(Omnimover dark ride)

Within the labs of the Digital Research Coalition, a revolutionary new machine has been invented: the Digitizer. With this, you will be transported into the world of a computer and see first-hand how the computer is revolutionizing the world and giving it a new connection.

Eventually, they pass through a laboratory where videos of Dr. Turing (a professional-looking scientist) play, welcoming us to the DRC and explaining that guests will be learning about computers through a one-of-a-kind tour, courtesy of DRC’s latest innovation: the Digitizer. A model for the Digitizer (visually inspired by the machine from Tron) is on display in the lab, as well. Guests head through the exit doors of the lab and enter the loading area, where Omnimover-style ride vehicles pass by. Guests board their vehicles safely, and begin their grand tour.

Our vehicle rights itself back to a normal position, as we find ourselves away from the pristine white lab in a black and green chamber. The walls are broken up by large monolith-like structures, featuring screens that occasionally flash with pictures, phrases, and numbers. Dr. Turing explains that we have arrived in the Hard Disk Drive, where data is kept and stored on a computer for use. Leaving this chamber, we arrive on what looks like the streets of a futuristic city. It’s certainly an odd-looking city, considering the green roads and oversized connectors and computer chips. Occasionally, we can notice blips of light traveling along the circuit paths. Dr. Turing reveals that we are traveling along the Motherboard, a critical part of any computer. He explains that it holds the various parts of a computer, allowing for smooth communication among its many pieces. As we approach a sleek silver structure, Dr. Turing explains that we are about to enter the CPU: the Central Processing Unit.

Entering the CPU, our vehicle turns to face a circle of keyboards and control panels manned by Programs (audio-animatronics), blue humanoid figures in black lab coats who rather resemble digital versions of scientists. Screens in the ceiling above the programs display an assortment of numbers and text being sorted, along with pictures being moved. Dr. Turing tells us that the CPU is one of the most important parts of a computer. With its incredible programming, he explains that the CPU can take in data and information and relay the necessary commands to other parts of the computer, such as in an operating system. We then pass down a hallway that features more Programs at work, this time interacting with different screens. Dr. Turing mentions that the operating system is a familiar part that we interact with regularly, given how it helps to manage programs such as word processors (a Program stands in front of a wall of text that emerges and edits with its hand movements), spreadsheets (a Program pulls down some of the numbers we saw earlier and sorts them into columns), and image databases (a Program sorts through pictures on the screen).

As we approach a black square-ish gateway, Dr. Turing mentions that all of these tasks are impressive, but there is one thing that is most impressive of all: how the computer is bringing us together. We enter the door as Dr. Turing reveals that we have entered a Network Adapter, sending us into a computer network. Our vehicle turns to face a bank of screens, as we see a barrage of images in front of us. All sorts of sights are presented to us, as Dr. Turing explains how these computer networks allow us to reach out and interact across the globe, like a New York businessman using electronic mail to make a deal with a partner in London or a family preparing a ski trip in Switzerland. He even ponders how, as technology marches on, the world will only become better connected as computers climb to newer heights. With that, he says that it is time for our tour to come to an end, our vehicle turning back forward as we head up a hill while blue and green lights (similar to the ones from the ride’s start) shimmer on the walls around us.

With that, we return to the DRC laboratories as Dr. Turing thanks us for embarking into this digital odyssey, hoping that we’ve gained a new appreciation for the computer. With that, he wishes us a good day as we pull up to the unloading area and carefully disembark onto the moving conveyor belt while we head toward the exit hallway.