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Thanks Tammy

 

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One uneventful Friday night, I decided to visit Disney World. I'd been once before, packing all four parks into five days. It was intense, and I didn't get to go on all the rides. 

This time I wanted to take it easy. So I wandered around the Germany Pavilion at Epcot. I rode on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom. Twice, actually. I ate some snacks so I wouldn't die. 

Oh, and I did all of that from my couch in "Minecraft."  

Someone built a 1:1 scale of Disney World in "Minecraft," which is the game that Microsoft recently paid more than $2 billion to own.

"Minecraft" is what's called an open-world sandbox game, where players can build amazing creations, walk endlessly, or even play against each other online.

The multiplayer functionality of "Minecraft" is where people from all over can participate and play with each other in the same virtual world. Some people even host their own servers. There are hundreds if not thousands of gorgeous creations in the game, ranging from entire cities to replicas of real-life landmarks.

Once Upon A Dream

And that's where Disney World comes in, or as it's called in "Minecraft," the MCMagic server. 

The brains behind the magic is David Wasman, who goes by the name TheRealDuckie in the game. 

He started out building the castle with a couple friends. He then saw on the "Minecraft" subreddit that someone else had built the front train station. 

"I put two and two together, and figured I could put each one on opposite ends of Main Street, and then it just blew up from there," Wasman tells Business Insider. 

He then got to thinking that there are thousands of people who would never have a chance to make it to Disney in their lives. So he started a free server running out of his bedroom to give people an opportunity to visit the park. 

"The server could only handle around 20 people at the time," he laughs. 

Through word of mouth, other builders from around the world pitched in to help him create more of the park, brick by brick. The number of people willing to help out grew, and three years later, the entirety of Disney World was online and accepting hundreds of visitors a day. 

"I knew I had something," he says. "I knew that being able to take from that magic that Disney already created, I can't take any credit for that. But I can at least continue it in some way. It's an homage, really."

Building a team to help create stuff for a "Minecraft" server is a well-known part of the "Minecraft" world. Ever since Mojang (the maker of "Minecraft") allowed people to host games on their own servers, there have been teams of people offering their building expertise to help make each server unique.

One of those teams, called ChiseledBrick, was started by a 13-year-old. People can spend anywhere from $50 all the way up to $200 per build, depending on various factors, such as the size of the build and the level of detail involved.

"It's usually a form of investment. A server usually wants to have a good spawn area because it is the first impression of the server," ChiseledBrick founder Justin Wang says.

Spawning is where a player is placed in the game world once they sign on. Or where they are "reborn" after they die. 

In MCMagic, there's no dying. It's strictly for wandering around and checking out the parks. The spawn area looks like the front entrance to Disney World, the ticketing and transportation center. You can read about different aspects of the park, and learn how to do things and which commands to type in.

The best part is that you don't actually have to walk anywhere. For example, you can just type in that you want to go to the Magic Kingdom, and you're magically transported to Main Street.

Magic Everywhere

MCMagic is completely nonprofit. Any money that they make from donations goes right back into supporting the servers. 

"I've paid, for the history of the servers, about 90% of the costs out of pocket," Wasman says. "I've spent well over $16,000." 

There are hundreds of "cast members," too, who help guests find things and make sure that everything is running smoothly. They also ensure that the space remains family friendly. There are constant reminders in the chat area on the left that no foul language will be tolerated. 

"We are very big on the safety of our guests," Denise Neill, one of MCMagic's moderators, tells Business Insider. "We have a very young user base. We don't allow any profanity, outside links, or any advertising on the server. Our goal is to make sure that when you come here, you know that your 7-year-old is not being approached by anyone who can get them into trouble."

And even those cast members run the place on a volunteer basis. People who hang out on the server often enough and want to help out even further, whether by acting as a tour guide or a moderator, have to submit an application. 

Neill stumbled on this server before taking a trip to Disney World with her husband, and just fell in love with it, she says. She's been helping out with the server on and off for about three years, all as a volunteer. 

"It's just so much fun," she says. "I've learned something new every day, and I've built really good relationships with people I've known for three years here."

She said it's not uncommon for people who meet on the MCMagic server to hang out in real life, and even meet up in the real Disney World. 

Do You Want To Build A Theme Park?

In order to get Disney World looking like the real thing, the team solicits help from Disney fans.

They ask people who are going there to take detailed pictures, they use aerial images from Google, and they've even found the blueprints to some of the rides in order to build them to scale.

The amount of detail is insane. You can download what are called "resource packs," that allow you to experience the parks as intended. And that even includes the music. And the shows, such as "Fantasmic."

And people love it. "At this time, we've had around a quarter of a million guests on our server," Neill says. "I remember when we had a party for our 5,000th guest. We get a new player every few minutes." 

But thanks to the quick way of getting across the parks, there aren't any crowds to deal with. 

To Infinity And Beyond

There aren't any plans to expand beyond Disney World. They'll never build the Disneyland in California, or any of the other parks around the world. 

But that doesn't mean the work is over with the parks. Cast members in MCMagic are constantly building new things, ranging from changing up the different seasonal decorations, to huge projects like new rides or attractions.

For example, it was just announced that they're removing the sorcerer's hat from Disney's Hollywood Studios. So it's only a matter of time before they remove it from MCMagic. 

"They will never be done," Neill says. "This is a work in progress forever. You have to remember that Disney changes every six months. That means something new is coming."

SEE ALSO: These Video Game Images Of Paris Look So Vivid, We Mistook Them For The Real Thing

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The animals of YouTube recreate the trailer for Inception. Much better than the real movie! (via the Presurfer)

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In case you've ever wondered what a sneezing chicken sounds like...

Related: Sneezing Puppies Compilation

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A few days ago, Sploid brought us a video of two skiers wrapped in LED light rope. The effect was extraordinarily weird and cool, and now GoPro has released the POV footage of the skiers themselves. Night skiing is always magical, but this goes beyond your average shadowy last run.

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WWF Wrestler Masks

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Film director Kevin Smith posted these pictures of himself to his Facebook page, one of which is the "after" picture of him having shaven his trademark facial hair. People familiar with Smith, what do you think? Does he look better with beard and mustache or without? And what on Earth would Silent Bob say? (Yeah, likely nothing.) -Via Uproxx

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Poor corgi gets a severe ass-kick

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manicpixiescreamnewt:

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cd in a microwave

it looks like an ancient rune activating its magic

YouTube promised that you'd see many videos playing at a brisk 60 frames per second this year, and it looks like the streaming site has made good on its word. While there were a few 60FPS test clips in the spring, you can now see regular uploads with...

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This 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 sedan (chassis F7FT308710) is said to be the only four door made with the very rare, F-code supercharged 312ci V8. A one-year only option, evidence suggests that as few as 100 of these motors were built to meet NASCAR production quotas. Claimed a one-family car until 2000, it was then restored by Don Miller, former president of Penske Racing, and sounds to have remained in his collection until recently. Find it here on eBay in Lansdale, Pennsylvania for $94,900 OBO.

​Documentation isn’t mentioned, but the seller claims the car was originally ordered (with full, up-front cash payment) by a moonshine runner who was locked up prior to delivery. 43 years later, a full restoration was conducted under Miller’s direction, and photos suggest it was an above-average quality job that seems to be holding up very well. We like the Gunmetal/Woodsmoke color combo, and imagine that such an unassuming, high-powered sedan would be an ideal machine for running illicit beverages across state lines.

​Materials used throughout the interior and trunk look factory correct, including carpet, vinyl and cloth. The seats feature a very 50’s looking abstract pattern, and like most Detroit cars of the era we’d never get tired of soaking in the interior’s Jet Age design details.

​Factory rated at 300 HP, NASCAR banned forced induction and multiple carbs the following year in an effort to reduce costs and level the playing field—regulation still in place nearly 60 years later.

​Fitted with special, low-compression, 8.5:1 heads and belt-driven, centrifugal blower, the seller says that Ford and Paxton (manufacturer of the supercharger) actually knew power to be as high as 360 HP. A column-mount shift controls a heavy duty 3-speed manual, and sale appears to include a binder full of restoration photos as well as a photocopied Ford-issued supercharger shop manual.

​We really like the story and history behind this one, and hope that the big claims are verifiable with further documentation. Provided all checks out, this car should be guaranteed access to any number of high-level shows and concours, and in between events would be a lot of fun to take to the occasional vintage drag night.

Facebook earnings are out! And even though it's a slight beat, investors got a little spooked during the earnings call, when Facebook gave weak 2015 guidance.

Facebook revenue was $3.2 billion this quarter, nudging past Wall Street's expectation of $3.12 billion. Its advertising revenue was $2.96 billion, a 64% increase from the same quarter one year ago. The rest of it —$264 million came from payments, which is a 13% increase from the same quarter last year.

EPS is $0.43 versus an expected $0.40.

Other than that, Facebook fell exactly in-line with expectations. Its monthly active users were 1.35 billion, a 14% increase. Mobile monthly active users were 1.12 billion and daily active users were 864 million.

Facebook's mobile advertising revenue continues to grow. This quarter, mobile ad revenue was up to 66% of the company's total revenue. Last quarter it was 61%.

WhatsApp's numbers are also out. WhatsApp is the $22 billion chat application Facebook recently acquired. It lost $140 million last year and only generated $10 million in revenue. However, WhatsApp has 600 million monthly active users.

Zuckerberg says he'll continue to to invest in connecting the world over the next decade.

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Facebook just disclosed the financial performance of WhatsApp, the messaging app it acquired in a deal that was ultimately valued at $22 billion.

The numbers are unimpressive. Revenue was $10.2 million 2013. It had a net loss of $138 million in 2013. The bulk of that loss, or $98.8 million, came from stock based expenses. It burned $9.9 million in cash for operating activities in 2013. 

These numbers are irrelevant, so there's no reason to freak out about it. Facebook didn't buy the company for its revenue. WhatsApp had only started to monetize its user base. 

Facebook bought WhatsApp for its 600 million active users. Facebook has a not-so-crazy belief that an application on its way to a billion users can develop into a business worth more than $22 billion in the long run. 

Here are the numbers, anyway.

Revenue:

Statement of cash flow

How Facebook valued the company. Lots of goodwill.

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