iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

It’s totally bass ackwards that they banned photos in the lights-on tour, but allow it during the event. But I guess social media sells tickets.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 17m

Hollywood is still (sort of) doable without Express, but the maze design is frustratingly rote, and the way they handle crowds leaves a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, Knott’s remains better than both.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 17m

From my experience, Hollywood and Orlando have different issues. The creative team in Orlando seems to have more juice at this point, but the event oversells Express to the point that it becomes basically mandatory to have a decent experience.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 22m

This is my eternal frustration. There are, like, five total gags that are in *all* the mazes.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 1h

All the Stranger Things mazes have been bad, and this year was no different. The silver lining is that at least this is the last one (at least until the inevitable reboot).

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 1h

I still think this event desperately needs new creative vision that’s not just stuck recycling the same rigid formula year after year, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 1h

All told, this was probably the strongest showing for Hollywood’s event in years, but that’s not an especially high bar. Sinners is about as good as you can expect from HHN—not breaking any new ground, but all their usual tricks executed quite well.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18h

I know Knott’s got some half-hearted pushback from influencers about their no phones in mazes policy this year, but good on them. This has gotten to be untenable.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18h

Making my annual check in on Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Hollywood, and man, this has really become the cell phone event. Some neat gags and one pretty killer animatronic in the Ozzy maze, but *everyone* has their phones out, slowing to a dead stop to get video of everything.

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Matt Ghoulberg @mattgoldberg.bsky.social · 20h

That’s when they unleash the bees.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 29/09/2026

There's a reason this guy was in close competition with David Zaslav for the title of most hated man in the entertainment business.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 29/09/2026

Chapek's framing of Iger in his new book rings true to me, but it's important to remember he still absolutely sucks the moon out of the sky. He perhaps permanently broke the experience of the Disney parks, and—with Disney+ kicking off the streaming arms race—also arguably broke the film/TV industry.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 28/09/2026

Ultimately, I still (selfishly) contend that it’s probably better that Starcruiser was killed before it had a chance to die a slow death, gradually and systemically having everything special stripped from it (see: Galaxy’s Edge). Its unceremonious execution saved it from enshittification.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 28/09/2026

It probably boiled Iger’s blood that Chapek accidentally shepherded the highest rated guest experience in the company’s history.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 28/09/2026

And to be clear: I’m not really on Chapek’s side here. He was not some kind of visionary—he was notoriously the opposite of that, and this was effectively a project he inherited—but Iger was as icy as Chapek was incompetent, and the two clearly hated each other’s guts.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 28/09/2026

This pretty much tracks with what I’ve always believed: Starcruiser’s financial performance was about in line with what was expected (huge projects like that take years to earn back their initial investment), but Iger had a chance to get a tax break and a dig at Chapek by killing it.

The whole concept was a great idea, and we were figuring out the economics. It's a known fact that no hotel is ever profitable in the first year. But when my time as CEO came to an end, so, too, did the Galactic Starcruiser.

While I was proud to give birth to the entirely new galaxy, Bob Iger saw things differently. When he resumed control of the company, the hotel closed. There is no doubt that the resort and experience were not profitable at that moment.

I believed in the idea and its potential.
Bob Iger saw things differently and, in my opinion, also saw it as something connected to my time in charge. As a result, in my opinion, it went away.

Like the sign on the cruise ship
destination island, any memory or symbol of my time in charge was seemingly systematically removed.

Ultimately, like most things with my name behind them, that sign, and that galaxy, went far, far away.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 26/09/2026

Totally willing to accept that tastes are different and the show is just not for me—I feel like the event has outgrown it, but I also acknowledge that it has a group of dedicated fans. It’s just this enormous chip on their shoulder that is especially off putting. Get over it, guys.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 26/09/2026

As for The Hanging, the show has always sucked, but it’s especially tiresome now that the last five iterations of it have centered on bitching about the two years they were forced to go dark. A thrice nightly, thirty minute show that’s basically just this dril tweet.

“and another thing: im not mad. please dont put in the newspaper that i got mad.”

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 26/09/2026

There’s increasingly evidence of penny pinching and corner cutting in this post-acquisition era, but Knott’s remains unbeatable in the Haunt scene. No one does better scare zones/entertainment (The Hanging excepted), and Inked proves they’ve still got the juice when it comes to clever maze design.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 26/09/2026

I know the definition is fuzzy, but for me, the acknowledgement of time passing in-fiction as well as a new group of protagonists for the “legacy” characters to play off of are essential. By my count, FURY ROAD, PUSS IN BOOTS, and INCREDIBLES 2 don’t count. TOY STORY 3 is an edge case.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 24/09/2026

Chapek obviously sucks, but his take on Iger here seems 100% dead on.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 23/09/2026

Overheard at Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank: “Is that Jordan Peele in drag? No, that’s Ritchie Valens.”

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 21/09/2026

As ever, Gavin Newsom, get fucked.

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Nick Field @nickfield.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The State AGs were on pace to kill the Paramount/Warner Bros by litigation and delay until Gavin Newsom stepped in and turned the tide. Now the Trump loyalist Ellisons will control CNN and HBO. Don't ever, ever forget that Newsom stabbed us in the back www.wsj.com/business/med...

wsj.com

Exclusive | Newsom Expresses Concerns About State Antitrust Suit Against Paramount

The California governor has told people involved in the suit that blocking the $81 billion deal could harm Hollywood jobs.

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Fade In @fadeinpro.com · 21/09/2026

Catastrophe is right. Settling like this is also saying "Yes, we think it's antitrust, but if you pay enough we'll let you do it anyway."

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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Bonta after detailing the terms of the deal: "I don't think these two companies should merge...I still don't." I mean, Jesus wept. I doubt this is the end of Newsom's 2028 ambitions, but it certainly should be. He got played by DAVID ELLISON!

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 20/09/2026

A “clean” interface sucks, actually, if it’s less intuitive to get at essential functionality.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 20/09/2026

Yet again, Apple weirdly burying essential features inside of options menus. In iOS 27, Apple Maps no longer automatically surfaces the “leave by/arrive by” buttons. Instead, they’re hidden behind a non-obvious route options button.

Apple Maps driving directions with a blue options button that doesn’t actually say options. Instead, it reads, “Avoid Tolls”.

Inside the options menu are buttons for “Leave Now”, “Leave At”, “Arrive By”, and avoid tolls or highways.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18/09/2026

This week’s episode of STRANGE NEW WORLDS seems to indicate that Medieval Times continues to be operation into the 23rd century.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18/09/2026

Inked, one of the new mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm this year, is terrific! One of the best new mazes they’ve produced in years. Clever and inventive and fun. Some gags and effects unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a haunt.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18/09/2026

Novel using Calico Mine as a stage, but the whole process of moving people back there is a mess. Also, losing the monsters emerging from the fog of Ghost Town feels like a big loss.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 18/09/2026

If you write more than five consecutive posts, Bluesky should just redirect your browser to Medium.

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Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

it really does feel as if Democrats en masse are telling trans ppl that they don't want us as part of their coalition. if you disagree with them – if you *want* trans ppl to be a part of the coalition – then please call these trans-exclusionary Dems DIVISIVE because they are DIVIDING OUR COALITION!

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 17/09/2026

Somehow it escaped my notice that Gerwig is starting with THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 17/09/2026

“If I can’t own it forever, I will destroy it.” People are worried about the midterms, but I think the safe bet is it all plays out relatively normally because Trump fundamentally doesn’t care about Republicans. 2028, though. That’s where things are going to get ugly.

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Hastin @hastin.net · 17/09/2026

A full in-browser offline archive of the Batuu experiences, stories, transmissions, and experiences of Star Wars: Datapad has been uploaded to the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/pdp_...

archive.org

Play Disney Parks: Star Wars Datapad - Batuu Offline Archive - 1.0.0

A digital preservation and offline standalone archive of the interactive Star Wars: Datapad experience from Disney's retired Play Disney Parks mobile application.Originally introduced in 2019 alongsid...

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Daring Cuties @daringcuties.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We lost Bob Mackie today. I will always be amazed at how intuitively he understood and contributed to Star Wars costume design in his work on the Holiday Special. Goodnight, but not goodbye.

Nick visiting Bob Mackie's original costume sketches for the Star Wars Holiday Special before they were auctioned off in April 2021.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 13/09/2026

Barring some other tectonic breakthrough, AI super intelligence is not actually achievable with the current technology. It’s all hype, including the portents of doom.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 13/09/2026

Nice of STRANGE NEW WORLDS to give us a non-gimmick, honest-to-goodness episode of STAR TREK this week for the 60th anniversary.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 12/09/2026

Also, managed to see three of the six episodes of DETOURS they have on exhibit. Those are, uh, definitely of an (end of an) era. (This might have been Stockholm syndrome, but episode six was actually pretty funny).

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 12/09/2026

Had my second trip to the Lucas Museum today for my actual member preview (as opposed to the opening party on the 5th). Just an incredible collection of work, and a huge boon for Los Angeles (sorry SF and Chicago). Still some operational hiccups, but to be fair they’re still not technically open.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 11/09/2026

I get that Talarico is running in a Republican stronghold and with a rare opportunity against a uniquely terrible opponent, but it’s still extremely frustrating to see him spout this ugly gender essentialism. Just dodge the question and focus on your slam dunk talking points about corruption.

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Emily St. James @emilystjams.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It is very funny -- and/or a sign of how broken TV has become -- that a special built atop a piece of beloved (shudder) IP that proved a ratings smash AND won a passel of Emmy Awards in very competitive categories cannot (yet) branch off into an ongoing series.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 11/09/2026

The premise is literally just “The Muppet Show.”

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 11/09/2026

Is this really just going to be a stalemate until Bob Iger is physically no longer in the building anymore?

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 10/09/2026

HOPE is barely a movie, and somehow also the *most* movie. Insane piece of work. Some of the best action setpieces you’ve ever seen inside of a narrative that is confounding and undercooked even at 157 minutes. The most frustrating movie of the year. My highest recommendation.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 09/09/2026

Gotta update two-party consent laws to include AI note taking.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 09/09/2026

The demo they showed was a waiter listing off specials at a restaurant and then the diner scrolling back through an AI summary to read them on his watch.

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David Daut @davidmdaut.com · 09/09/2026

Gonna get lost in the shuffle with new iPhones, but crazy that Apple announced a new feature of Apple Watch is that it can now constantly listen and take notes on nearby conversations. We now live fully in the panopticon!

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