Part 4 of Marioland has been released.

If you haven’t watched Parts 1-3, do that first:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Part 5 will be the last.

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If you’d like a free FastPass for the Tower of Terror – one without a time ‘window’ on it so that you can walk right on the ride when you show up – look no further. You can get a voucher for just such a pass online in a matter of minutes!

Go to http://www.hollywoodtowerhotel.com/

Wait for the animation to finish and at the top of the page there is a link to download the TOT game.

I wrote up answers to all the puzzles, so go crazy!

LOBBY:

bellhop- left behind the plant

maid- left behind the fat guy

kid on bike- right behind the plant

SWITCHBOARD:

1g 7r

3g 2r

5g 10r

6g 1r

7g 5r

8g 15r

9g 3r

10g 8r

11g 11r

12g 9r

14g 13r

15g 6r

PRIZE: 10% off $50 merch coupon

BEDROOM:

easy – figure it out

PRIZE: 15% off $75 merch coupon

LIBRARY:

easy – figure it out

PRIZE: 20% off $100 merch coupon

ELEVATOR:

Connect red pipe pieces to boiler to connect all segements

Go to the bedroom

Click the toolbox next to the bike

Use the wrench on the red wheel connected to the boiler

Go to the lobby

Click the table next to the check-in desk

Use the lighter on the boiler’s three openings

Click the fusebox next to the elevator – can’t do anything here yet

Go to the library

Click on the clickable books (down-right of the tv)

Dust off the titles and open “Wiring Diagrams for Elevators” (blue

book)

Draw the wires that you see on the diagram

Click the elevator button

Follow the bellhop into the elevator.

You’re done!

PRIZE: FastPass coupon

The printable voucher that you get is good from May 5th (opening day) through July 2nd and is good for up to six people. Finish the game then reinstall it and play again if you’d like another voucher (they’re individually bar-coded to prevent repeat plays!)

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There has been some speculation that Rance is actually Owen Wilson. He remains anonymous for now!

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Gin and Tonic Sorbet

I have not yet tried this.

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I am undeniably uncreative. I scored a 50.63, with the typical score being 60.39.

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So check this out.

I’m all about pre-paid wireless phones. I like having no contract and I hardly use the phone, so it works out to be way cheap.

I was originally with AT&T Wireless who charged around $0.33/min. I was mostly happy with AT&T, and left primarily because of the price.

Then I found Boost Mobile who charged a mere $0.25/min, and I switched to them.

ONE WEEK LATER, AT&T lowered their rate to $0.25/min too. I slapped my forehead and moved on with my life.

Now word comes that 7-11 is launching their own wireless service called “Speak Out Wireless” at an industry-leading 20 cents per minute.

I’m not gonna lie to ya – I’m unhappy with Boost (aka Nextel). The coverage is spotty in the LA area, and the signal strength bars on my phone jump up and down from no signal to full strength when I stand still. AT&T was way better.

Still, Boost does give me free Internet access, and that’s tough to pass up…

Annoying.

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Today I’m keeping the blinds in my office shut and I turned the contrast down on my monitors by 50%. I can’t believe how much better my eyes feel. I recommend you do the same!

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The Star Wars kid has been remixed. A LOT.

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We went on the Tower of Terror yesterday and it was reeeeeally good. I was actually surprised. Given the current trend of Disney theme park cheapness, the Tower of Terror is actually a lushly themed, full-featured, high-tech attraction. It’s amazing how great it is. My theory on this is that they spent the money on R&D for Florida, so the smaller budget for our version went a little farther than you’d expect.

Some effects are missing from the Orlando original, but they’ve been supplanted by some newer technology and you really won’t miss them all that much.

It’s clear that much more work was put into the Tower than any other attraction at DCA. It is now the single most important attraction at the park, making everything else in the park look cheap by comparison (which wasn’t all that difficult a feat, to be honest.) It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on the attendance numbers at DCA this year. I’m sure that’s what they’re banking on. The Tower of Terror officially opens on May 5th – next Wednesday!

Afterwards we had dinner with Stacy and Steve at the newly opened Tortilla Jo’s in Downtown Disney. Service was decent but the food was lousy and expensive. The only thing remarkable about their menu was their giant list of tequillas. They specialize in making no-mix margaritas, where it’s just tequilla and lime juice and that’s it! It wasn’t my thing, but Tammy and Stacy enjoyed them. Granted, the place just opened last weekend, but I think they have a bit more work to do on their menu before we’ll go back.

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KCRW’s general manager, Ruth Seymour, is a bit of a bitch according to Joe Frank. I sort of suspected it when I heard her doing her best to guilt people into subscribing during their membership drives…she tends to take an accusatory tone. There are better ways to encourage donations, I would think.

I used to listen to Joe Frank’s show a lot, and I think I enjoyed it more than anything else on the air at the time, but thanks to its awkward time slot I guess I never realized until now that it’s been off the air for two years. Joe Frank weighs in on why that is, exactly. And Ruth is at the heart of it.

Between Joe Frank’s secret firing and the whole Sandra Tsing Loh debacle, KCRW is turning into the soap opera of Los Angeles’ airwaves!

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