olympics deprecation thread
Posted by: winkyincanada on 26 July 2012
Because it feels good to skewer the twin evils of corporate thuggery and repulsive nationalism (borderline racism and bigotry) that pretty much is the olympics, I offer this thread...
To kick off (get it?), here is a photo of the crowd at one of the women's soccer matches. Apart from the empty seats, it looks like some one had to quickly do the signwriting with some masking tape. I believe that they actually paid someone to come up with that font! And the Lisa BJ logo; and the mascots! Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up.
At the same match, the wrong flag was shown, causing fervently nationalistic competitors and officials to take so much "offense" that they delayed the match for an hour. Luckily, as it was women's soccer, no spectators were inconvenienced.
In other news, the organisers have had to refund some money to people who bought tickets to seats at the aquatic centre that didn't allow them to see anything.
In other news the net bill to you UK taxpayers is now estimated at $16Bn. No small change, eh?
What happens when the limits of the laws of physics are reached and people can't go any faster/higher/longer/etc?
steve
Then it's a draw.
Presumably then, at that point they stop bothering to compete at all and give up.
steve
What happens when the limits of the laws of physics are reached and people can't go any faster/higher/longer/etc?
steve
Then it's a draw.
Presumably then, at that point they stop bothering to compete at all and give up.
steve
No, it just goes to extra time ............
.............. or it's judged on 'artistic interpretation' as in ice skating. 
Yes, rather amusing. A very British farce of the kind so brilliantly satirised in the BBC comedy show Twenty Twelve. But a bit of a non-story, really. He's talking about THREE cabs. There are, according to the HCO, 23,000 licensed black cabs in London. I don't think the cab network's going to grind to a halt just yet.
Nice try Winky, but you're going to have to do a bit better than that to stop appearing desperate.
No, the reason it is relevant is precisely that there ARE only 3 hydrogen cabs. It is symptomatic of the cynical marketing associated with otherwise entertaining (if contrived) sporting competition. Hydrogen cabs for the greenwash points. Nothing for the planet. They did the same here in Vancouver with hydrogen buses. Completely pointless (other than the marketing angle - green games and all that $h!t), and huge producers of greenhouse gases on a per-passenger-km basis.
This is particularly useless, yet amusing......
"Three hydrogen-powered, zero-emission cabs - which London mayor Boris Johnson has hailed as the future of sustainable motoring in the traffic-choked English capital"
OK, I love loopy Boris and his mad bike schemes, but this is just bonkers. "Zero Emission"?! Are you kidding me? Where does he think the energy to produce the hydrogen comes from? And don't say windmills. Piling the inefficiency of hydrogen production from electricity, subsequent transportation and consumption onto the inefficiencies of wind power and you have one of the very worst ideas anyone could come up with. And how the hell does hydrogen power reduce the "traffic choking". Seriously, does anyone buy this nonsense?
Each of these pathetic efforts was aimed at assuaging guilt for our planet f^%$ing lifestyles and reproductive choices. The message is: "You just keep on doing what you are doing, you good little consumers, technology will fix it".
For some REALLY interesting technology and science, check out the Mars Rover stuff. Now THAT is cool.
Wink, the story is NOT significant in any real way - and certainly not in the context of the Olympics.
I shall tell you why I know this, and that is because I am a journalist (in the trade since 1987, with a gap from 2006-2011), and I live in London.
And I can tell you now, the "story" you seem so keen to highlight is a bit of a non-story. I'd never run it except as a moderately amusing filler piece on a quiet news day - or if I wanted to highlight the incompetence of the British, or Boris J, or the idea that hydrogen-powered cars are impractical... you get the drift.
This piece was written by a motoring journalist in Australia for the SMH. It was in turn lifted from The Swindon Advertiser, a small local paper in Wiltshire. The story as it appeared in the SA is a typical local paper story - a rather trivial, but fact-based piece of interest to Swindonians - it gives the the good people of Swindon a reason to think their town matters. They have a hydrogen refuelling station - the only one in this part of the country. I'm sure you like reading stories about the place where you live (Vancouver) so this is a pretty universal. Mischievously, the Aussie hack (or his editor) cooked it up into a tasty little story that highlighted the incompetence of the British. Right at a time when the Australians' sporting pride had been severely dented by a rampaging Team GB and other is London. Funny that, don't you think? Read the two stories side by side and you can see how he did it. Nothing particularly wrong with it, and there are no untruths in Colquhoun's piece. It's an old journalistic trick, one played frequently by our own Daily Mail to often staggering effect. But it's still a bit of a non-story. Bernstein & Woodward, or Nick Davies it ain't.
Actually - and I know this because I, and various colleagues - have written about public and private transport in London. The hydro taxis are just another way for Boris to get himself into the media. Not really anything to do with the Olympics themselves - the most crucial thing was to get the DLR extension and Javelin line finished in time (which they were). They haven't really made much impact on the news here. This is very, very "meh". A good way to bash the Brits... but as a way to blow the whole IOC cancer wide open? Not a chance. Nothing is proved, as Dusty once sang.
In your eagerness (some would say utter desperation, but I would never be so unkind) to "prove" a "point" that is probably lost in the mists of time to the good folk of this forum (and perhaps to yourself), you are conflating unrelated narratives. Whether you're doing this deliberately or not I have no idea, but what I can definitely tell you that it just doesn't wash.
The Mars thing is great though. I'll certainly give you that.
Yes, rather amusing. A very British farce of the kind so brilliantly satirised in the BBC comedy show Twenty Twelve. But a bit of a non-story, really. He's talking about THREE cabs. There are, according to the HCO, 23,000 licensed black cabs in London. I don't think the cab network's going to grind to a halt just yet.
Nice try Winky, but you're going to have to do a bit better than that to stop appearing desperate.
No, the reason it is relevant is precisely that there ARE only 3 hydrogen cabs. It is symptomatic of the cynical marketing associated with otherwise entertaining (if contrived) sporting competition. Hydrogen cabs for the greenwash points. Nothing for the planet. They did the same here in Vancouver with hydrogen buses. Completely pointless (other than the marketing angle - green games and all that $h!t), and huge producers of greenhouse gases on a per-passenger-km basis.
This is particularly useless, yet amusing......
"Three hydrogen-powered, zero-emission cabs - which London mayor Boris Johnson has hailed as the future of sustainable motoring in the traffic-choked English capital"
OK, I love loopy Boris and his mad bike schemes, but this is just bonkers. "Zero Emission"?! Are you kidding me? Where does he think the energy to produce the hydrogen comes from? And don't say windmills. Piling the inefficiency of hydrogen production from electricity, subsequent transportation and consumption onto the inefficiencies of wind power and you have one of the very worst ideas anyone could come up with. And how the hell does hydrogen power reduce the "traffic choking". Seriously, does anyone buy this nonsense?
Each of these pathetic efforts was aimed at assuaging guilt for our planet f^%$ing lifestyles and reproductive choices. The message is: "You just keep on doing what you are doing, you good little consumers, technology will fix it".
For some REALLY interesting technology and science, check out the Mars Rover stuff. Now THAT is cool.
Wink, the story is NOT significant in any real way - and certainly not in the context of the Olympics.
I shall tell you why I know this, and that is because I am a journalist (in the trade since 1987, with a gap from 2006-2011), and I live in London.
And I can tell you now, the "story" you seem so keen to highlight is a bit of a non-story. I'd never run it except as a moderately amusing filler piece on a quiet news day - or if I wanted to highlight the incompetence of the British, or Boris J, or the idea that hydrogen-powered cars are impractical... you get the drift.
This piece was written by a motoring journalist in Australia for the SMH. It was in turn lifted from The Swindon Advertiser, a small local paper in Wiltshire. The story as it appeared in the SA is a typical local paper story - a rather trivial, but fact-based piece of interest to Swindonians - it gives the the good people of Swindon a reason to think their town matters. They have a hydrogen refuelling station - the only one in this part of the country. I'm sure you like reading stories about the place where you live (Vancouver) so this is a pretty universal. Mischievously, the Aussie hack (or his editor) cooked it up into a tasty little story that highlighted the incompetence of the British. Right at a time when the Australians' sporting pride had been severely dented by a rampaging Team GB and other is London. Funny that, don't you think? Read the two stories side by side and you can see how he did it. Nothing particularly wrong with it, and there are no untruths in Colquhoun's piece. It's an old journalistic trick, one played frequently by our own Daily Mail to often staggering effect. But it's still a bit of a non-story. Bernstein & Woodward, or Nick Davies it ain't.
Actually - and I know this because I, and various colleagues - have written about public and private transport in London. The hydro taxis are just another way for Boris to get himself into the media. Not really anything to do with the Olympics themselves - the most crucial thing was to get the DLR extension and Javelin line finished in time (which they were). They haven't really made much impact on the news here. This is very, very "meh". A good way to bash the Brits... but as a way to blow the whole IOC cancer wide open? Not a chance. Nothing is proved, as Dusty once sang.
In your eagerness (some would say utter desperation, but I would never be so unkind) to "prove" a "point" that is probably lost in the mists of time to the good folk of this forum (and perhaps to yourself), you are conflating unrelated narratives. Whether you're doing this deliberately or not I have no idea, but what I can definitely tell you that it just doesn't wash.
The Mars thing is great though. I'll certainly give you that.
OK, I'll accept that the hydrogen cab is nothing really to do with the olympics (but why not just put those three cabs off the road for the duration, rather than the diesel-fueled shuffle kerfuffle?); But that certainly wasn't the case with the hydrogen buses at the winter olympics. VANOC made a big deal of it.
The greenwash associated with these sorts of things (olympic or not) is tragic, diverting support and attention away from valid environmental initiatives. A relevant question is to ask who benefits from these illogical schemes. It actually matters in a more general sense. Incoherent, scientifically and economically illiterate public policy damages us all.
I think it interesting that the aussie media/public somehow feel a need to dig at the brits because "they" haven't won enough medals. It is perhaps evidence to support my view that the fervent nationalism drummed up by the olympics has a negative aspect to it.
BTW, since you speak of my motives, I write all this guff to amuse myself whilst sitting through the ads. It is not a PHD treatise. It is just a forum. I'm always a bit disappointed when some respond with personal remarks rather than just refuting my deliberately inflammatory rhetoric, but hey, I'm a big boy.
Wow, I think it is time that mere normal folk like myself step aside and let the giants of the forum talk amongst themselves. If 'Talk' is perhaps the right word.
Some pics I took from my day at the Olympics 04/08/12.
Great photos count. Makes me wish I had attended.
Pro quality shots, Count. Wish I'd been there.
Beautiful photos, count.d. Are you a professional or a hobbyist?
Yes I'm a pro Joe, supposedly anyway.
Tony, I agree with what you said; the organisation was great and all the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful. I was very lucky with the night being the Ennis, Rutherford & Farah one, very lucky.
The first image is 11 shots stitched together to make something like a 300 degrees panorama. The lady volunteer on the right is actually laughing as I photograph her behind me!
P.S. These images are so damn small on this forum!
Count d
Thanks. I've really enjoyed those pictures.
Only slight shock was the bloke talking to Chris Evans looks a bit like John Peel!
Bruce
Fabulous photos count.d!
You certainly picked the best day to go and the best session to attend (or rather the folk who picked your ticket application out of the sack). An experience to be treasured and remembered for the rest of your days.
Great photos Count d many thanks for posting
I am not a fan of the sports in the Olympic games, although the mens 100m final was about the right length of time to hold my interest in track athletics, but, I have been really impressed with the athletes, the support they have given each other, to camaraderie, and modesty.
Just a lovely little clip I saw today, where the silver medallist in the triathlon (I think) from Spain, stood back to allow the two British bothers to be photographed together on the podium.
So not for me, but it has brought a lot of joy to a great many, and good on the athletes as they have played their part brilliantly both on and off the field.
Just heard, again, a CD version of Emilie Sande's Abide with Me that she performed at the opening ceremony.
Desrves a Gold Medal
Cheers
Don
Meet Denise Lewis, former Heptathlete, 40, married, with a gorgeous family -
I could, I suppose also now post pictures of various famous women who were never athletic in their lives and who also now have families (Katie Price?) but this will do just fine for me.
I have a suspicion that the fiance of Jess Ennis may have a bit of a giggle at of some comments here?
Steve,
It was Denise Lewis that said it hurt like hell when she got pregnant with her son.
When her six pack started to split day by day it hurt more than the birth.
Stu
Some one asked today on the early news,Why have we done so well over the last three O games?
The main answer was The Lottery started in the UK.
So better Sport funding, from the day it started we have got better and better..
Stu
What the hell is this thing? is it finished? The aftermath of a construction crane accident? A waterslide? Part of the set for the next Transformers movie?
It looks good, all lit up in red, though.
OUCH! Whatever the olympic sport, he deserves a medal just for the effort!
Some one asked today on the early news,Why have we done so well over the last three O games?
The main answer was The Lottery started in the UK.
So better Sport funding, from the day it started we have got better and better..
Stu
And if other countries also start to spend more on sport....
Zero sum game.
What the hell is this thing? is it finished? The aftermath of a construction crane accident? A waterslide? Part of the set for the next Transformers movie?
It looks good, all lit up in red, though.
Winky,
It's supposed to be art. Although when viewed in the background of our televised sports coverage at night it looks like a giant red dildo set against the Olympic stadium. I guess it compliments our Lisa BJ Olympic Logo.
Who says we Brits aren't quirky.
Steve
Yes I'm a pro Joe, supposedly anyway.
Tony, I agree with what you said; the organisation was great and all the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful. I was very lucky with the night being the Ennis, Rutherford & Farah one, very lucky.
The first image is 11 shots stitched together to make something like a 300 degrees panorama. The lady volunteer on the right is actually laughing as I photograph her behind me!
P.S. These images are so damn small on this forum!
Great images Count...
What body are you using? I can only dream of getting that kind of dynamic range and low light performance from my non too shabby Nikon D200.
Yes I'm a pro Joe, supposedly anyway.
Tony, I agree with what you said; the organisation was great and all the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful. I was very lucky with the night being the Ennis, Rutherford & Farah one, very lucky.
The first image is 11 shots stitched together to make something like a 300 degrees panorama. The lady volunteer on the right is actually laughing as I photograph her behind me!
P.S. These images are so damn small on this forum!
Great images Count...
What body are you using? I can only dream of getting that kind of dynamic range and low light performance from my non too shabby Nikon D200.
Yeah, the DR is impressive. I'm suspecting some sort of HDR process with bracketed exposures on a couple of the shots, though. Not that there's anything wrong with that, provided it isn't overdone (which these aren't).
Another brilliant day for the Britts.
Enough said imo.