Author Topic: EP1 ~ "Real Fast! Quack, Quack!"  (Read 72317 times)

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Offline Neobie

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #25 on: August 25, 2006, 01:45:30 AM »
Found a picture of the West Opulent Gate (西华门) from the outside:



Is the colour of the studs correct? And does the stone step at the door mean anything? If this doesn't work out, we still have plenty of East/West doors within the Forbidden City to look at... :groan:
« Last Edit: August 26, 2006, 09:30:32 AM by Neobie »

Offline puddin

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #26 on: August 25, 2006, 09:08:01 AM »
Here's a llink The Forbidden City, Beijing, China


doorways pt 1
doorways pt 2

( sorry in advance if the links been posted already :D )


Offline puddin

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #27 on: August 25, 2006, 09:14:27 AM »
also there are a  lot of pictures in pbase  ( search forbidden city bejiing but not all pictures are labeled )

heres another search engine that I love

http://www.search-22.com/downloads/images.php

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #28 on: August 25, 2006, 11:34:33 AM »
 :jumpy:  Thanks for the pbase link, puddin.  After looking at hundreds of Forbidden City pix, I think I found a possible candidate for "our" door.  It's taken from an opposite view, looking out, but the floor tiles are a good match, the hinge looks about right, and if you look closely, you can see that the inner red walls are covered with smaller "knobs", just like the ones above Peter's head (highlighted with a yellow circle).  If it isn't the one, it's very close.

If we can identify the building in the background, we may get closer to identifying this structure. 

[attachment deleted by admin]
« Last Edit: August 25, 2006, 11:46:56 AM by Boingo »

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #29 on: August 25, 2006, 12:07:42 PM »
 :jumpy:  OK, after checking the 360 degree map of the Forbidden city, this structure appears to be a twin of the one opposite.  According to the map below, I place the racers near the square in front of Meridian Gate, entering through a doorway on the left side (note red circle).  Thats why the guard is pointing (north) toward the main entrance at the Meridian Gate, IMHO.

[attachment deleted by admin]


Offline puddin

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #30 on: August 25, 2006, 12:32:30 PM »
It sure looks like a match Boingo  :conf: :cheer: :gj:

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #31 on: August 25, 2006, 01:21:22 PM »
Nice job Boingo!  :woohoo:

I think the photo you put up was taken at the location you circled on the map.  It's from the outside looking in.  It was taken at the end of the day when the sun was low and having a northerly azimuth.  That is why there is a shadow of the western leg (one of two legs of that "U" shaped building having the main enterance in the middel) cast all the way over to the eastern version of the photographed gate structure.

So I'm thinking that our promo shot was eiter taken over on the other side (the Eastern side) in the morning or at the location you circled in the evening.  I'll have to put up the shadow times for the evening later.

So my question is:  Do you think that the gate on the East would have 8 or 9 columns of doornails?

My inclination is toward an early morning shot at an hours of operation bunch point.  But the nail count will be the deciding factor.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #32 on: August 25, 2006, 01:37:37 PM »
Not sure I totally understood all of that, Chateau, but according to the map, the Forbidden City is aligned on a true North-South axis.  The doorway with the racers is on the west side of the square in front of the Meridian Gate.  Just looking at the shadows in the promo shot (showing shadows running almost directly north), IMHO I'd say it's "high noon".  But I'm no expert.  I counted the door knobby thingies and the number matches the promo shot.  Am I missing something?

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #33 on: August 25, 2006, 02:20:23 PM »
Here's a twist.  According to Orbitz, if the racers fly east to Beijing, then they would arrive at 9:30AM.  Kinda flies in the face of the race going east to west this time.   :umn:  Naaaah, can't be.   :groan:  That's the only way they would be at FC about noon time after arriving.    :angel:   This is assuming FC is first stop after they get to Beijing.    ??? 
« Last Edit: August 25, 2006, 02:39:37 PM by Boingo »

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #34 on: August 25, 2006, 04:08:39 PM »
Sorry about that.  Kind of hard to follow, I know.

Here is what I mean:  The doorway in your photo is in the north/south direction and when we look through the doorway we seen the equivalent one on the East side of the square.  I circled the one we see through the door in the capture from the 360 viewer.

I put my estimate of the direction of sunshine for your photo on the palace map.  In the promo photo the sunshine direction is straight through the doorway and so that means it is shining in an east/west direction.

[attachment deleted by admin]
« Last Edit: August 25, 2006, 04:15:40 PM by Chateau d If »
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders


Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #35 on: August 25, 2006, 04:26:13 PM »
OK, I think we're talking about the same doorway (on the west side of the square).  So now the question remains, what time is it in the promo pix, given we assume the racers are at that very same door.  I guessed high noon, based on the shadows.  I suppose you disagree based on your timeline.  Did you assume that FC is first stop upon arriving in Beijing?  Might it rather be the pitstop for that leg?  I noticed that Peter is not wearing the same clothes shown in the Seattle starting line group picture. 

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #36 on: August 25, 2006, 05:58:13 PM »
It looks like the promo shadow points straight through the doorway.  So that means it is pointing west (or east) not north.

I think this is the morning after they arrive in Beijing.  That could give them a chance to change clothes.

At noon the sun is up high with a solar altitude of 71 deg.  The promo shot has a very low solar altitude making those long shadows.  It looks like the place in the shadow where Peter's knee is falls on the guard's foot.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #37 on: August 25, 2006, 09:33:55 PM »
NO!.......  The shadows run parallel to the doorway.  The doors open to the west. (Suggest you check the larger promo pix previously posted in this thread.  You may have cropped this pix, and lost all perspective.)  If the promo door is the same as the pbase door then they both face east/west.   This door is on the west side of the square.  The shadows clearly point NORTH.  How can the same door be both facing east/west and north/south?  lol.  :wall:
« Last Edit: August 25, 2006, 10:01:28 PM by Boingo »

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #38 on: August 25, 2006, 11:24:54 PM »
The shadows look like they are perpendicular to the doorway to me!

You can see that they are almost parallel to the lines in the paving stones.

Just to get my perspective back  :lol: I made a drawing to clarify what direction the doorway is.  It includes lines that define the view that is seen by the camera.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #39 on: August 25, 2006, 11:38:37 PM »
Nope, sorry to say, wrong.  You've got the doors opening toward the square, where they clearly open away from the square westward.  Looks like we completely disagree, so there's just no convincing you.  LOL.  I'm not giving in on this, so we'll just have to wait till Sept. 17th, or until someone else is brave enough to chime in and take us on.  lol.  It's as clear as day to me, sorry you just can't see my point.  lol.    :(  OK, on to other things.

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #40 on: August 26, 2006, 12:39:40 AM »
This is what I mean.  It's morning sun coming from the East.  They are at the Eastern Gate. 

The doors on that gate open to the east.  You're right, they do not open into the square.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders

Offline gingerman28

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #41 on: August 26, 2006, 10:43:08 AM »
Only thing is, Sarah hasn't yet opened what appears to be a clue envelope yet, so why is the Khan "look-a-like" pointing?  Assuming they have just finished a task (or just arrived at a task), then shouldn't they read the clue before they ask for directions?   ???     



Maybe, Peter is just asking where the nearest bathroom is!  :jumpy:

Offline Neobie

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #42 on: August 26, 2006, 11:05:08 AM »
:lol: The toilets at the Forbidden City are rated four stars!



Just playing around with the idea, but why would the sun be shining from the North?

Offline Slowhatch

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #43 on: August 26, 2006, 11:47:54 AM »
 :poop: It looks like someone thought highly of the toilet and scratched in a fifth star.  :js:

Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #44 on: August 26, 2006, 12:33:10 PM »
Alright, you guys !  You are driving me  :groan:

The reason the sun can shine from the North is that in the summer it rises with a northernly component in the east.

In Beijing, on May 29th sunrise was at 4:49 am, sunset at 7:34 pm

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders


Offline Chateau d If

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #45 on: August 26, 2006, 12:43:40 PM »
BTW, those lines were accurately placed with my protractor.   ;)

From the SEMA plot you can see that at 4:00 pm the solar altitude was more than 38 deg.  Way too high for our promo shot.  That's why I'm opting for the AM side at around 7:00 am.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
Hold Me Closer Bernie Sanders

Offline Aventus

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #46 on: August 26, 2006, 12:44:51 PM »
:poop: It looks like someone thought highly of the toilet and scratched in a fifth star.  :js:
hahaa, indeed.


And you guys have my respect, whoever is right about the sunshine light, you're real  TAR Detectives.

Offline puddin

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #47 on: August 26, 2006, 01:00:07 PM »
I'm just stepping back and watching this unfold :popcorn: you all are cracking me up :lol: , thanks for the entertainment and hard work .

ETA: do we dare start a leg 2 thread ? seems we have alot of info to work with such as Charlies Blog & the CBS press pictures ? its up to you guys & gals . 

Offline Aventus

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #48 on: August 26, 2006, 01:06:49 PM »
I'm just stepping back and watching this unfold :popcorn: you all are cracking me up :lol: , thanks for the entertainment and hard work .

ETA: do we dare start a leg 2 thread ? seems we have alot of info to work with such as Charlies Blog & the CBS press pictures ? its up to you guys & gals . 
I thought I were all alone in this.

I'm just absorbing those information and hard work, it's out of my league to find those  :o piece of informations.

keep on going, guys.

Offline Boingo

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Re: EP1 / Leg 1 ( title to come )
« Reply #49 on: August 26, 2006, 01:15:24 PM »
I'm just stepping back and watching this unfold :popcorn: you all are cracking me up :lol: , thanks for the entertainment and hard work .

ETA: do we dare start a leg 2 thread ? seems we have alot of info to work with such as Charlies Blog & the CBS press pictures ? its up to you guys & gals . 

Up to you puddin, but maybe we should make this thread a "sticky" first, so it doesn't fall too far down the list before the premier.  My work here is done....now off to find that section of the Great Wall.... :groan:   but wait, that's still in Leg 1.....   :lol:   

What other CBS press pictures do you have....can we see them in your photobucket first ?    :please: