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81 Comments on Final Times for Coney Island’s Astroland

  1. cohnjoyne

    I’m jealous of your creativity and the platform you have to show it off…

    and oh, yeah, I’m FIRST!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  2. ose of the most original casual firdays to date. well done.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  3. how did you do that? multiple layers, each clip cropped? thanks. i’ve never been to Coney Island!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  4. Darryl

    Very nice. perfect for a rainy NYC morning’s viewing.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  5. leron

    I’m not a huge fan of the montage effect but the report stirred me nonetheless. I think I was 5 when I went to Astroland for the first time. It has not changed much.

    I will do what I can to go back before it shuts its doors forever in September. Anyone who has never been there should consider doing so too. It’s like walking back in time to an era when garish paint and a rumbling wood coaster, right near the ocean on the fringe of that spectacular city, made magic. Toss in a couple of Nathan’s hot dogs (mustard and kraut) and you’re damn near standing at the gates of heaven.

    When the greedheads start ripping it down in the fall, we will never see the likes of it again.

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Unfortunately it will go the way of the Long Beach Pike, couldn’t get enough of that rumbling wood roller coaster either.

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. leron

        I hear you.

        Nothing last forever. But we are really closing a chapter this time.

        Kam, meet me on the boardwalk this summer and I\’ll spring for lunch. And cotton candy too. That\’ll pretty much make up for the $900 airfare, huh?

        Same offer applies to Joanne, Drew et al. Cotton candy for all. It tastes 10 times as good with an ocean breeze behind it. Savor its sweetness while you can.

        5 years ago  ∞
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      2. Kam

        Never had a $900 hot dog before & I do loves cotton candy.

        5 years ago  ∞
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      3. leron

        Hey, Travelocity\’s got Hilo to LGA in July for $852! Now you can\’t say no.

        5 years ago  ∞
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      4. Kam

        omg, 8 more + & I reach 100, why? I have no idea but cool, thanx.
        later people

        5 years ago  ∞
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      5. Kam

        very funny, so let’s see if I can get back to 0!

        5 years ago  ∞
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      6. Congratulations Kam You’ve just won “The Plus Man Award….expect a giant plus on your doorstep….maybe a bronze plus…let us know…you wacky Hawiian

        + K + K = K+

        5 years ago  ∞
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      7. Kam

        If you mean plus to be in the shape of a large pile of doggy poop, then it’s here! but it ain’t bronze.

        5 years ago  ∞
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  6. Superduper big props to Kris and Kenyatta for this one!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  7. very Hockney esque.

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Took the words right outa my mouth!

      5 years ago  ∞
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  8. very nice! picasso would be proud

    5 years ago  ∞
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  9. Awesome creativity! I loved the montage effect! Great show. It ranks right up there with the ‘backwards in time’ episode. And Joanne is so svelte she doesn’t even cast a shadow or leave footprints in the sand ;)

    We’ll be down at the end of June. I think the kids will skip the zoo this time and we’ll take them to Coney Island before another landmark is forever erased.

    Thanx RB!

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Speaking of backwards in time, this was done when gas was 32¢ a gallon!
      A tad long @ 10 min. but cute & worth a look.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBatldwJu_Q

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. Boy, we could have a blast adding sub-titles to this baby!!!

        Was 1967 the year Preparation H was invented?

        Definitely brings a whole new meaning to the term ass man.

        (nice find Kam)

        5 years ago  ∞
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      2. Out of curiosity; how exactly did you find this?!

        5 years ago  ∞
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      3. Kam

        Good question, hard to answer when I\’ve got a weeks worth of history on my browsers (Safari/FireFox) & I do a LOT of surfing. But I think it came via Ehrensenf. I stuck it in my dock last week because it reminded me of that exact RB ep & I was gonna comment on it @ some point. Thanks to your comment \’backwards in time\’ gave me a perfect segue for the gas price & filming style, mahalo.

        5 years ago  ∞
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  10. Is that your morning ritual Joanne? Lovely!
    Now I see why you’re so perky behind the desk each day.

    “By simply observing a form, we influence it. We in turn are influenced by
    others. This challenges us to be more aware of the quality of our being and
    the vibrations we transmit.”

    “There is no reality in the absence of observation.”

    —somebody in Copenhagen

    5 years ago  ∞
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  11. javajini

    Love the overlay technique. You are amazing!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  12. Enough about the technique. Huge bummer about Coney Island being redeveloped.

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. yeah, bummer, man!

      5 years ago  ∞
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  13. alangr46

    Coney Island lovers should get a DVD of the 1953 Indie film “Little Fugitive.” Haunting. Of course I saw it when I was 7, which may be why it made such a strong impression.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  14. Kam Sp33k

    Never pass up an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Everyone is entitled to be stupid, sometimes I abuse the privilege.

      5 years ago  ∞
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    2. Nab

      Hey Kam, you’ve got your own personal little troll here.

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. What, no piercings!!!
        Tell him he can’t go to Coney Island dressed that way.
        WARNING: Kam Pa-Troll!

        5 years ago  ∞
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      2. Kam

        Darn, I told my mum not to hand out any of my baby pics, my eyes are still that color.

        5 years ago  ∞
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      3. poor baby! :)

        (Hey Nab, open up a new portal or wormhole in cyberspace.)

        5 years ago  ∞
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      4. Nab

        5 years ago  ∞
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      5. Nab

        Ooops, that first pic is gone. It was of Alice running after the rabbit. Maybe she\’s having second thoughts.

        5 years ago  ∞
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  15. sami

    the music is tite!!!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  16. I liked elements of it, but for the most part it reminded me of the famous collage in The Knitting Factory in NYC. Don’t get me wrong it’s great as a backdrop to to something else. I just don’t know what it is other than distracting at best.

    Have a happy Friday!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  17. Rob P

    Fantastic video affects made even more powerful by that amazing music. The only possible improvement that I see is to have me dancing with Joanne instead of her by herself. This way she doesn’t have to lead.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  18. C’est Chouette! This Casual Friday will be remembered…
    That’s what is lacking in the video blog, the possibility to be more creative with the format. That’s why I decided to continue to use Flash on a traditional web site to show videos. Even Flash is not the best tool and is limiting the potential for experiment.
    In Flash in order to be creative I have to embed the video on the page, making the page to long to download.
    Here is an example of something I did for a musician but you have to wait to download 15MB to see it…
    http://tiilnet.tiil.us/videos/jorrit-2.html Click on the squares to bring unlimited interactivity! and the musician playing alone is Great!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  19. 5 years ago  ∞
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  20. Nice, was this a After Effects production or what editor was used?

    5 years ago  ∞
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  21. Once again, Kris and Kenyatta made something unique and different than any other show we’ve done before. Great job guys! It’s beautiful.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  22. Lara

    Walter’s post is gone. love your freedom of speech ways. i think somebody got a feeling hurt. must be true, huh?

    5 years ago  ∞
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  23. That montage makes me miss New York again.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  24. Lara

    I agree that the music really add to the piece. Great job kris.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  25. sami

    what happened to that walter guy’s comment? I wanted to re-read it… I love dark horses. Oh well. I didnt know fascism was rocketboom’s current trend.

    “they’re not nazis walter they’re nihilists”

    “Nihilists! Jesus”

    “Say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos”

    5 years ago  ∞
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  26. Lara

    That’s right sami. “are we gonna split hairs here?”

    5 years ago  ∞
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  27. sami

    hah hah. lara rules. bring back walter! he was just expressing “like… his opinion, man”

    5 years ago  ∞
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  28. Lara

    guess he was “OVER THE LINE” and apparently this is a right wing league game.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  29. sami

    “I told those fucks at the league office i dont roll on shabbas” seems too me lara, that walter was eliminated from the first round-robin

    5 years ago  ∞
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  30. This world would be nothing without you… Joanne

    http://www.gregormanns.com/Brown,%20James%20-%20This%20Is%20A%20Man’s%20World.mp3

    5 years ago  ∞
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  31. oz

    Hypnotic. I love it.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  32. Really really really good. Awesome editing. The moving image at one of its peaks. Seriously.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  33. I’ve never been there but will go this summer to say goodbye to an era :(

    5 years ago  ∞
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  34. SteveWoolf

    just beautiful. and inspiring. bravo.

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Here’s a song from your ancestors. So you changed your family name, was it the publicity or the night sweats?

      http://www.riponknightsfootball.com/media/Steppenwolf_-_Born_To_Be_Wild2.mp3

      5 years ago  ∞
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  35. Hey if you are interested in reading more about Coney Island, please check out my blog. I have links to pretty much every article about the developments in the older posts.

    http://coneyislandreport.blogspot.com/

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. yatta

      Hey, thanks Brian!

      I’m reading it now. Loving it. Especially your posts from sideshow school.

      “Tonight I ate fire and walked on broken glass. These are not a metaphors, I’m just describing my first night of Sideshow School….”

      5 years ago  ∞
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  36. stephbabe

    Very nice.

    -s

    5 years ago  ∞
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  37. You are doing some of the coolest stuff on Rocketboom. Kudos!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  38. JackH

    I liked it. And as all of the above, I’d like to learn how it’s done.

    Do you know the “all new honda landra, a car we can feel all good about”-commercial?
    I think, comedycentral’s motherload presented it to me like hundreds of times. The effect reminds me of this one. (or actually it’s the other way round, I’d already wanted to be learn how to do something like the honda-commercial.)

    Have a nice weekend, Jack

    5 years ago  ∞
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  39. That was a masterpiece.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  40. Word has it that the Cyclone will be staying. That is an amazing rollercoaster.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  41. kris Kaczor

    to g, w, r, s, and l…thank you for the kind words on the music. If you dare, you can hear the full version on http://www.myspace.com/kriskaczor

    5 years ago  ∞
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  42. leron

    When you go to Coney Island you are always aware where you are in relation to the Parachute Drop. In wikipedia they call it the Parachute Jump but in Bensonhurst it was always the drop. Many things you see in New York border on the surreal. The Parachute Drop remains in a league by itself.

    It closed down when I was a kid and I always thought it would open again but no. I just couldn’t believe they’d abandon anything so big. I figured they had shut it down because someone got killed. Actually no one ever got hurt on it. It was killed by the death of simpler times.

    Three men — and they were always men — had to guide each chute to the ground.

    I guess we’re fortunate Astroland lasted as long as it did.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Jump

    5 years ago  ∞
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  43. Wow, that was so cool. Very nice.

    I hope you don’t mind we copy this.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  44. Very nice, the effect you did with video is very similar to what is done with images in Microsoft Live Labs Photosynth. The effect was very nice in this episode; anyone with a few minutes should check out Photosynth, because it’s amazing! Maybe Joanne will demo it for us. :)

    http://labs.live.com/photosynth/

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Very cool, thanks & when it comes out for Mac let me know!

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. Hey, it turns out that they actually made a Java version of it a while ago, so you can try this one (although it\’s not quite as neat as the one I linked to before).

        http://phototour.cs.washington.edu/

        PS: I\’m wondering why my last post was rated so badly… :( I don\’t think I said anything negative, and I thought people would like to see something very technically impressive and related to the episode.

        5 years ago  ∞
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  45. Beautiful development on Hockney - what a great little piece.

    Although I don’t get the spinning Joanne; unless it’s to simulate the feeling you have once you come off the rollercoaster.

    5 years ago  ∞
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  46. I never really watch RB clips twice, but this one I had to see again because it was just really, well, great, wonderfully emotional!
    Thank you!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  47. We interupt Casual Friday cause it’s Saturday!

    Back on the B-case:

    Maybe this’ll bring the bees back…

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=uMvg3imT-tE

    Or maybe this why they fled…

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=6hxPjbnhaxY

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. Kam

      Lure back the bees with song, fine, but I don’t think I want my boy in that choir singing “I’m a queen, I’m a queen”

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. Kam Sp33k

        Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

        5 years ago  ∞
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  48. Looks like the Space Mtn video for Oh

    http://www.spacemtn.com/oh_video.html

    5 years ago  ∞
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  49. jordoboom

    Aphrodite is right! Always a pleasure. Big fan. Every day is better thanks to you. Respect from Alaska. - Jordan

    5 years ago  ∞
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  50. Kam

    A combination of stop motion &…well you’ll see.
    http://tochka.jp/pikapika/

    5 years ago  ∞
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    1. quarks, photons, & bosons…electrifying man… that was really COOL!

      Love your tap dancing skills Kam. Also noticed an FT-man in the credits, must be a Japanese cousin who was separated from his paintbrush at birth.

      5 years ago  ∞
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      1. Kam

        That link provided by Ehrensenf click ‘Lichbilder’
        http://www.ehrensenf.de/

        5 years ago  ∞
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  51. good! a bit long, but good! and if joanne keeps spinning she is gonna throw up and the salad she had this morning! hmm!

    5 years ago  ∞
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  52. Amazing piece. Poignant music.

    5 years ago  ∞
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