3/26/2006: Japanese indoor beach

[Undertoad]

Widen your browser windows and enjoy this amazing item via a blog called Impact Lab.

Looking to get away? About $50 gets you into Ocean Dome, the world's only indoor beach.



Every hour, the volcano erupts and the wave machines produce a few minutes of surf.



Right next to the real beach, but... uh... better?

[xoxoxoBruce]

It looks like a fair sized water park with numerous pools and slides at the end of the building.
It seems like a lot of trouble to keep people from traipsing across the golf course but these pictures were taken in beautiful weather. Japan gets a pretty serious winter too.

[Elspode]

We're in a serious public brouhaha here in KC over an upcoming tax increase vote which is designed to fund complete overhaul of Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium (our side-by-side dedicated facilities collectively known as the Truman Sports Complex). Part of the deal is a rolling roof which will be able to cover either, but not both, facilities. It is a feature that was originally planned when TSC was built in the early 70's, but scrapped when construction costs were higher than planned (yes, that happened even in the 70's).

I find it interesting that a private enterprise has the balls to put together such a massively hi-tech entertainment site, but people here in KC are bitching about "corporate welfare" because the teams are demanding facilities that are on a par with other cities. In my mind, this ultimately isn't anything to do with corporate welfare...it is about public entertainment, much the same as this water park. A goodly chunk of the eventual taxes paid will come from purchases of tickets, parking, concessions and souvenirs at the improved facilities. The sales tax increase in question is rather small to begin with, and the investment in public pride and stature is enormous.

In any case, it seems to be an interesting and well-conceived plan.

Amazing how I got all of that sort of thought process out of an indoor pool, huh?

[xoxoxoBruce]

The amount of fabric used on the rolling roof is enough to create 5 of the Statue of Liberty's robes.

That much, huh? I'm sure everyone can relate to exactly how much fabric it takes to make a Statue of Liberty robe.

In my mind, this ultimately isn't anything to do with corporate welfare...it is about public entertainment

But what about the people being taxed that don't give a rats ass about sports? It's like taxing Christians to pay for the coliseum or the cost of importing Lions.

[Elspode]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That much, huh? I'm sure everyone can relate to exactly how much fabric it takes to make a Statue of Liberty robe.

Yeah, that's one of those typical "gee whiz" facts for the rubes.

But what about the people being taxed that don't give a rats ass about sports? It's like taxing Christians to pay for the coliseum or the cost of importing Lions.

Not to worry...this thing doesn't have a prayer of passing, and with its defeat, we will, before too long, have two large, empty, deteriorating stadia sitting right alongside I-70, testimony to the one horse town Kansas City once was and will be once again.

Meanwhile, in a town somewhere else in America, there are people who have never had a football or baseball team who are ready to kill each other to get to the polls first to vote to be taxed to have what we are going to lose.

[Pancake Man]

Those wacky Japanese, what will they think of next? An indoor mountain? That would only take more money than most small countries have, but why should they worry? They can always cram people into 6x2x2 hotel pods and pay for that, too.

[jojo]

if i were really rich, i'd go here in the winter, and to dubai in the summer (for the indoor skiing)

[StereoMike]

I've been lurking here for some weeks now, and finally I have something to contribute:

This dome is in Germany and as I know the greatest dome of it's kind. It was the cargolifter (kinda zeppelin) building facility, but the whole idea died, just the dome was left. A foreign(asian) investor spend a lot of money to transform it into a tropical island.

[Pi]

Originally Posted by StereoMike

I've been lurking here for some weeks now, and finally I have something to contribute:

This dome is in Germany and as I know the greatest dome of it's kind. It was the cargolifter (kinda zeppelin) building facility, but the whole idea died, just the dome was left. A foreign(asian) investor spend a lot of money to transform it into a tropical island.

Yeah I saw some of it on TV, because there were a few people doing base-jumping from the top of the dome...

[ashke]

It looks so orderly...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Welcome to the Cellar, StereoMike.

Originally Posted by Elspode

Not to worry...this thing doesn't have a prayer of passing, and with its defeat, we will, before too long, have two large, empty, deteriorating stadia sitting right alongside I-70, testimony to the one horse town Kansas City once was and will be once again.

Meanwhile, in a town somewhere else in America, there are people who have never had a football or baseball team who are ready to kill each other to get to the polls first to vote to be taxed to have what we are going to lose.

Do you really think a population should judge their worth, as a whole or as individuals, on the possession of sports franchises? Can't you think of better things to spend hundreds of millions on than a bunch of overpaid whiners?

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Do you really think a population should judge their worth, as a whole or as individuals, on the possession of sports franchises?

It would be slightly more understandable if it were possession. As it is, the sports teams are rentals. And expensive ones at that.

/living through the DC baseball extortion phase.

[glatt]

Thank god you guys got that stadium, and it didn't come to Virginia.

[Elspode]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Do you really think a population should judge their worth, as a whole or as individuals, on the possession of sports franchises? Can't you think of better things to spend hundreds of millions on than a bunch of overpaid whiners?

Well, sure, there's lots of better things. But people aren't going to pass that, either (although we are now building a shiny new arena that was badly needed). But - it is a definite facet of a first-line city that you have professional sports, and preferably not just Arena Football, Team Tennis or Minor League Hockey. I don't make the rules, I just note them. Society is funny that way. No major league sports franchises build their own stadia anymore, anywhere. The business of pro sports is conducted in venues paid for by public funds. Sometimes the teams will pay for lavish window dressing and excess that the public just won't spring for, but the basic stadia, arenas and ballparks are virtually always public edifices.

Besides...I think pro sports fill the niche left empty by the collapse of the Roman Empire, taking gladiatorial contests with it. Football is ritualized combat, complete with everything but swords and shields. I think society needs that sort of thing. However, because it is inherently anti-intellectual and pretty much stupid to pay gazillions of dollars for it, a city/county/state has to pretty much all agree that it is worth *something*...on whatever basis...to have it. That' why we're voting - to find out if people think it is worth it.

I, for one, will miss it when it is gone. Hell, I just had season tickets. Sniff.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Well, I guess the public should kick in for the facilities, seeing how the owners spend hundreds of millions to bring us teams we can be proud of..... like the Eagles and Yankees.