Video Of The Day: Scary Russian Amusement Park Ride

by Libby Zay on

Something about this ride at the Divo Ostrov (Wonder Island) amusement park in St. Petersburg, Russia, seems a little bit off. Things start off pretty normal on the “Wind Shear,” but as you’ll notice about a minute into the video the ride throws all of the riders for a loop – or rather an upside-down nonsensical twist. Just watching the video is enough to make stomachs turn, especially when coupled with some knowledge on the park’s not-so-great track record. In 2010, ten riders on a rocket-shaped attraction at the same park were left dangling 229 feet above ground from a single thread when a cable snapped. Luckily, rescuers were able to safely unload passengers without any injuries being reported. Two years prior, however, a 12-year-old girl was not so lucky. She was seriously injured on a trampoline ride in an accident also involving a broken cable. Knowing the park’s disconcerting safety record, would you be likely to try a whirl on the Wind Shear? Perhaps a news report on the rocket ride incident (after the jump) will make you think again.

High-Five Prank In Pisa, Italy (VIDEO)

by Libby Zay on

Every tourist who visits Pisa, Italy, returns with a photo pretending to hold up the city’s famous bell tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Creating the photo illusion is so popular, that hoards of tourists flock to the town for the sole purpose of snapping the picture. One visitor, however, took it upon himself to walk around the square surrounding the tower and prank unsuspecting tourists. While they stood with arms outstretched, he snuck in, doling out one high-five after another. Watch above to see their surprised reactions.

Video Of The Day: Midnight Sun Shines In Iceland

by Libby Zay on

The “midnight sun” is a natural phenomenon occurring north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun never fully sets and remains visible 24 hours a day. Since there are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, countries and territories that experience the midnight sun are limited to those crossed by the Arctic Circle, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia and Iceland, plus Alaska in the United States.

Filmmaker and photographer Joe Capra sought out capturing the midnight sun in Iceland. To make the above film, he traveled solo around the country for 17 days, shooting both day and night. He slept in his car, hiked in the middle of the night and ate whenever he had a moment of free time. When he returned to Los Angeles, he brought with him 38,000 images in total from the trip.

In an interview about the film, Capra told photographer Michael Levy he chose to travel to Iceland in June because the month is a little early for the tourist season, giving him a chance to film when some popular locations are less crowded. More importantly, at this time of year the midnight sun allowed him six or so hours of fantastic “golden light.”

“I am the type of person who does not want to go on vacation and just walk around cities or just lay on the beach all day long,” Capra said. “I like to get out and see and experience the countries I visit. Going alone also allowed me to go where I wanted, when I wanted, and stay at locations as long as I wanted without having to worry about the needs of another person with me,” he continued.

On his Vimeo page, Capra encourages everyone – photographer or not – to visit Iceland. Although Capra is not sure where he’ll go on his next trip, he relayed that he’s researching Patagonia.

What Does Disney’s Space Mountain Look Like With The Lights On?

by Kraig Becker on

Ever wondered what Disney’s famous Space Mountain roller coaster looks like when the lights are on? If so, you’re in luck because the video below was posted to The Disney Blog a few days back and it gives us all a behind-the-curtain look at one of the most iconic rides in all of the Disney parks.

The first Space Mountain opened at Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, in 1975 and became an instant hit with visitors. The indoor coaster sends riders hurling through a series of sharp twists, turns and drops while remaining almost completely in the dark. That combination of speed and the tension of not knowing what would happen next has made it one of the top attractions in Disney parks ever since.

Rarely do guests in the park ever get to see what Space Mountain looks like when the lights are on, but in the video below riders on one of the park’s “Peoplemovers” passed by while the interior was completely illuminated. The result is a great look at the inner-workings of the ride, which still look impressive.


From Sunrise To Sunset By Boat In Venice, Italy

by Jessica Festa on



Created by Swiss filmmaker Joerg Niggli during two separate trips to Italy, “Venice in a Day” shows a day in Venice from sunrise to sunset. The time-lapse video shows viewers the beautiful city of Venice, or “The Floating City,” with a ride up the Grand Canal and a tour from Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marco. There are also some unique shots being taken from the moving boat, which creates a really vivid, first-person perspective. During the creation, a budget-friendly Canon G10 was used along with Motion, After Effects and Final Cut Pro X used to edit. Music is by Heart of Champions, Chris Haigh and premiumbeat.com.