XXX Summer Olympiad

[Moonliner]

*Gong*

The opening ceremony of the XXX Summer Olympiad is officially under way.

I guess I know now why I've not heard any reference to these games using their roman numerals.

[CoasterMatt]

It's nice to watch 'em live via BBC One - SCREW YOU NBC!!

[Alex]

I'm already oversaturated with Olympics talk and all I've seen is four tweets from friends. I'm going to watch ping pong and the blind archer and that may be it.

As for XXX, if we had Super Bowl XXX (and we did) then I think we could have Olympics XXX. But have any of them ever been referred to by their Roman numeral (hell, were the Rome games even referred to that way)?

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I would totally watch a Triple-X Olympics!
Gymnasts, swimmers, rowers... the mind swoons with erotic possibilities. :evil:

For the record, I enjoy watching the normal Olympics too. And no, not just for the hard-bodies.

[Alex]

If you want sex Olympics, have you seen the 1971 film Is There Sex After Death?

[innerSpaceman]

It's nice to watch 'em live via BBC One - SCREW YOU NBC!!
Why? Those of us who can't watch a four-event while at work really appreciate NBC airing in the evening, when most of us working stiffs can watch it.

As I understand it, NBC has bowed to reality and is streaming or airing every event live, and will only repackage highlights of previously aired events at night. They will not in any way attempt to delay competition results or images, but will instead facilitate that for the first time in any Olympics.

What's the problem???

[katiesue]

Yes thats fine for the competitions but they're not showing the opening live anywhere. Why can't they show it live on MSNBC or another one of their channels then replay at 7:30? I've already seen half of what happens in various posts from facebook/twitter from other timezones. I'm not one who cares if something was "spoiled" if I really didn't want to know I would stay away from places that have spoilers. But I would have liked watch it live, as I could have since no one else was at work today :D

[CoasterMatt]

Good luck stomaching Bob "Uncanny Valley" Costas nonstop chatter, Matt Lauer (Who I owe a personal kick in the balls, for besmirching my good name), and Ryan Seacrest. At least the BBC actually aired the entire ceremony.

[Kevy Baby]

Dear horrible Opening Ceremonies Announcers: Tim Berners-Lee is not the inventor of the Internet.

Morons

[Moonliner]

WTF?

The Olympic Torch is right in the frigging middle of the stadium where the track and field events will be held? Ummmm is that really a good idea?
(Spoiler for you West Coasters that have not seen end entire ceremony yet)

Rowan Atkinson was classy.

[CoasterMatt]

Why didn't NBC air this (http://deadspin.com/5929778/heres-the-opening-ceremony-tribute-to-terrorism-victims-nbc-doesnt-want-you-to-see)?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Why are their armpits gold?!?!?

[JWBear]

They also cut out the Athletes' and officials' oaths.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Where were the sheep? I was promised sheep.

[Alex]

The pastoral scene at the very beginning. This article has a screenshot that includes them. http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2012/07/olympics_opening_ceremony_the_goofiest_moments_.ht ml

[Ghoulish Delight]

I guess NBC did a bad job of covering that too. Even back and watched the scene again and didn't see them.



I liked a lot of elements of the ceremony (the smoke stacks and forging the ring, the children's nightmares scene, the LED panels in the audience, some of the technical effects during the love story/music history segment.

But overall I thought it was a bit of a confusing mess, poorly paced, and disjointed. I couldn't believe how freaking long we spent watching people carry sod while the captains of industry did weird hand choreography. And that love story/music history segment made no sense to me whatsoever.

B-

[JWBear]

Then, there was the queen's entrance... Bless her heart.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Awesome finish to the men's team archery metal match.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I can't get Kenneth Branagh out of my head, walking around with an "I created the whole damn world" grin on his face for a solid hour...and pulling it off. Seriously, comparing him to the other top hatters showed what a good actor he is.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Awesome finish to the men's team archery metal match.
Followed by a great finish to the men's road bike race.

[Snowflake]

The road race was fabulous!

I've also been enjoying the Men's saber finals, not light sabers sadly, but still way cool. The battle for the Bronze was epic (and a win for the Russians). The Hungarian was incredible in the battle for the gold.

I've been using the London Live app and plugged my android tablet into the television, it's been fabulous. Better quality than trying to stream the NBC/Comcast video off the laptop (also plugged into the tube). Now if I could only get up earlier in the day during the workweek to see more.

It's been very reminiscent of what I call the good old days of ABC Wide World of Sports with Jim McKay et al. Getting to see all the rounds/heats/ etc. Not simply the medal race or whatever that NBC has been putting on the evening telecast.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Finally finished watching part of the opening ceremonies. Skimmed through the parade of nations. Saw the creepy baby head. Liked the light-up blankets on the kids' beds. Loved the Mary Poppinses. Loved the skydiving Queen and the bit with Daniel Craig.

At the cauldron lighting, though, I kept expecting the bell to come down and snuff the cauldron somehow. Couldn't tell where the bell was but it kind of looked like it was descending.

What happened to the cauldron after it all lifted up to become one flame? I didn't see it go anywhere, but it seems inconvenient to have a giant flame in the middle of your competition space and they usually raise them up high once the ceremony is done.

[Moonliner]

What happened to the cauldron after it all lifted up to become one flame? I didn't see it go anywhere, but it seems inconvenient to have a giant flame in the middle of your competition space and they usually raise them up high once the ceremony is done.

They turned it off, moved it to the corner of the stadium and had some guy in a cherry picker relight it.
(http://gizmodo.com/5930058/the-olympic-flame-has-died++literally)

Now it will stay there where it can only be seen by people in the stadium because (http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/jul/29/wsnat06-location-of-flame-is-a-burning-issue-ar-2472346/):

"With the technology we now have that didn't exist at the time it can be shared with everyone in the park with screens," Heatherwick said. "We felt that sharing it with the screens reinforces the intimacy."

[cirquelover]

How does sharing it on a video screen reinforce the intimacy!?! WTF. I thought the flame was supposed to be where everyone can see it!

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Oh good, it's not just me who didn't understand that statement.

[innerSpaceman]

Yeah, I think the design of the cauldron and the way it was lit are great... but not being visible in the real world is lame, video screens of it are the opposite of intimacy, and extinguishing it to move it is blasphemy of sorts. Sheesh.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Now THAT'S (http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/swiss-soccer-player-booted-tweet-16886636#.UBa7bDFU1EE) how you write a racist tweet. The one from the Greek lady was amateurish.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Cauldron not being visible to the surrounding area: boo!!! Putting it out to move it? Boo!!!

Trying to pretend the video screens make it more intimate? Seriously? Um, no, major fail.

[BarTopDancer]

I'm just lifting this lovely letter from my friends Facebook:

Dear Speedos being worn by the mens synchronized divers:

Please have a wardrobe malfunction.

Fingers crossed,
Me

[CoasterMatt]

Awesome Mid-Air Photos of Divers (http://fstoppers.com/fantastically-funny-photos-of-divers-mid-air)!

[Kevy Baby]

I'm just lifting this lovely letter from my friends Facebook:

Dear Speedos being worn by the mens synchronized divers:

Please have a wardrobe malfunction.

Fingers crossed,
MeI passed this on to Susan. Her response:I've seen some lovely butt cleavage

[Ghoulish Delight]

CP is in agreement with Susan.

Plus she says she spotted some pubes.

[Alex]

I'm just lifting this lovely letter from my friends Facebook:

Dear Speedos being worn by the mens synchronized divers:

Please have a wardrobe malfunction.

Fingers crossed,
Me


Nothing sexier than flaccid dick undergoing high spin rates.

[Moonliner]

As long as we are on the subject of Olympic voyeurism, Beach Volleyball last night.....

We need a new rule. Cities that tend to have cool rainy weather during the summer CAN NOT vie to hold the summer games.

[Ghoulish Delight]

SECOND!

[Moonliner]

I'm just lifting this lovely letter from my friends Facebook:

Dear Speedos being worn by the mens synchronized divers:

Please have a wardrobe malfunction.

Fingers crossed,
Me

You were watching the wrong sport. (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--cody-miller-survives-embarrassing-wardrobe-malfunction-to-advance-at-olympic-swim-trials.html)

[Ghoulish Delight]

I've been partially following football, enough to know Spain 0-2, GB is on top of their group, and US women are doing well.

But I only just now noticed that the US men didn't even qualify.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Coverage of the gymnastics sucked. No clue what was going on besides with US and Russia. It's been over for 10 minutes and I still have no idea what the final standings are. Did Russia slip out of silver? Out of medals?



Aha, finally, as I was typing that. Lame.

[Kevy Baby]

My one complaint so far is that I have no idea what's going on with Michael Phelps.

[cirquelover]

Besides lots of medals, oh wait I see now. I must be behind or just slow from medication, sorry.

[Alex]

Now maybe they'll shut up about Phelps (I'm not really watching the Olympics--maybe an hour total so far--team handball is much more interesting if you watch a whole game in 4 minutes online). Sure, he's a great athlete. But he's also lucky to be in a sport that has a bajillion slightly tweaked competitions.

Usain Bolt would win as many medals if there was the 100 meter dash just going as fast as you can. The 100 meter dash running backwards. The 100-meter four man relay. The 100 meter dash running with your arms over your head. The 100 meter dash where you wiggle your shoulders while running. The 100 meter dash while trying to read a newspaper held just slightly too far away. The 100 meter dash where you run around the track clockwise instead of counter-clockwise.

Who can get from one end of the pool fastest is an interesting competition. Who can get from one end of the pool fastest in a slightly slower way is not.

[Moonliner]

Now maybe they'll shut up about Phelps (I'm not really watching the Olympics--maybe an hour total so far--team handball is much more interesting if you watch a whole game in 4 minutes online). Sure, he's a great athlete. But he's also lucky to be in a sport that has a bajillion slightly tweaked competitions.

Usain Bolt would win as many medals if there was the 100 meter dash just going as fast as you can. The 100 meter dash running backwards. The 100-meter four man relay. The 100 meter dash running with your arms over your head. The 100 meter dash where you wiggle your shoulders while running. The 100 meter dash while trying to read a newspaper held just slightly too far away. The 100 meter dash where you run around the track clockwise instead of counter-clockwise.

Who can get from one end of the pool fastest is an interesting competition. Who can get from one end of the pool fastest in a slightly slower way is not.
A valid point, but from a different perspective, the similarities in the events is nothing new and still no other swimmer in the history of the Olympics has ever managed to get as many medals.

[Ghoulish Delight]

A valid point, but from a different perspective, the similarities in the events is nothing new and still no other swimmer in the history of the Olympics has ever managed to get as many medals.

Which clearly makes him the most accomplished (and thus arguably greatest) Olympic swimmer in history. Just not so clearly the greatest Olympian period which is what people are hanging on him. I mean, can you really cleanly argue that he's a "better Olympian" than, say, May/Walsh who have yet to lose a single SET, let alone match in their Olympic career?

[Moonliner]

Which clearly makes him the most accomplished (and thus arguably greatest) Olympic swimmer in history. Just not so clearly the greatest Olympian period which is what people are hanging on him. I mean, can you really cleanly argue that he's a "better Olympian" than, say, May/Walsh who have yet to lose a single SET, let alone match in their Olympic career?

I doubt there could ever be a quantitative "best ever" athlete so for me calling Phelps by that monicker falls under the general category of puffery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffery) which in the celebrations of the moment is fine by me.

[Strangler Lewis]

If I remember correctly, one point of differentiation with Mark Spitz was that he won all seven of his golds in individual competition. Listening to all the talk last night about how he told his teammates to "Just get me the lead" which he proceeded to hold without expanding is an odd way to celebrate an individual achievement.

[Ghoulish Delight]

If I remember correctly, one point of differentiation with Mark Spitz was that he won all seven of his golds in individual competition. You remember incorrectly. Spitz won 3 golds in relays in 1972, the year he won 7 gold medals. That's the same number of golds that came from relays for Phelps in 2008, so he actually won MORE individual swims in the record year (5 vs. 4) than Spitz.

9 of his 14 golds are for individual races. 11 of his 19 overall medals are individual.

[Alex]

But we must point out that Spitz achieved his accomplishment without depilatories.

I think that settles that argument.

Puffery in moments of celebration is generally lame (at least to me, when there is something legitimately worth recognition, inflating it even further cheapens it). The fact that most of Phelps's medals are in events that shouldn't exist (by my objective criteria) means the mere fact that he gets to have them is already sufficient puffery.

I demand that trap and skeet shooting have 50-, 75-, 100-, 125-, and 150-shot competitive versions so that Kim Rhodes has a chance to show she can be equally dominant.

But really, get rid of all of the swim events other than freestyle (or create events where the other strokes make sense as superior to freestyle). Also, get rid of weight class differentiations.

Who cares how much a 145-pound man can lift unless it is more than the 300-pound man. We don't have "the 100 meter dash for people who can't run as fast." Who cares which of the 113-pound men can win a fight against other 113-pound men. We don't have an Olympic-basketball tournament just for people under 5' 10".

And get rid of gender segregated competitions where there is no reason for the segregation. Shooting: unless there is some physiological reason a woman can't aim a gun as well as a man that I'm unaware of.

Also, eliminate any event where you're expected to wear makeup. Any event with subjective scoring should be strongly considered for elimination. Events that are just glorified child abuse (gymnastics: you're failing on all counts here) should just go away.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Make-up? Agreed. Not a fan of subjective scoring, either.

Been enjoying the archery. I can watch a little dressage before I get bored and hit fast-forward through the rest of the recorded block on TiVo.

[Ghoulish Delight]

The archery coverage bugs me. I've seen maybe TWO shots where they show the distance and trajectory of the shots. Everything else is closeups of faces and closeups of targets. That's not the interesting part!

[Strangler Lewis]

Hmm. There was some way in which Spitz's achievement was supposedly purer and better than Phelps's. Maybe it's just that he's a Jew. Which is plenty.

As for events to be cut, swimming is questionable television at best with the competitors being underwater with their faces hidden. I could happily get rid of relays as I don't think the touch and dive is nearly as dramatic as the baton pass in track. I could probably also get rid of the 200 in both swimming and running. I would keep all the strokes and maybe bring back the side stroke so my mother could compete.

Weight classes in the fighting sports and weight lifting are classic and must be kept. Medals for John Tate and Tyrell Biggs but not for Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya? Or Cassius Clay, who fought as a light heavyweight? I don't think so. As for weight lifting, while I grew up on Vasily Alexeyev, the lower weight classes lift a higher percentage of their body weight than the super heavyweights, so you could just as easily make an argument for getting rid of the fat guys on the theory that they actually achieve less.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Hmm. There was some way in which Spitz's achievement was supposedly purer and better than Phelps's. He set a world record on each of the 7. Whereas "only" 7 of Phelps' 8 were world records (the eighth being "only" an Olympic record). Perhaps that's what you were thinking of.


I MIGHT be okay with subjective events if everyone would just accept that they are subjective and dispense with the charade of technical judging standards. Just have everyone do their routine, let the judges talk, then say "These were the 3 we thought were the prettiest." In the end it's not the subjectivity that bugs me most (though it bugs me in part), it's the disturbing, robotic, vestigial "dance" elements that remain a required part as a side effect of more and more perverse attempts to justify their subjective results.

The X-Games generally does the best job of this (not perfect, but closest). Very little focus on ways of winning or losing fractions of points, much focus on, "HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AWESOME THAT CHICK SHOULD TOTALLY WIN!"

[Strangler Lewis]

I agree on that score. I thought the spectacle of putting the Japanese men's gymnastics team back in second place because upon further review it appeared that the team star accidentally achieved a handstand in his confused slop of a dismount from the horse was ridiculous.

[Alex]

As for weight lifting, while I grew up on Vasily Alexeyev, the lower weight classes lift a higher percentage of their body weight than the super heavyweights, so you could just as easily make an argument for getting rid of the fat guys on the theory that they actually achieve less.

Solution: Come up with a point system that combines value for lifting more weight and value for lifting a higher percentage of your own weight and then put everybody in one big pool.

But there is no reason that there are two gold medals available for soccer and 24 for weightlifting.

[Strangler Lewis]

But each weightlifter can only win one in is weight class. Or maybe three, if there are medals for snatch, clean & jerk and combined.

As for the two gold medals available for soccer, that's two too many.

[Moonliner]

Yo Bear!

This ones for you. (http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1148979--what-if-every-olympic-sport-was-photographed-like-beach-volleyball)

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I found many if those to be quite enjoyable. :evil:

[lashbear]

Yo Bear!

This ones for you. (http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1148979--what-if-every-olympic-sport-was-photographed-like-beach-volleyball)

The Bear thanks you ! :)

(and feel free to check out more Beach Volleyball for yourself as a reward...)

PS: I made a pic from one of the Olympic Divers Faces pics that are going around:

1706

[Moonliner]

The Bear thanks you ! :)

(and feel free to check out more Beach Volleyball for yourself as a reward...)


If I do any more of that I'll go blind....

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Why do some swimmers wear two caps?

[Ghoulish Delight]

http://bit.ly/NKs9HG

[Kevy Baby]

Why do some swimmers wear two caps?Very ugly partners

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I have yet to see an ugly Olympic swimmer. Some may be hotter than others, but they're all do-able.

Thank you GD. I am shamed by my lack of search fu.

[katiesue]

Watched the end of the womens marathon while at the gym. Sad to say they didn't look as tired at the end as I was on the treadmill.

[Moonliner]

Over the span of these games, I watched a good bit of Gymnastics, Diving and a host sports but I only just realized the Olympics no longer report judges scores by country. No more picking on the scores from the East German judge. When did that happen?







(Yeah, yeah, "East German" was used in an illustrative sense and does not reflect any actual country real or historical. )

[cirquelover]

I noticed that too but assumed it was new for this year, along with the many rule changes.

[Ghoulish Delight]

BMX? Wow, missed that addition.

Doesn't quite seem to fit.

[Kevy Baby]

Why are there different routes for men and women?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well would you look at that, NBC has decided to stream the closing ceremonies live online (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/11/nbc-stream-olympics-closing-ceremony?CMP=twt_fd&CMP=SOCxx2I2)

[Moonliner]

*woot!*

Now that was a rocking good sendoff to the games. Well done Brits! Eric Idol was perfect and even the Spice Cougars where fun.

I almost felt bad for Rio and their "presentation"

Fail points to NBC cutting off The Who in favor of some show I will never watch.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Fail points to NBC cutting off The Who in favor of some show I will never watch.

Oh, so that wasn't just our TiVo?

They even hyped The Who, saying it was coming up. WTF? Idiots.

[Moonliner]

Oh, so that wasn't just our TiVo?

They even hyped The Who, saying it was coming up. WTF? Idiots.

For us, they went back to finish the closing AFTER the preview of the animal doctor show and the local news.

[Snowflake]

*woot!*

Now that was a rocking good sendoff to the games. Well done Brits! Eric Idol was perfect and even the Spice Cougars where fun.

I almost felt bad for Rio and their "presentation"

Fail points to NBC cutting off The Who in favor of some show I will never watch.

So happy I was able to watch the NBC stream live from the UK. Eric Idle was fab, the John Lennon tribute was great.

Rio is going to be lots of feathers, mylar streamers, lights and lots and lots of plastic surgery. Carnival time!