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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CINEMA VENTURES UNVEILS NEW DIGITAL CINEMA PARTNERSHIP PLAN FOR MUSEUMS

Judith Rubin
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Mark Katz

New Museum Partnership Plan Offers Benefits to Spark 2-D and 3-D Digital Cinema Expansion

WASHINGTON DC—National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV) has announced the National Geographic Museum Partnership Plan, a program offering national and international museums the chance to create expanded digital cinema programs in their existing facilities. The initiative includes access to NGCV’s library of award-winning films in 2-D and 3-D digital formats, access to National Geographic branding, as well as marketing and promotional support and education materials. Museum partners also will receive guidance on digital projection technology from NGCV’s experienced team.

Advances and accessibility in digital technology are driving this opportunity for museums to showcase both traditional documentary films along with full-length feature films from National Geographic. Among the National Geographic films being offered are “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” (2-D, 3-D or 4-D), “Forces of Nature,” “Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure” (3D), “U2 3D,” “Flying Monsters 3D” (available October 2011) and “The Wildest Dream.” NGCV plans to produce and release a minimum of two new digital 3-D titles a year, beginning in 2012.

“Our goal is to help museums turn their existing theaters, live lecture halls or auditoriums into digital cinemas that will drive both attendance and new museum revenues with entertaining National Geographic movies aligned with the mission of the museum,” said Lisa Truitt, president, NGCV. “Audiences crave real stories of discovery, adventure and exploration, and we have the slate that will fill that need for any museum.”

Mark Katz, president, distribution, NGCV, said: “We’ll share access to some of our biggest movie successes with those museums that may have previously thought this world was too expensive. We will help them find the right digital solution to tap into their own local communities and provide them with award-winning and museum-appropriate films.”

About National Geographic Entertainment and Cinema Ventures
National Geographic Entertainment (NGE) is part of National Geographic Global Media and combines into a single operating group National Geographic Films (NGF), National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV), Kids Entertainment and Music & Radio. Over the last decade, NGE units have produced or released a number of successful films in both traditional, digital and giant screen theaters, including the Oscar-winning film “March of the Penguins,” Oscar-nominated documentaries “Restrepo,” and “The Story of the Weeping Camel”; giant-screen films “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” “U2 3D” and “Mysteries of Egypt”; and traditional feature-length films “The First Grader,” “The Last Lions,” “The Way Back” and “Amreeka.” Daniel Battsek is president of NGF; Lisa Truitt is president of NGCV; and Mark Katz is president of NGCV distribution.

Mummies need CT scans, too: Genesis Medical Imaging Helps Chicago’s Field Museum Discover Ancient Secrets

Judith Rubin
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IPM Editor’s note: This “21st century window to antiquity” denotes a useful corporate-museum partnership, given the current level of public interest in mummy exhibits. –J.R.

HUNTLEY, Ill., July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — By providing a mobile CT scan unit free of charge to Chicago’s famed The Field Museum for a series of mummy scans this month, Genesis Medical Imaging, Inc. has helped discover ancient secrets, and opened the door to new mysteries.

Field scientists were surprised to find only a skull and legs inside the wrappings of one Egyptian mummy and the baskets of four Peruvian specimens simply empty, with no mummies inside. Yet it was all instructive for the museum’s researchers, who after several days of scanning objects more than 2,000 years old are more certain of what their collection actually holds.

Several of the museum’s oldest and most delicate specimens were moved with painstaking care last week to the museum’s back parking lot, where they slowly passed through an advanced multi-slice computed tomography scanner in a 53-foot semi-truck trailer specially configured by Genesis. The company rents the mobile unit and others like it to medical institutions in need of additional CT or MRI scan capacity.

For each mummy, technicians captured a volume of 3-D images now stored on computers for viewing and analysis. The images can be rotated, re-rendered and otherwise manipulated to allow researchers to discover facts previously unknown, without actually unwrapping the specimen. The digital images also can be shared with other museums to learn more about mummies in their collections.

“We were intrigued by the research and pleased to offer 21st Century medical technology as a window to antiquity,” said Robert Dakessian, Genesis president and CEO.

As part of its scientific mission, the Field Museum seeks to know more about individual mummies in the collection, such as what may have caused their death, their general health during life, their age, gender and other information. Scientists also hope to learn more about how ancient peoples in Egypt and Peru, where the mummies originated, were able to preserve bodies for thousands of years, the museum said.

“We don’t want to unwrap them,” said J. P. Brown, a Field anthropology conservator. “We want to be respectful. This is the best we can do without unwrapping them.”

Brown in January contacted Randy Walker, Genesis vice president of sales, to explore the non-invasive mobile option. Dakessian then volunteered the unit at no cost to the Field. “Like everybody else who visits our hometown gem of a museum, I wanted to know what was inside those ancient boxes,” Dakessian said.

Curiously, scans of the 2,300+-year-old Egyptian without a torso revealed the mummy apparently had been unwrapped perhaps hundreds of years after burial. The body had been padded out before rewrapping, more than two millennia ago. Why? A mystery.

The scanning process took one to two hours per subject, mostly in preparation. An initial “scout scan” provided a lower-resolution image that researchers viewed to pinpoint areas of interest for further exploration. The final scan, typically three to five minutes, yielded crisp details in target areas. Technicians adjusted typical scan protocols and intensified normal radiation doses to enhance image acuities.

They discovered, among many details, specifics of bone and tooth structures that will be analyzed in coming weeks. Scanning will continue with animal mummies, ancient pottery and other objects, such as temple drums from the Pacific, which, like mummies, are large and fragile.

Then the trailer will be back in service and available to medical institutions. “Mobile units are a vital part of healthcare because they are easily transported and cost effective,” Walker said.

“Genesis Mobile Solutions fills the gap when a scanner goes out of service or there is demand for extra capacity,” he said. “What sets us apart is the wide range of experience and knowledge of our technicians.”

http://www.genesismedicalimaging.com

Cedar Point’s Coasting for Kids Three Years and Thriving

Judith Rubin
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SANDUSKY, Ohio, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Coaster-riding will take on a new meaning when Cedar Point hosts Coasting for Kids on Sunday, July 24 at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort.

This special event helps raise money for Give Kids The World, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that provides weeklong vacations to children who have life-threatening diseases and their families.

Cedar Point has participated in the event since 2009. In two years, it has raised more than $27,000 for the organization.

During Coasting for Kids, the top 60 guests who raised the most pledge money will have the opportunity to ride on the park’s legendary Gemini and Magnum XL-200 roller coasters for up to nine hours. They will start their day on the Magnum from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then make their way to the Gemini from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each participant is required to raise at least $75 by Wednesday, July 20 through their own fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/gktw. Interested guests who want to participate but cannot attend may sign up as a “virtual rider.” Last year, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company that owns and operates Cedar Point and 10 other amusement parks raised more than $40,000 for the organization!

Participants will receive a complimentary breakfast and lunch, event T-shirt and free admission into the park. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three fundraisers. First place will be awarded a four-hour VIP Tour for four people, second place will receive four tickets to HalloWeekends and a behind-the-scene tour at Cedar Point and third place will earn a Give Kids The World bag, filled with gifts from the Give Kids The World Village.

Any guest who brings an item from the Give Kids The World wish list on Sunday, July 24, will receive a coupon for $10 off regular one-day admission to Cedar Point. The coupons are only valid that day and cannot be used with any other coupon or discount.

Founded in 1986, Give Kids The World also provides children in poor health and their families with accommodations and donated tickets to many popular attractions around the country, including Cedar Point.

For more information about Coasting for Kids, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s general information line at 419-627-2350.

Carowinds goes "pink" to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research

Judith Rubin
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Carowinds, the thrill capital of the Southeast, is proud to team up with the Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure™ for a four-week fundraising initiative called Carowinds for the Cure. This special program will be held at the park and online from July 11 through August 7.

Beginning July 11, guests visiting the park will have the opportunity to adopt pink ducks in the ‘adopt-a-duck’ raffle. Net proceeds of the raffle will go to the Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure™. Each duck will be tossed into the lake underneath the Nighthawk rollercoaster until August 7, when one duck will be randomly chosen for the chance to win a 2011 Toyota Camry courtesy of Scott Clark’s Toyota City.

Also during Carowinds for the Cure, guests will be able to purchase special ‘Pink Days’ pick-a-day tickets online only at the Carowinds website for $37.99 each with $1.00 from each ticket sold benefitting the Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Additional Carowinds for the Cure merchandise will be available for purchase both at the park and online with a portion of the proceeds going to the organization.

“These days it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t been touched by breast cancer in some way, whether it’s on a personal level or by knowing someone else fighting the disease,” said Bart Kinzel vice president and general manager of Carowinds. “After learning just how many women are battling breast cancer, Carowinds wanted to join the fight. We are thrilled to be teaming up with such an incredible organization, and I know together, we can help raise awareness and funds to find a cure.”

As part of the Carowinds for the Cure program, Charlotte Radiology will be bringing their mobile breast center to Carowinds for mammograms on July 16 and August 6 beginning at 9:30am. This special mobile unit offers all of the comfort and care you would expect at a physicians office, but in a specially designed mobile unit. Each exam takes about thirty minutes and will be interpreted by a board certified physician specialized in breast imaging. Mammograms are available by appointment only, please sign up at the Carowinds website. 

“The Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is thrilled to be partnering with Carowinds to heighten breast health awareness and raise money to meet the ever-increasing needs in our local community,” explained Gloria Scienski, the executive director for the Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure™. “With the recent economic difficulties, we have seen continued growth in the number of people in need of the education, screening, and treatment services provided by Komen Charlotte funding.”

To learn more about Carowinds for the Cure including official raffle rules, the Charlotte Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure™ or to learn how to schedule your mammogram with the Charlotte Radiology Mobile Mammogram, please visit www.carowinds.com/forthecure.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN) is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Company, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, California under a management contract. Cedar Fair’s flagship park is Cedar Point.

Six Flags Magic Mountain’s New Green Lantern Flips Out

Martin Palicki
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Green Lantern opens with fanfare and fireworks
Parks and attractions like to tout rides that “offer a new experience every time.” Often, those differences are subtle. The new Green Lantern: First Flight coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain really lives up to the claim, according to this report by InPark chief editor Martin Palicki.

The Intamin coaster features cars that ride on the side of the track, and spin based on the weight distribution in the car. The ride layout is compact. Think of a plink playing board, where the disc bounces up and down quickly, moving left and right before settling at the bottom. Now turn the volume up. 

There are essentially three parts to the ride: The lift, Block A, and Block B (separated by block brakes). The lift up is quick and smooth, with little fanfare, but with a great unobstructed view of the park.

Block A starts out with a quick dip and flat section before the first of several drops. This is relatively tame section of the ride, allowing guests to get used to the unique sensation of not really knowing where the ride is going.

Block B is certainly more intense, with bigger drops and faster turns that have a tendency to make the cars flip around – sometimes more than others. 

There is no lateral movement in the ride. It’s simply up and down, while rocking forward and backward. But it’s fun, and a new experience.

I rode three times. The first two times I faced backwards (forwards and backwards are somewhat relative…as the car flips, the front becomes the back, and vice versa…but I felt the seats that face out of the station feel like the “back”). The third time I faced forwards, and it was a completely different experience. 

My on-ride trip (forwards) with Ryan from Planet Six.

And of the three rides, the second one provided the most intense action. The B block threw us face down towards the ground with intense force twice, and we had so much rotating momentum our car completed two additional flips once we were stopped back in the station. I think we were screaming the whole time.

The only downsides to the attraction are its low throughput and a queue that travels underneath the station in a hot and breeze-free tunnel. 

The uncomfortable queue was worth it, though, and Green Lantern: First Flight will prove to be a popular addition to the coaster-dominant park.

BRC Imagination Arts, Exhibition Master Planner for New, Groundbreaking Museum of Liverpool, Celebrates Museum’s Grand Opening

Judith Rubin
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BRC developed a conceptual plan and schematic design that provided the framework for Liverpool’s first story-driven and object-rich museum, offering a panoramic perspective of Liverpool’s great social history

BRC Imagination Arts, one of the world’s leading experience designers and creators of distinctive exhibits and attractions for museums, science centres and cultural heritage venues, is the Exhibition Master Planner for the new National Museum of Liverpool, which opens its doors on July 19. In partnership with the architect and the Museum of Liverpool content team, BRC helped to create a story-led, object-rich, interactive, highly flexible environment that immerses visitors in the wonders of Liverpool’s past, present and future, ultimately engaging them with interpretive experiences based on stories of Liverpool’s history and achievements.

A story-driven, people-centric approach
As exhibition master planner, BRC was responsible for developing the museum’s conceptual plan and schematic design, and worked closely with the Museum of Liverpool content team to write the brief for every exhibit, including each exhibit’s theme, story line and the specific collections of art and artefacts the exhibits would display. Each brief was developed to reinforce the Museum of Liverpool’s over-arching theme, “Liverpool, a Wondrous Place.” BRC took a holistic approach, where every element of the museum – presentations, programmes, visitor flow, operations – contribute to provide a meaningful, memorable visitor experience.

In partnership with the museum’s content team and numerous curators from many of the seven museums operated by the National Museums Liverpool, BRC created a framework for the museum that is completely story-led and object-driven. Every display revolves around compelling, emotional stories told by actual citizens of Liverpool, past and present, giving the museum a uniquely human and dynamic voice. Each object in the museum was selected to support these stories and reinforce the theme that Liverpool is a “Wondrous Place.” For example, visitors can see the stage on which Paul McCartney and John Lennon first met as they’re immersed in the story of how the Beatles came to be.

“As we worked on the exhibition planning, the team unanimously agreed they needed to be told through the lens of Liverpool’s people,” said Christian Lachel, vice president of BRC and creative director during the master planning phase. “Working with the Museum of Liverpool team, we interviewed citizens involved in actual events in Liverpool, including citizens now living elsewhere, such as noted author Clive Barker, who BRC met with in Los Angeles. Each person shared their experiences and perspectives on the city, which we used to fit into our master plan, taking the spirit of their stories and embedding them into the exhibitions. The museum offers a dynamic social history of Liverpool that is literally of the people, by the people and for the people.”

The museum curators BRC worked with come from diverse fields, including transportation, geology, music, history, art and archaeology. Every curator had a voice, and BRC created a forum where they could share ideas and tell their story, whether it was about Liverpool’s great history as a port city, the story of the city’s iconic overhead railway or the thriving artistic and literary community that make Liverpool an intellectual hub of Europe.

Flexibility and accessibility
As schematic designer, BRC worked closely with the architect, engineers and Museum of Liverpool senior leadership to create an environment that was totally flexible, so the objects and exhibitions could be changed out frequently, allowing more stories to be told over time. Creating this infrastructure was like building a giant ship, with many different components that needed to fit together – entryways, a flexible power and data grid, the modular exhibition system, resting areas for visitors, the seating and display systems, and the positions for the various galleries. BRC worked with the engineers and architects to integrate these features into the museum planning to ensure a seamless visitor experience that could be easily expanded and changed.

“BRC believes museums of the future cannot be static,” Lachel said. “They must be dynamic, with fresh content and new stories. In creating the framework we took the stories into account as well as the need to constantly update and build upon them. Within that framework, our goal was to keep visitors engaged and comfortable as they move from one exhibit to the next.”

Accessibility is another key feature of the museum. As a team, BRC and the Museum of Liverpool leadership and staff strived to achieve best practices in accessibility, accommodating the special needs of visitors with disabilities or restricted movement. Admission to the museum is free, breaking down barriers and opening its doors to all the diverse communities of Liverpool from every social stratum.

The galleries and collections
Along with the oral testimonies, the Liverpool story is told through archaeological material, social and urban history objects, entomology collections, botanic collections, photographic archives, costume and decorative art collections. Content is structured into four core themes: the Great Port, Global City, People’s Republic and Wondrous Place, located in four large gallery spaces. Touch screens, video and other multimedia effects make the experience highly interactive. Another highlight of the museum is “History Detectives,” an interactive resource centre that gives visitors an opportunity to touch and feel various objects from the collection and learn where they came from, who owned them, and what their story and social history is.

Each gallery of the 4800-square-meter museum is people-driven, object-rich and immersive. For example, the People’s Republic gallery gives the impression that the visitor is stepping into the city – it’s busy and densely populated with stories of people, which can be heard, read, seen and experienced. For the flexible exhibition system master plan, BRC imagined a series of modular cases, which can be joined together and reconfigured, as well as a series of walls and units that can have their contents changed quickly and easily.

The museum possesses more than three million objects and works of art. One of BRC’s greatest challenges was determining how to do justice to so much excellent content. The final master plan design, worked out in close collaboration between BRC, the architects, the curators and the content and design teams, provides the flexibility to continually show more objects and tell more stories, while seamlessly combining techniques from traditional museum design with media, theater, technology and immersive special effects to showcase Liverpool’s wondrous stories of history, culture and science.

“Most people are unaware of Liverpool’s extraordinary history as a major port city and home to some of the most talented writers, scientists, musicians and artists,” Lachel said. “There is so much more to Liverpool than the Beatles and football, important as they are to the city’s history. Liverpool boasts a rich cultural past, a dynamic present and a promising future. BRC is proud to work with National Museums Liverpool to create one of the world’s most people-driven, experiential museums, a gateway to the wondrous city of Liverpool and a treasure trove of art and objects, all presented with the amazing stories behind them.”

About BRC Imagination Arts
BRC Imagination Arts is comprised of an energetic and experienced group of creative thinkers, designers, artists, media producers, writers, project managers and technologists who spend their days breathing the intricacies involved in everything it takes to create world-class museums and cultural attractions.

Today’s 21st century audience is increasingly drawn toward immersive experiences over traditional static exhibits. In the forefront of this sea change, BRC Imagination Arts is re-inventing museum exhibition design for today’s audience. The key to this reinvention lies in unlocking the authentic and dramatic stories inherent in a collection or place, and taking the next step of transforming those artifacts and stories into memorable and lasting museum and cultural experiences.

BRC’s distinct approach to museum exhibit design allows museum curators to tell great stories of history, culture and science, all presented by seamlessly combining techniques from traditional museum design with media, theater, technology and immersive storytelling.

BRC clients include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The Great Wall World Heritage Museum, Colorful Guizhou Cultural Tourism, Taronga Zoo, The Texas State History Museum, The Henry Ford Museum, Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, National Health Museum, National Museums Liverpool, Arizona Science Center, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and many more.

Adler Planetarium Unveils the Highly-Anticipated Grainger Sky Theater

Martin Palicki
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On Friday, July 8, the Adler Planetarium revealed a new, immersive space experience like no other in the world! Deep Space Adventure takes visitors aboard the observation deck of a futuristic starship where they will be surrounded by the larger-than-life phenomena of our dynamic Universe.

Adler President Paul H. Knappenberger, Jr. prepares to open the new Deep Space Adventure

The centerpiece of Deep Space Adventure is the Grainger Sky Theater, which offers audiences the most immersive, technologically advanced theater experience ever developed. Visitors become space adventurers and set off on a journey to discover our Universe in a way never done before. The theater was specifically designed with leading-edge technologies that enable visitors to explore space as if they were there.

The Grainger Sky Theater will project the largest single seamless digital image in the world with an ultra high definition screen resolution of more than 8k x 8k pixels. This far surpasses the cinematic standard of 2k x 4k pixels, presenting a level of realism that can only be surpassed by actual space travel.

Vivid images of planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial objects are shown in the highest resolution and quality possible to evoke the feeling of being in deep space. The on-screen imagery will expand beyond the traditional 180-degree dome and surround the visitor. Special lighting effects in the floor complete the 360-degree experience.


“Deep Space Adventure is a revolutionary way to explore the Universe,” said Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., PhD, president of the Adler Planetarium. “Using the most advanced technology available in our completely transformed Grainger Sky Theater, and partnering with leading scientists, engineers and designers, we have created a thrilling adventure to inspire visitors of all ages. Whether you are a novice or veteran space explorer, the Adler’s goal is to stimulate your curiosity and motivate further discovery. We invite you to be the first explorers to join us on this maiden voyage to deep space.”


Clark Family Welcome Gallery
Visitors begin their Deep Space Adventure in the Clark Family Welcome Gallery. Multimedia interactive exhibits feature greetings from some of today’s prominent space explorers who have personal ties to Chicago. They will prepare museum visitors to explore space by encouraging them to ask intriguing questions and build exploration skills. The out-of-this-world gallery features futuristic architecture, colorful lights and video presentations, creating a dynamic and constantly changing environment.


The Grainger Sky Theater
The adventure continues as visitors are drawn through a space portal to the new Grainger Sky Theater. Fashioned as the observation deck of a starship, the theater invites visitors to come aboard for the ultimate journey into deep space. Prepare for lift off as your adventure continues in the Grainger Sky Theater’s premiere show. Featuring scientific simulations from the most powerful supercomputers, and observations from the most advanced telescopes in existence, breathtaking visualizations capture the audience’s imagination and bring you up close to the action. Watch as a star is torn apart by a black hole; witness the collision of two massive galaxies; view the formation of the large-scale structure of the Universe; and encounter a dramatic supernova explosion.


“The theater technology and computational power used to store and access celestial images differentiates Deep Space Adventure from anything out there,” said Doug Roberts, PhD, Adler chief technology officer and project director for the new Grainger Sky Theater. “Using 20 separate projectors – powered by 45 computers – to create one seamless image is unprecedented. With the ability to create and present scientific data using images that are as good as the human eye can perceive, Adler visitors can explore deep space as if they were there.”


Exhibitions
Once they return to Earth, visitors continue their exploration in the Adler’s exhibition galleries and other theaters. Building on information introduced in the show, visitors can discover more about the Universe and the science behind the mesmerizing simulations featured in Deep Space Adventure. In a new exhibition opening on July 8, Gravity Shapes the Universe, visitors will learn about gravity on Earth, in space and in extreme situations, like a black hole.

Science Content and Visualization Partners
The production of Deep Space Adventure was a collaborative effort between the Adler Planetarium and leading scientists and visualizers. This unique partnership created an experience heretofore unavailable to the public. Some of the science, simulation and visualization partners include: the Advanced Visualization Laboratory, National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (Lead Visualization Partner); the University of California Santa Cruz; the Data Analysis and Visualization team in the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at NASA Ames Research Center; New Mexico State University; and the Astrophysics Institute Potsdam.

Childhood Dome Goes Digital at Adler Planetarium

Martin Palicki
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Growing up in Chicago, the Adler Planetarium had naturally been my first choice to get a star-gazing fix. The highlight of any visit, of course, was a trip to the sky theater, whose giant dome stretched far above me. Arranged in concentric circles, reclining seats surrounded the projector, raised up in the center of the room…
Adler Planetarium’s Zeiss Projector. Photo courtesy of Fritz Geller-Grimm, via wikimedia commons.
Seemingly from another planet, the Zeiss projector spun and twisted to create a recreation of the night sky on the domed screen above. Zeiss projectors have been (and still are) popular with planetariums for decades, and their unusual appearance is both a curiosity and oddly reminiscent of a time when the technology was just as much a part of the show as the storyline.

So I was slightly saddened to walk into the Grainger Sky Theater and find that comforting hunk of metal and glass absent (Zeiss fans will be pleased to know that the Adler disassembled and is storing the projector for display in an upcoming exhibit). In fact, the whole theater looked different, and it really is!

The domed screen has been removed and replaced with a new invisible seam dome screen from Spitz (the Nanoseam), extending through 190 degrees of vision. The floor is now raised a foot, with dancing LED lights zipping around underneath. New, modern seats are arranged theater-style, creating a front and a back. And the trusty old projector has been replaced by 20 digital Zorro projectors from Global Immersion Ltd., partially hidden behind the screen. 
Two of the new Zorro projectors.
The technology is now whisked away, out of view, but it packs a powerful punch. No longer limited to images of the night sky as viewed from Earth, the new system allows the theater to whiz through outer space with crystal clear animations and an incredible sense of depth. To cover the whole screen, the main show control sends individual frames to each projector, whose onboard computer warps and blends the frame to create one giant seamless image on the dome. 
The theater’s first show, called The Searcher, begins in the Clark Family Welcome Gallery, a pre-show area with gauzy white material stretched into odd shapes. It’s almost alien-like, which makes sense given that we are about to meet an extra-terrestrial. The Searcher is actually an alien life form who is seeking out the inhabitants of his home planet, who have vacated to escape impending celestial demise. Once in the theater, The Searcher shows us the corners of the universe he has searched and the phenomena he has encountered.

The show is interesting, and the visuals stunning, but almost seemed more appropriate for an episode of The X-Files than for a scientific institution of learning. And while my personal opinion is that we’re probably not alone here in the universe, I have to wonder if that is a culturally accepted basis for developing a storyline.

The Searcher is only the museum’s first show in the new theater, which also has the capability to do the traditional old-school night sky projections, and also be used for special events. As museum officials explained, why not have a dinner party in the dome, with the city of Paris projected around you in high-definition clarity?

I suppose the Zeiss projector could never take me to Paris. So I’m willing to trade in a bit of nostalgia for this most impressive of upgrades, and look forward to continued deep space exploration from the Adler Planetarium.

European Space Agency: Billion pixel Gaia camera starts to take shape

Judith Rubin
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Message from the European Space Agency (ESA):

“Another milestone in the development of Gaia, ESA’s ultra-sensitive space astrometry mission, was passed on 1 June when the 106 electronic detectors of its billion pixel camera were assembled like a large mosaic for the first time.

Technicians carefully bolting and aligning each of the CCDs onto the support structure. Credit: Astrium
“During its ambitious mission to map one thousand million stars, the spinning Gaia spacecraft will monitor each of these pinpoints of light up to 70 times over a five year period. In order to detect distant stars about one million times fainter than the eye can see, Gaia will carry 106 charge coupled devices (CCDs), each of which is, effectively, a miniature camera.

The complete Gaia CCD mosaic.
Credit: Astrium
“The contract to provide the Gaia CCDs was awarded to e2v Technologies of Chelmsford, UK, in summer 2005, and their production kept the company busy for more than 5 years. With an overall total of about a thousand million pixels, Gaia’s focal plane is the largest digital camera ever built for a space mission.

“Technicians from the mission’s prime contractor, Astrium France, have been carefully bolting and aligning each of the CCDs onto the support structure at the company’s facility in Toulouse…”  read more here.

Mood Media CEO Lorne Abony Nominated for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Ontario

Judith Rubin
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Award Honors Canada’s Most Impressive Entrepreneurs

Mood Media Corporation (TSX:MM/ LSE AIM:MM), leading global provider of in-store media, music, digital signage and scent solutions, announced that CEO and Chairman Lorne Abony has been named a finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

The Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year program is in its 18th year of honoring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.

Formed by Abony in 2005, Mood Media has become a global leader through a combination of disruptive innovation in music licensing and media convergence and a series of strategic acquisitions. In May 2011 Mood Media acquired Muzak for US$345 million to create the largest in-store media provider in the world, nearly five times the size of its next largest competitor. In June 2011, Mood Media was named Canada’s Fastest-Growing Company by PROFIT Magazine.

About Mood Media Corporation
Mood Media Corporation (TSX:MM/ LSE AIM:MM) is a leading in-store media specialist that uses a mix of music, visual and scent media to help its clients communicate with consumers with a view to driving incremental sales at the point-of-purchase.

Through its subsidiaries Mood, Muzak and Mood Entertainment, Mood Media Corporation’s products and services reach 150 million people every day in more than 470,000 locations across 40 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Mood Media Corporation operates an international in-store media and music retail business with an extensive geographic footprint and a broad client base including more than 850 U.S. and international brands in diverse market sectors that include: retail, from fashion to financial services; hospitality, from hotels to health spas; and food retail, including restaurants, bars, quick-serve and fast casual dining.

For more information on Mood Media Corporation visit http://www.moodmedia.com

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