4/21: Return to Flash Mountain

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by KevinYee

I'm going to split a couple of hairs here, and I *think* we'll end up on the same page.

Kevin.. I think what you are driving at is in the old form... only those who were press or authors got PUBLISHED - now anyone gets 'published' because they publish themselves on the web. That is where the line blurs. No longer does being published infer it comes with some sort of expectation or integrity of information.

Al is probably closer to an 'author' then he is a reporter. He's more then just a blogger, because he's not just regurgitating other people's information (which most blogs simply are) but at the same time he's not holding himself to the standards of journalism either. By choice he wants to play commentary and news at the same time. He freely choses to be in a position that denies him certain respect and credibility - but in return gives him latitude to do as he pleases.

The only person associated with this site I'd call (or defend as) a reporter is Darkbeer.

Not because he never posts commentary or opinion - but that its usually very well distinguished from the news and he's not simply reposting other people's news.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by lazyboy97O

This email got me thinking. If a picture of a minor flashing did get displayed, would Disney be guilty of distributing child pornography?

People have been indicted and jailed for much less around here. Simply intercepting a 'sexting' text message and retaining it (purely for retension/follow-up) has been enough to get school people here jailed.

[Browncoat]

I call BS on the cutting of the picture screening.

It can't save them any money for doing it. the "Edit Room" position (as we CMs call it) is at least 1 hour out of your shift. it's not a scheduled position that you can request or are assigned to.

1 hour. sometimes in a 8 hour shift you'll have 2. sometimes none. but it's not a specialty training, its not a position in a store to work. it's strictly at least 1 hour in a shift to screen the photos then you're bumped out by the next person going in.

BS Al. BS.


Tower of Terror, Space Mountain and California Screamin' are all keeping theirs, why's Splash any different?

[aduecey]

Originally Posted by Ride Warrior

If Jeanie's the blond in the first seat, I want her phone number. Do you think it will be included in the "booya skeleton's" RFID memory tag?

Well if booya skeleton knows their names, i'm sure a clever employee could trace that information back to the filled our questionare or possibly the family credit card used to pay for the days admission. From there it couldn't be that hard to get a phone number or address. I'm sure this must be a very exciting time for stalkers! lol
But seriously though dude, Ralph and Jeanie have a beautiful family (even when you include the one daughter i forgot to count) and I would hate to see you break that up.

[GrumpyFan]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

That would kind of take away the point of cutting that position from a price perspective as the patrolman would most likely cost more than the CM checking pictures.

Actually, since they're already in the park, and being paid, it costs nothing to have them randomly go to this position and watch for violators. They could also have Disney security do it, and just escort the violators out of the park. However, I highly doubt they'll do either.

[vfire]

MC and Al's columns certainly qualify as citizen journalism. There is no licensing system for journalists in the US. Your local manicurist has more licensing than any journalist. No journalist is unbiased, and no article in any newspaper is without bias. The return to a partisan press without the false idol of "objectivity" is a refreshing harkening back to the roots of journalism itself. Al's biases are upfront, and therefore easy to ignore or dismiss at a reader's discretion.

That some here would prefer to suppress the news is frightening. With this news seeing light, that CM screening photos at Spash will most probably still have a job.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

It can't save them any money for doing it. the "Edit Room" position (as we CMs call it) is at least 1 hour out of your shift. it's not a scheduled position that you can request or are assigned to.

Originally Posted by GrumpyFan

Actually, since they're already in the park, and being paid, it costs nothing to have them randomly go to this position and watch for violators

Having to dedicate a resource to do it costs them money - even if it's not a dedicated shift. The 1 hr you are not working somewhere else needs to be covered capacity wise from where you came.

You cover this with scale today... but it's no different from a lunch break. Lunch may only be an half hour or hour out of your day.. but that time you are not doing what you did before, as long as that position is still needed, your capacity needs to be covered.

In retail you simply cover this by using more bodies floating amoung shared positions - so any one absence does not cause a particular 'service' (such as a register) to just stop while a person is away.

[Browncoat]

It's not covered capacity wise though, at least at Scream Cam. it takes 3 people to run the store as there are 2 working registers there and 2 working registers that I know of in Owl.

2 CMs to man the registers and 1 in the back for the hour, then they're bumped out and the cycle continues.

The only capacity filling thats done is by the assigned breaker, which is a scheduled daily shift, to cover lunchs, breaks, etc for ALL the stores in the zone.

Tower is kind of the same way, though there are more CM's there in general to cover the store.

Space I believe is similar, though I've never worked there.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

It's not covered capacity wise though, at least at Scream Cam. it takes 3 people to run the store as there are 2 working registers there and 2 working registers that I know of in Owl.

2 CMs to man the registers and 1 in the back for the hour, then they're bumped out and the cycle continues.

Yes, and if there were only 2 people.. you couldn't cover all three stations, no matter how short the shift is. Which is the point.. the amount of time spent there isn't really relevant - it's that you have three stations that require staff.

The capacity overbuild is shared across other responsibilities (like breaks and lunch) like you said... but the same thing applies. If you made the break person cover an additional hour in your shop, that's one hour they aren't somewhere else. These time slots add up and you add staff to allow people to shift, take breaks, rotate, etc.

In scheduling you 'over-subscribe' in this nature to cover gaps, breaks, etc. You don't say '4 shops, 3 cash registers = 12 CMs'.

[monotonehell]

"Go-go dancers"

Hrmm.

[BassBone]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

I call BS on the cutting of the picture screening.

It can't save them any money for doing it. the "Edit Room" position (as we CMs call it) is at least 1 hour out of your shift. it's not a scheduled position that you can request or are assigned to.

1 hour. sometimes in a 8 hour shift you'll have 2. sometimes none. but it's not a specialty training, its not a position in a store to work. it's strictly at least 1 hour in a shift to screen the photos then you're bumped out by the next person going in.

BS Al. BS.


Tower of Terror, Space Mountain and California Screamin' are all keeping theirs, why's Splash any different?

According to a current CM I know, it is true that they're eliminating all image screening positions. I doubt this change will be permanent, though.

[Browncoat]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Yes, and if there were only 2 people.. you couldn't cover all three stations, no matter how short the shift is. Which is the point.. the amount of time spent there isn't really relevant - it's that you have three stations that require staff.

The capacity overbuild is shared across other responsibilities (like breaks and lunch) like you said... but the same thing applies. If you made the break person cover an additional hour in your shop, that's one hour they aren't somewhere else. These time slots add up and you add staff to allow people to shift, take breaks, rotate, etc.

In scheduling you 'over-subscribe' in this nature to cover gaps, breaks, etc. You don't say '4 shops, 3 cash registers = 12 CMs'.

well played Flynn...well played.

I understand that. I'm very much speaking from a biased position having worked those locations and knowing how our system works.

It just seems so asinine of a move for them to make that it just boggles my mind to an unfathomable degree.

My roommate (who currently works in those stores) informed me that she hasn't heard any of this news announced backstage, at least at Scream Cam. I know it's not 100% accurate, though a HUGE move like this would have caused some rumbling by now since the deadline is so close.

[flynnibus]

I would assume Disney doesn't need to make a big deal with lots of notice internally for such a shift. Just update the store's op guidelines with their managers, trainers and leads on their staffing procedures. I'm sure it's something they could do on just a week or more notice - because people don't have really pick up anything new.. just stop doing something

But I'll echo myself and others - the risk exposure is way too high for such a small gain. If anything maybe there becomes a power struggle on who is forced to fund/supply these positions in the future between attractions and the other departments.

Or maybe Disney could take a technology solution and pool resources by longhauling all this work to a fixed location and having a side group just do this work. The problem here is, the image editing work is probably pretty stressful in terms of fatigue and why they keep the position on rotation. But maybe the volume is at a level where one person can service multiple attractions if it were centralized.

[Browncoat]

i wouldnt say it causes fatigue really. it's a very simple position. you sit in a room with a computer monitor, and click delete if someone does something offensive. on Screamin', you had one car to view for 6 seconds before it went to the next car in that train. on Spalsh, you had almost a minute between logs.

The managers would supply a radio to listen to while you were in there as the humming of the computer servers did get a bit annoying and loud, though most of us snuck in iPods.

typically we all valued our "Edit Room" time as it was the only time we could really rest on stage in some nice air conditioning.

[ucube]

Oh come on...who cares about the boobies!
It's better if the kids see that kind of stuff.
Did you forget about the internet?
There are bigger things to worry about!

Tomorrowland Terrace...HOORAY!
I remember those days when it was hoppin!
Bring it back! Bring it back!

Bummer about the monorails.

GOOD ARTICLE AL!

(and relax about the breasts people...it's just your body!)