NETCOT.com » RetroDISNEY

The Netcot Weekly Wallpaper 05.24.08

RetroDISNEY — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:30:28 +0000

DISNEYLAND: Snow White’s Scary Adventures - “Curtained Queen”

Click on a text link below to transfer to the Netcot.Downloads section. Then click on the “Wallpaper” folder and choose a corresponding “Attraction” folder. Click a file and drag the wallpaper to your desktop or preferred folder.

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (SnowWhiteQUEEN.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

All Netcot.com wallpaper features:
- A widescreen resolution of 2560 x 1600
(Large enough to fill Apple’s 30” Cinema Display*)
- Original photographs & artwork
- Optimized color, design & layout
- Space saving file compression (One size fits all!)

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

The Netcot Weekly Wallpaper 05.16.08

RetroDISNEY — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:29:45 +0000

DISNEYLAND HDR SERIES: “Splash Mountain (HDR)”

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (SplashMtnHDR.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

The Netcot Weekly Wallpaper 05.02.08

RetroDISNEY — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:12:01 +0000

DISNEY NOIR SERIES: Carnation Plaza Swing Dancing - “Young and Old Alike”

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (YoundAndOldAlike.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

The Netcot Weekly Wallpaper 04.25.08

RetroDISNEY — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:10:10 +0000

The symmetrical beauty of Spaceship Earth - “TILES”

Click on the text link below to transfer to the Netcot.Downloads section. Then click on the “Wallpaper” folder and choose a corresponding “Attraction” folder. Click a file and drag the wallpaper to your desktop or preferred folder.

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (SpaceshipEarthTILES.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

The Netcot Weekly Wallpaper 04.18.08

RetroDISNEY — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:20:02 +0000

Celebrate 100 episodes of the Netcot podcast with NEW wallpaper!

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (NETCOT100black.jpg)

wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

Netcot.Downloads - (NETCOT100white.jpg)

wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

The Netcot.com Random Wallpaper

RetroDISNEY — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:14:33 +0000

Happy Halloween!

It’s been a while, I know. However, I’ve finally added some new photos to my collection that please me. As a Halloween celebration, here is the first shot in a new series of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photographs I’ve been creating. The HDR process combines different exposures into a gorgeous hi-res photo. It’s a cumbersome process, but well worth it.

Enjoy Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday!

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (HauntedMansionHOLIDAYHDR.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

You’re Not Alone #006

RetroDISNEY — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:00:02 +0000

“Wiinders of Life”

I haven’t been inside Epcot’s Wonders of Life pavilion for many years. My memories of it are few and far between. One recollection that stands out, however, is of a baseball game that was featured very early on in the pavilion’s history as a part of the Fitness Fairgrounds. A guest would step into a ‘batting cage’ and stand in front of a large projection screen while holding an electronic bat. The idea was for the human batter to hit the ‘virtual’ ball being thrown on screen.

I remember this game specifically because I never played it. With only one booth and single occupancy, the line was always much too long.

I also remember this game because the technology blew my mind. This interactive experience wiped the floor with the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis of the time. A quiet yearning grew inside of me: I can’t wait until I can get one of my own.

Fifteen years later, as Epcot has lost some its promise and I enjoy my Nintendo Wii, it occurs to me that a piece of the ‘EPCOT future’ is indeed here! The game I longed for as a child is in my hands! Other than some of the gadgets* featured in Innoventions, it’s not too often that a ‘promised’ technology actually does make its way into pop culture and the mainstream. We may not be living in space or on the ocean floor, but we certainly are waving our Wii remotes in order to hit a virtual baseball. I can’t help but wonder if some of the fine folks at Nintendo hadn’t visited 90’s EPCOT.

As this week marks 25 years of continued inspiration for the generations, we may be able to chalk up the Wii as yet another reason the dream that once was EPCOT Center should be celebrated, defended and restored. If wii can dream it, wii can do it!

This observation also comes with a cry for help. Does anyone remember this baseball game? (Did it, in fact, exist?) Can anyone recall the name? Who sponsored/created it? And here’s the big one: does anyone have a photo of this exhibit? Any info would be greatly appreciated, if for no other reason than to prove my lucidity and solidify the point of this entry. Also, please share any other technologies you first experienced at Epcot that have made their way into our everyday lives.

If you believe in the need for an EPCOT and are continually excited when the promise of the future catches up to itself, you’re not alone.

–Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

*I saw my first widescreen TV at Innoventions ‘94 and remember wondering who would want a lopsided screen?

Click here to discuss this article on the Netcot forums

You’re Not Alone #005

RetroDISNEY — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:36:58 +0000

“A Need for Clarification”

Rather than serve as a catalyst for substantive and amusing community-driven discussions, the latest YNA segments have been misinterpreted as deliberately antagonistic. This has NEVER been my goal.

My intent with #001 & #004 (in addition to intermittent future installments) was to build on an idea that would culminate in a milestone article (maybe #025) that focused on how the often-criticized “impersonal Disney machine” is a misnomer. Say what you will about the corporate monster, but the Disney parks are some of the few places on earth where tens-of-thousands of people can safely gather, interact and witness lives outside their own. And in an atmosphere where everyone is looking for happiness! What a treat to be able to enjoy and observe your fellow man, the positive and negative alike. More often than not, I’ve found, it’s usually those bad experiences that give rise to my more positive and deeper reflections. This is personified in the old adage, “You can’t point at someone without having three fingers pointing back at you.” With each article of this nature it was my hope to inspire others on the message board to share their own interpersonal tales –positive or negative– and discuss what it means to spend the day with 70,000 strangers.

The Disney experience is indeed VERY personal, but I feel we should also take a moment to look outside ourselves and contemplate what it means to be a human among humans. Beyond my Disney visits and the occasional trip to the store, I don’t get away from my desk much. Can any of us anymore? The crowded sea of heads down Main Street USA shouldn’t be discouraging (”Oh, crap, how am I ever going to get to Space Mountain?!”), it should inspire awe that so many different people –with unique perspectives on topics such as constant entertainment and personal hygiene– can come together under the same fantastic banner of INTERACTIVE entertainment.

I am not a Disney curmudgeon. I loathe Disney curmudgeons. In fact, due to my Ghost of Christmas Present-like attitude, I consider myself to merely be a light-hearted and enthusiastic theme park patron. (What does all this have to do with Disney? Everything. “Have you had many brothers, Spirit?” “More than 70,000 a visit,” said the Ghost.)

So, lets move on, have some fun and celebrate ALL the things that make up a Disney experience. And as you know, if you revel in the fact that the Disney parks are places where we are able to comfortably enjoy, observe and learn from mankind –face-to-face, you’re not alone.

–Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

Click here to discuss this article on the Netcot forums

You’re Not Alone #004

RetroDISNEY — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:06:35 +0000

“Snow In SoCal”

Dandruff is a problem many, many of us face. I understand that it’s nothing to laugh at or look down upon.

That being said, let me share a story from a recent Disney visit…

One of my favorite parts of a trip to Disney is the first ride of the day. Of course, I’m talking about the tram ride from the parking lot/structure to the front gate. As the morning breeze blows and guests excitedly chatter, the anticipation of a day in the park comes to an electrifying crescendo.

Three weeks ago I was enjoying my morning tram travel when I felt small flecks intermittently hitting my face. Was it the spray from a sprinkler? Maybe a groundskeeper was edging the lawn. It was neither. Looking directly in front of me, I recognized the source of the problem: a man with the worst case of dandruff I had ever seen. And it was blowing in my face.

Again, I understand that some folks have health conditions beyond their control. But this guy didn’t show any signs of an advanced skin disease. This was just a severe case of neglect. The mess of white covering his shoulders reminded me of how sand collects on a wet bathing suit. And as I closed my eyes and mouth I could only grimace as I thought of how the tiny flakes of dead human flesh were flittering into the corners of my eyes. I thought of how the translucent shavings were landing in my nose and on my lips, melting into every moist orifice. The shudders still come as I relive it.

When the tram came to a ‘full and complete stop’, I debated about making a passive-aggressive comment. (Maybe something along the lines of, “You should get rid of that black t-shirt.”) But in the end, I bit my tongue, looked away and hustled off.

Now, in addition to being a humorous anecdote, this article also serves as a personal — but weak — confession. I confess that I did nothing for a fellow human being in need. I confess that I snickered and judged. I confess that I merely passed by on the other side of the road. My failure to spread the good news about the plethora of inexpensive shampoos and hair care products that can easily help this preventable condition was inexcusable.

As the day went on, however, Mr. Dandruff Man kept me thinking. What could I honestly have said? Most folks wouldn’t take kindly to strangers giving blunt tips on the prevention of offensive personal hygiene. This was a 40-year-old man and if he hasn’t taken care of the problem by now, I am sure he doesn’t think there is one. Why debate with him and risk undeserved hostility? After all, we’re both at Disney to have a good time and be carefree, right? How does one know when or if to ever intervene? All we can do is keep asking the questions. While the whole incident was a disgusting way to start a day, I couldn’t help but think that the greater human question was a funny thing to ponder while entering the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

So, if you think that the Disney experience can also serve as a reminder of the principal and profound, you’re not alone.

–Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”

Click here to discuss this article on the Netcot forums

The Netcot.com Weekly Wallpaper 9/01/07

RetroDISNEY — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:32:25 +0000

Our latest offering is the first in a series of non-attraction-based photo wallpaper. This “Disney Noir” series can be found in the corresponding folder of the Downloads section. These black & white images will explore and highlight some of the lesser photographed aspects of the Disney experience.

“Frozen Treats” 7/6/07 CJW - I’d like to think this Cast Member is pulling out a rock-hard Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich just for me. Oh, yeah.

-or-

Click the thumbnail to be taken directly to the Wallpaper file.

Netcot.Downloads - (FrozenTreats.jpg)

photo credit: Chris
wallpaper construction: RetroDISNEY

*For lower resolution monitors please select the “Stretch to Fill Screen,” or like option, in your desktop preferences.

Enjoy!

– Chris
RetroDISNEY
“Celebrate the future of Yesteryear!”