this blog as an exhibit of interest, and even for its release a couple of years ago, it still has the inspirational appeal of what Wonders would have jumped for if it was given another chance.
You! The Experience is a successful interactive exhibit, as hosted by the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, and  focuses on the concept of life and health in an expansive take - ranging from the mind and body, through to healthy choices, through to medical innovations, and even in depth to a personal level. Again, because the exhibit is continentally away from my main blogging quarters (*SIGH*), I shall start with a brief summary of the exhibits primary highlights:

• Your Mind - portraying the mind as the "...main generator of the thoughts, emotions and decisions that can affect your health in big and subtle ways", this part of the exhibit covers the self-portrait (how we see ourselves), as well as techniques to attract our attention (for instance, in advertising), and even an interactive 'brain exploration' game under augmented reality.
  
  
  

  More written information on this technological exhibit of the brain: Augmented Reality - Brain Interactive



• Your Appetite - encouraging people to be concious of what they feed their bodies, this exhibit is hands-on, especially in fields on comparing different common snack choices (which one is healthier?) and even what's really in their snacks.


• Your Heart - Considered the most iconic exhibit landmark of the Museum, it is a 13-foot tall 3D interactive animation, and shows many views of the heart, inside and out. Guests can interact by sending over their pulse - the heart on display will beat in time with theirs. Here's a brief video from their official website:
  
  
  


• Your Beginning - In my humble opinion, if 'The Making of Me' had its own interactive exhibit, but with more artistic merit - this exhibit consists of an interactive display following a mother adjusting to a growing baby during pregnancy, through to a collection of preserved human embryo/fetuses, each per stage of development.
  


• Your Vitality - they say that overall health is closely linked to quality of life, so this section is to do with the little things that can help your overall health. The iconic Laugh Garden is the cornerstone of the exhibit (and the epitome of laughter as the best medicine), as well as an engaging game of mindball, in which guests compete against each other trying to move the ball the furthest - the more relaxed the person, the higher chance of succeeding.


• Your Movement - this section inspires guests to be more physically active in life, regardless of their age or state of health - this ranges through to the assisting (a "sports personality quiz" to help pick which activity you'll enjoy), through to the interactive (the 'hamster wheel' and the motion-capture screen installations)
  


• Medical Innovations (ft. iStan®) - the name says it all, this section focuses on the high tech aspects of medical developments (which would have filled the niche for what Frontiers in Medicine), from the bionic, through to medical imaging, and even to some life-changing high tech procedures. Also featuring iStan®, a Human Patient Simulator unit, capable of exhibiting realistic symptoms of medical crises.


• Your Future - now this part of the exhibit takes an intrapersonal look at how we see ourselves, whether physically (the interactive 'aging' simulation portraits), through to the mental (the interests, hopes and dreams, organised into your very own online bucket-list) and even the experiences of others (from the experiences of centenerians through to your opportunity to contribute a fragment of your life story)

The reason why I cite this exhibit in this blog article is due to its innovative nature; you may recall much earlier in the blog that there is mention of the exhibit as a primary source of inspiration for hypothesising what Wonders would have strived to be had it remained alive and nurtured, rather than shuttered and sentenced into oblivion. In fact, comparing the aesthetics of the Wonders of Life as it was presented since 1989, as well as that of You! The Experience, it seems that the latter has more aesthetic updated potential that Wonders would have pled for (but nobody listened.) Even some components of the exhibit would have inspired me to organize Wonders attractions by group (see Operation Imagineer for a little more understanding), among a few more things.

But honestly, being the distant blogger I am, I do not have the access to try the exhibit in person, so I am inviting you bloggers to leave a comment with regards to You! The Experience, and how it would have helped Wonders of Life still into visitors eyes.

Noting that this summary article is only a page in the book, here are some resources and external blog articles if you would like some more information, or some more pictorial evidence on each of the featured attractions and their technologies.

• Pernot and Tatlin (2010) Pernot and Tatlin » You! the Experience. [online] Available at: http://pernotandtatlin.com/?p=91 [Accessed: 17 May 2012]. 
• The Voice Of Silence (2011) REPORT on “YOU!, THE EXPERIENCE” Exhibit
  at MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY. [online] Available at:
  http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/report-on-you-experience-exhibit-at.html
  [Accessed: 18 May 2012].
• Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (2009) Museum of Science and Industry | YOU! The Experience. [online] Available at: http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/ [Accessed: 21 May 2012].

If you have any information or experiences with the above exhibit (what do you think of it?) or have a request for an externally based human body/health/wellbeing centered exhibit that you would like WOL4EVA to cover, feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time, readers!

Footsteps - Sportsworks exhibit

To the bloggers new to reading the blog, welcome. And for those who are here following the blog on its various research and travels, welcome back. In Footsteps, we investigate a selection of exhibits outside EPCOT territory... which, for some apparent inspirational (and unintentional) reason, decided to follow in the footsteps of the Wonders of Life pavilion. And this first article issue will cover a particular exhibit which, must I confess, is apparently one closest to my resident city from where I am writing. Where in the world is the exhibit I'm writing about?

Image at  http://recollections.nma.gov.au/issues/vol_1_no_2/commentary/museum_victoria/  

It's in here, at a science museum somewhere in the city of Melbourne, Australia, which I'd like to introduce you to ScienceWorks. Basically, the ScienceWorks museum, as with the case of other science and hands-on museums some of you may have been to, appear to be very popular with school children, and I can recall going there within my primary school grades 5 and 6 individually. My last trip so far there was in 2007, when an exhibit on the science of movie special effects and the use of animatronic components in films was going on. Also, for overseas readers in Australia, and particularly the Melbourne area, who can recall visiting the museum as a kid (or most likely a parent) would have took notice at some of the changes in coming subsequent visits. Exhibits come and go, but believably for variety reasons, this could mean that EPCOT is not necessarily alone on the changes (for either negative or positive reasons... either  way.) But enough about the visit nostalgia...

The entrance to Scienceworks' niche attraction of Wonder's Fitness Fairgrounds exhibit, Sportsworks
[Photo found here]

As part of its array of 'permanent' exhibits, Sportsworks largely focuses on the science of human physiology behind one of our well known pasttimes and current activities - sports. And keeping in touch with the hands-on element that we see in some of Wonder's fitness related exhibits (Fitness Fairgrounds, Coach's Corner...), Sportsworks has manages one step further (and larger) with a selection of various activities related to fitness, exercise and sports in general. For instance, Sportsworks has a selection of fitness test activities, which allow visitors to test their abilities - their balance, lifting, tugging and jumping, etc. abilities. Last time I visited with my family (awww!), I recall picking up a leaflet which allowed you to fill in the results, and what you did after filling them in, you fed them into a computer and it would calculate the results.

Just some of the hands-on exhibits in Sportsworks.
In fact, school programs revolve around the museum. Photo seen on  http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-news/2010/school-partnerships-at-scienceworks/ 

The west exhibit entrance, with the skeletal cyclist model suspended in midair; snowboard simulator and other displays. Photo seen on http://www.flickr.com/photos/nove_hartanto/1003537672/

Visitors have the opportunity to race against one of Australia's iconic athletic sprinters in sports history, Cathy Freeman.

 Also, with regards to the other activities on offer, there are some interesting activities. for instance, the interactive jogging track (while dated by technological standards) allows visitors to test their sprinting skills against well known track athletes. Other hands on activities include the rock climbing wall, and even simulation games to do with kayaking, snowboarding and (last time I glanced), an immersive game where users play 'goalie' and defend their soccer goalpost by catching the soccer balls as they fly by. How's that for stimulating?

From local news article slideshow, "Fun and Chaos at Scienceworks", accessible at http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/09/05/3310304.htm

But enough about the description. What I discovered during the research that Fitness Fairgrounds and Coach's Corner, by today's standards, would have literally fainted in comparison to Sportsworks from one of Australia's iconic science museums. It's actually confirmed, thanks to personal experience as a kid (regardless of where it is) that these hands on exhibits are popular with kids, young and old. Had Wonders hung on for much longer, let alone be raised back to life, it would prove plausible to consider a similar setup for the new look Fitness Fairgrounds and Coach's Corner sections. 

Of course, apart from the science of the body, the exhibit actually gives visitors another kind of education - mathematics, measurement and the technology behind sports. In fact, the fitness activity tests included a height and weight chart for statistical purposes. From there, visitors have estimated, counted and measured their way into the fitness activities, even making their way into school programs. Oh, the far cry when EPCOT once was graced by local schools in its heyday...

...moving on. However, this exhibit isn't the only one that demonstrates science behind sport, physiology and everything else in this category. Believe it or not, depending on where the last time you visited a science museum was, you may have encountered a sports exhibit similar to this one. The Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh of the US, has a similarly titled sports exhibit in the science center - Highmark Sportsworks, and there is an entire gallery of photos from the exhibit opening if you're curious.

Also, some more information over at  http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/highmark-sportsworks/   

And that actually is it for the first run of Footsteps, ready for another lap for another type of exhibit. If you're interested in what could have been the next steps to frame up the fitness corner of a WOL gone by, feel free to stop by over at:

• Possibilities: A Greater Race Ahead, following the interactive jogging track activity similarly mentioned here

For the visitors on this page, I shall leave you with a question:

"If you have recently been to a sports exhibit in a science museum, where was it, what was its name, and how was it for you?"

Simply leave a heartfelt, nostalgic or interesting answer, (or even a creative response) in the comments section BELOW. Anywho, for those reading this, I would like to give thanks, and I recommend you stay tuned for the next post within WOL4EVA.

Until next time, readers!

To the Google+ Users...

Recently, thanks to a lot of thought and convincing, I have finally decided to give WOL4EVA a fanpage for Google+ users. You may have noticed the G+ icon on the top-left corner of the site below the banner, and it'll take you to that fanpage there. While the intention of this fanpage is to bring in more visitors (groan, well overdone) it's also an opportunity for you all to discuss the content as well as memories, even photos and little anecdotes pertaining to memories of the pavilion.

For those who have a Google+, the link to the fanpage is located here. For the rest who don't have one primarily, don't worry. It's still business as usual for WOL4EVA, documenting the possibilities, Imagineering simulations and even a few bits of interesting things from time to time.

Until then, we now return to normal transmission...

Introducing Footsteps

Fellow blog readers, welcome to the very first post in the Footsteps series of this blog. Basically, what the Footsteps section is designed to do is to investigate the external exhibits outside WoL's borders (and then even outside the Disney World territory) that by comparative standards, would have taken a leaf from the book and filled the void of an otherwise forgotten aspect of the future. Of course, I am not going to accuse whoever's doing them of blatantly ripping off or 'stalking' the pavilion (no, no, no), but to basically introduce you to some other exhibits, serving as companions to the other exhibits, and basically to allow you to evaluate them.

To start off with, I'm basically going to start you off with something... first of all, I'll be writing about a similar-niche museum, situated in an exhibit in my country and nearest city. As I may recall, you can safely assume my family doesn't have the advantage to go on an overseas holiday, let alone Disney World in its prime. Now, I understand that while the educational side of EPCOT Center was what made it stand out, it just did not go well with some vacationers (the kind who doesn't like learning new things on holiday. Zzzzz...) And hence it changed to cater to new generations, almost to the expense of the educational aspects (well, at least according to the early EPCOT veterans).

For some reason, the rise of 'edutainment' with regards to exhibits designed to entertain is not necessarily confined to Mouse territory. Across science museums across the country, there are already museum exhibits designed to entertain and educate their patrons. A little like following in the footsteps of, yes, EPCOT Center. Therefore, this section of the blog would contain a few written articles on a selection of science museum exhibits, which for some reason, may have followed this principle to a new level. Of course, had the Wonders of Life pavilion chose to follow in their footsteps in a bid to cater to a changing audience (yet still retain the charm), then we would not have lost it in the first place.

And hence this new section of the blog. I have my selections of exhibits that could have currently filled in the niche of what Wonders have left behind in its disappearance, but if you have any other exhibit (well, fitting into this category) that you've currently been into, and which you would like me to write about, then feel free to write a comment after the blog post.

Until next time, readers!

And tonight's post is sponsored by...

For those of you who are familiar with the Occupy(XandY) movement, here's a similar one with regards to a photographic movement - #OccupyDisneyWorld. Surely it doesn't really involve the actual occupation and fighting for justice, but these photo snaps definitely sum this up. For instance, this:

Emphasize that: Free Buzzy. There's also an entire FaceBook page dedicated to the photo-involved movement, designed to give people the voice. you said right: the OccupyWaltDisneyWorld Facebook page. Also, speaking of Free Buzzy, next time you're in WDW, don't be afraid to weep for him. Loudly. No matter how everyone reacts.

Possibility 5: A Greater Race Ahead

Welcome back, readers, and hopefully, an eyecleanser after a dose of weirdness on the blog. In the last possibility post, there is a potential idea that would have given the Fitness Fairgrounds a decent resurrection (had it happened), in one way or another. In order to take the idea to the starting blocks, it is only fair to investigate its history beforehand.

As some of you would have known (or not), Fitness Fairgrounds was a selection of recreational activities to get people involved with the joys of fitness, and investigating their role in health habits. Some of those included the Wonder Cycles, and the demonstrative Coach's Corner, as seen below:

These images found at the LOST EPCOT Wonders of Life Picture Gallery

From Japan with... Guts... Flashy Guts...

Onto now, our journey into the most interesting parts of the internet, whether it's from home grown fanart and in-joke humor, to occasionally our circle of weirdness outside our realm. Especially if it's one that sparks the interest (as long as nobody gets ideas from them!)

For some apparent reason, there's nothing like an educational song-and-dance (no, literally!) with regards to the one focus on human anatomy that gets the kids giggling. The digestive process. I'm sure most of you have been through enough science class to know exactly what's going on through there, from the dinner table to, uhm... no, no... you know what, maybe if I just...

Okay. Moving on. Now, most of you have heard of songs that teach kids about the digestive tract, but as far as finds are concerned, here's one found from Japan, which you can view after the beep!

Happy Birthday, Walt Disney World!

As I am writing this blog article, we are officially on our way to WDW's 40th anniversary, and make that the Magic Kingdom's birthday celebration. Surely, the Magic Kingdom has seen many shifts in histories - with certain attractions being dropped off (Alien Encounter, 20,000 Leagues, Toontown anyone?) and with a few more being added onto the list (the Fantasyland expansion, opening to the public in little modules from January to May 2012), but it's no surprise that October is by far the most influential month in regards to Disney's history.

For a few reasons: October 1st is the birthdate shared by two of WDW's most famous parks - Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center, respectively in the years 1971 and 1982. Largely these parks put Orlando, Florida on the map as the theme park county in all of Florida (well, give or take a few), and these were the lasting legacies of Walt Disney since his loss in 1966.

Also, October, in regards to specific attractions, marked the birthmonth of some of EPCOT's icons, and even a twist and turn in its history that changed EPCOT Center forever. October 1st 1983 marked Horizon's opening to the public, and it became an integral part of EPCOT's Future World - it literally tied what Future World back than offered to the park's guests and gave us the known tagline If we can dream it, we can do it. Also, on October 31st 1989 (although a preview test opening happened on October 19th or somewhereafter), the Wonders of Life officially opened to the public, and in success, it changed EPCOT's history forever.

There were successes back then, but as time progressed, we were facing failures and facepaws. EPCOT saw the loss of its prized attractions, thanks to the many changes in science and technology, and not to mention public demand of what the public wanted (you, Body Wars rider, this means you back there!!!), led to a few wrong turns (according to some people attached to the old side of EPCOT) and even some perceived cases of near-neglect for the poor Wonders of Life pavilion. From here, we mourn the loss of these attractions, and especially the Wonders of Life pavilion, for what some of us perceive them as: the most successfuly milestones of EPCOT (and Wonders of Life) history.

So to celebrate, I have opened a Tumblr blog showcasing some good photos of the Wonders of Life pavilion, and it's at WOL4EVA in Pictures. Also, it's your turn for you to mention your most fond memory of the Wonders of Life pavilion at the site. Best wishes for this wonderful month!

As Seen in WDWNT Magazine Armchair Imagineering!

Now most of you haven't noticed as of yet a few potential Imagineering suggestions for the Wonders of Life pavilion, but this one is sure to raise a few eyebrows. As part of a segment written by Michael Truskowski (thanks!), this one focuses on what he would do for reimagineering the Wonders of Life pavilion. Featured in issue 7 of the WDWNT online magazine, just remember to scroll down to the Armchair Imagineering section to have a look.
Once again, thanks to WDWNT for picking up Wonders of Life as a potential armchair imagineering candidate!

EDIT: Link has been updated. Don't forget to have a look at WDWNT The Magazine for some more upcoming issues. You will enjoy them as much as I did!