I’m not even sure of how I came across this, but last night I was reading something on the Wired web site from 1997. The article was about the improved sounds in the “Special Edition” versions of the original Star Wars movies. Ben Burtt, the sound designer from the original trilogy also worked on the sound of the Special Edition. He said this:
“George wanted sounds that would be familiar from other areas of experience, but not recognizable,” Burtt told Wired News. The sound of Darth Vader using the Force that rumbles out of THX-certified subwoofers, for instance, is older than Vader himself, Burtt says.
“I made a sound for a student screening back at USC [the University of Southern California]. This was in the days of Sensurround,” remembers Burtt. “I recorded Niagara Falls, enhanced the sound, and played it through the bass speakers. We called it ‘Infernaround.’”
According to the Star Wars web site, it seems that the sound of Niagara Falls was also used for the “low rumble of the very first Star Destroyer we see on screen.”
The Hilton construction is coming along. It looks like the first floor is up, and they are now working on the second floor.
There is a lengthy report from 1999 on the Government of Canada web site on the capture and captivity of marine animals in Canada.
Absolute requirements by the public for maintenance of marine mammals in captivity is that both care and welfare of the captive animals is assured, and that there are educational and scientific benefits which result from keeping such animals. Scientific benefits of research on captive marine mammals are well recognized by marine mammalogists and much of the public. However, educational benefits from the publics’ exposure to captive marine mammals are more difficult to demonstrate; lacking is a body of independent empirical studies which shows its impact. Thus, such benefits are questioned by some. More troubling is the fact that there is not adequate authority presently in Canada to regulate the quality of care which animals receive in captivity.
The report mentions Marineland a couple of times, usually like this:
Zoocheck/Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is particularly concerned about conditions at Marineland, specifically the housing for sea lions, use of isolation pools, and the petting of orcas by the public. They strongly argue that petting pools should not be allowed in Canadian aquaria.
The report is 8 years old, and some things have changed since then, but was still interesting to browse through the report.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Getting an iris scan for a Nexus card is a little like doing the Hokey Pokey.
It all seems very simple, like getting your picture taken for your driver’s licence. Look straight ahead, camera clicks, image recorded.
Except not so much.
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