The “World” According to Jack

A new element has been added to the post-show of the Spaceship Earth redesign.

As you might know from reading other blogs, your picture is taken soon after you board the attraction. In addition, you are also asked to designate where you live by pointing to a map on the touch-sensitive screen in your ride vehicle. First you pick a continent, then point to a major city, and eventually it is narrowed down to the vicinity in which you live.

For several weeks now, as you descend the ride, you are asked a series of questions as to how you would like the future to unfold. Once the onboard computer compiles your choices, your face is superimposed over a cartoon character so you can actually see “yourself” in the future you created. It’s a very cute effect. But a new element has been added.

Once you exit the attraction, you enter the Siemens post-show area. Here you will encounter a giant globe of the earth. Within a couple of moments, your face will appear on the globe. It will stay there for 15-30 seconds, then it will swoosh down to the hometown you selected at the beginning of the attraction. As it does this, a little white dot appears on the map to represent you.

I rode Spaceship Earth in the early afternoon and by that time, the east coast of the U.S. was covered in white dots. Other areas were more sparsely populated. The entire planet is represented so no matter where you’re from, you will get placed on the map. This is a pretty cool ending to the ride.

Picture taking hint: You are given warning before your picture is taken and be sure to look at the camera. Face detection software is used and it is necessary to get a full-face photograph for the effect to work properly. Also, if you wear glasses, you might want to take them off for the picture as reflections can create problems for the software, thus negating your portrait.