Observation Wheels Now Published

To go along with my new website about observation wheels I have published a new book called Observation Wheels: Guide to the World's Largest Ferris Wheels. Check out the description and a preview on Amazon.com:

Coasters 101: Second Edition Launched

I recently launched the second edition of my book, Coasters 101: An Engineer's Guide to Roller Coaster Design. Changes to the book include interesting new content like:

• Evolution of the roller coaster
• Detailed description on launch systems
• A people powered coaster
• How a 4th dimension coaster works
• the modern vertical loop
• and much more!

I'm also working on getting the book published in more formats in order to make it available to as many people as possible. Here's the list where you can find it:

ebook pdf (through clickbank)................$7.99
Kindle Edition.........................................$9.99 
Nook.....................................................$9.99 (coming December 8th) 
Paperback...........................................$11.99

Omega Tau Podcast Interview

I was recently interviewed on the Omega Tau podcast (science and engineering in your headphones) talking about what (what else) roller coasters! Thankfully, it was per-recorded and edited and not a live show! Definitely need more practice at the whole interviewing thing. Take a listen to the show here.

I'm Published!

I self-published my first paperback book today through CreateSpace as well as an eBook version through Kindle Direct Publishing. Have you ever wondered how to design a roller coaster? Coasters 101: An Engineering Guide to Roller Coaster Design examines the numerous diverse aspects of roller coaster engineering, including some of the mathematical formulas and engineering concepts used. This technical guide is the most detailed roller coaster design book to date and will take you through the entire process, from concept to creation. A must read for every enthusiast and aspiring roller coaster engineer!


Shout out to John Stevenson for designing the nifty cover.

Order the paperback version here.

Purchase the eBook version here.

View a free preview of the book here.

2011 Year in Review

So here's my obligatory blog post looking back at the year that was. A few of the highlights from the past year that come to mind first are:

• ASTM F24 committee meeting in New Orleans
• Winning Cedar Point's K'nex Build Off Competition
• Spending four weeks in Utah for work
• Visiting Dollywood for the first time (and staying in the amazing Dollywood Vacations Cabins)
• Quitting by job as CAD engineer I held for 2+ years and moving to a new city and starting a new job as an automotive supplier engineer
• Staying onsite at Universal Orlando for a few days in July
• Celebrating our one year wed-iversary by doing the Wildside Tour at The Wilds
• Publishing my first book (e-book that is, paperback coming soon).
  

Here's a list of some of the Cyclone Edition's Most Popular Posts from 2011:

• Vintage Lego Airport Shuttle Monorail #6399

• CATIA > PRO-ENGINEER

• More OSU Tweets

• Best "Osama is Dead!" Tweets

• Excel "Contains" Formula

• 2011 College Football Bowl Spreadsheet

• Best LeBron Tweets

Fourth Annual Coaster101 Photo Contest

Get out your cameras and dust off the lens – it’s time for our fourth annual photography contest! This year’s categories will remain the same from last year: original, edited, and humor. Prizes include a Coaster101 pack and Cheetah Hunt gear. Submissions will be accepted through July 8th, 2011. Voting will begin soon thereafter. Please read all of the rules first before entering. We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Click here for more information and a link to enter!

Robocoaster 3D CAD Model

Lagoon Park April 2011

I Need Assistance with My Three Books in Development

My wife says I always have too many projects going on at once and she's right. A little while ago I posted about how I wanted to publish a book but I needed an idea. Well, I recently came up with an idea- actually, I now have three ideas and am working on all three simultaneously. I can't decide which one is the front-runner to get published on Amazon Kindle first. Here are the concepts and the issues with each one:

1. A book about roller coaster design is my best defined book but also will require the most amount of research and information.
2. A comedy using inspirations from my own and other experiences about an engineer in China is the most exciting book I am working on but lacks an overall plot to pull the while thing together. I need to figure out what the point is other than a collection of funny occurrences.
3. The third book is the adoption story of our dog Conan. I got this idea after his story was viewed 15,000 times in the first day after winning the Freekibble contest. This story is the shortest and needs the most work to make it exciting but I know there is an audience for this type of book. We also already have a cover design finalized.

I'm going to need some help with these so if you have or know anyone who would be willing to design a cover, read and edit the story, or offer me any other advice about self publishing I would be most grateful. I will also strongly consider finical reimbursement for any help or suggestions.

Vote for Demon Drop

My model was selected as one of the three finalists in Cedar Point’s K’nex Great Thrill Ride Build-Off. You can vote for your favorite creation by liking your favorite ride's photo on Cedar Point's Facebook page. Voting ends at 3:00:00 PM ET on April 12, 2011. The finalist whose photo receives the most “likes” will be the winner!

K'nex Great Thrill Ride Build-Off Facebook Contest | Facebook

Demon Drop K'nex Model

I teased you with a couple preview pictures earlier. Well, here it is in all of its glory- the Demon Drop K'nex model recreation for Cedar Point's Build Off competition. What do you think?

Latest Cantilevered Coaster model video update

Park Goals for 2011

I only made it out to three amusement parks last year (Holiday World, Kennywood, Cedar Point) which was a big disappointment. Next year I am determined to visit more parks. My ideal list of parks I will visit this year and why (listed from most likely to least likely) are:

• Zoombezi Bay at the Columbus Zoo – new water coaster
• Cedar Point or Kings Island – Windseeker
• Dollywood – new park to me
• Busch Gardens Tampa – Cheetah Hunt
• Islands of Adventure – Harry Potter
• Six Flags Over Texas – Texas Giant

Legoland Florida Interview

Check out my interview with Jackie Wallace, media representative for Legoland Florida, opening in 2011!

Busch Gardens Exclusive Interview

Check out my interview with Jill from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, posted to Coaster101.com! We talk about the exciting new Cheetah Hunt roller coaster premiering next year as well as other interesting tid bits. Check it out!

DS Campus Poster

My work on the cantilevered roller coaster is being featured on a new promotional poster for the DS Campus website. The poster will be sent to teachers to hang in their classrooms as well as the November issue of PRISM magazine. Pretty cool! Hopefully something awesome will come of it. I'm ready for a new challenge. (Check out the video of the cantilevered coaster).

Halloweekends at Cedar Point

Check out the rest of my pictures from Halloweekends at Cedar Point over at Coaster101.com!

Interview with Theme Park author, Scott A Lukas

Check out my awesome interview with the author of Theme Park!