PAGING DALEY THOMPSON: With the Games of the XXX Olympiad set to open next Friday night, I am interested as always in promoting the best guest commentary out there (Our Beijing coverage is mostly here and here.) If there's an athletic discipline in for which you have particular insight and feel like contributing, let me know.
In the meantime, I plan to cover my normal topics -- the joys of pageantry, my problems with the International Olympic Committee and [insert local tyrannical regime here], the Israeli women's rhythmic gymnastics squad, speculation over the final torch bearer, the biennial article about Olympic Village hookups, and, of course, whether Michael Phelps should extend his celebrity with his post-Olympics film debut in Swimkata.
Yesterday, I discovered the Guardian's Olympics Blog, which contains a grab bag of news about the Olympics. So far there have been lots of posts about the security staffing kerfuffle, Olympics-related traffic issues, random athlete tweets (bus of US athletes got lost on way to Olympics village, pictures of Great Britain athletes in the rooms at the OV), weather forecasts, etc. Good for a non-US centric perspective on what's going on and also has a slight tinge of crabbiness about the Olympics-related disruptions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how it is going to work in practice, but NBC's decision to stream everything live via internet or apps is making me exceedingly happy. (As one of the 150,000 US families that actually bought the triple cast in 1992, I'm overjoyed that I might actually be able to watch all of the swimming heats...)
The "three dots" article in today's WSJ is about the Beach Volleyball venue, which is basically being set up in the Queen's backyard.
The WSJ article is here.
ReplyDeleteI, on the other hand, no longer have cable or satellite TV, and am prevented from watching the Olympics online. I'd be happy to pay for access, but I can't find anywhere to do that.
ReplyDeleteI have no particular insight or expertise in any of the athletic discipline, but I will be in London helping my employer cover the Games, and I'm happy to file occasional reports of the sights and sounds I encounter -- although I think that will mostly consist of the beer and pizza that you can get delivered right to your desk in the Main Press Center.
ReplyDeleteI did hear that Queen Rubali had recently asked for a new champion in Parmistan. Possibly something to do with the long rumored mer-people...
ReplyDeleteYep, me too. I'd love to watch online but without cable, I can't. I'll probably do what I do with HBO shows, which is borrow a friend's HBO Go login info, but bummer that I have to steal something I'd be happy to pay for. Just not an exorbitant monthly charge for the rest of time.
ReplyDeleteYep, me too. I'd love to watch online but without cable, I can't. I'll probably do what I do with HBO shows, which is borrow a friend's HBO Go login info, but bummer that I have to steal something I'd be happy to pay for. Just not an exorbitant monthly charge for the rest of time.
ReplyDeleteYou could just pay for cable for the time the Olympics is on, then cancel it. Many people do that when their HBO or Showtime series are on the air, then cancel the morning after the season finale.
ReplyDeleteI produce a big ol' spreadsheet every Olympics that shows what NBC and the stations it owns are showing, and when. If anyone wants a copy, drop me a line: bristlesage at yahoo dot com (or at gmail dot com), and I'll get one out to you, probably early next week. It's probably going to be most useful to people in the central time zone, but I'll note any big changes in the cover email. Excel file, since I can't get Google Docs to do quite what I want.
ReplyDeleteI am mostly elated that the Olympics have the decency to wait to begin until after I finish the bar exam. My plans for recovery from the bar involve a lot of sitting on the couch while developing strong feelings about athletes whose names I will probably forget within weeks. I always love gymnastics and swimming, but the best part about the Olympics for me is to get briefly wrapped up in a sport that I don't know much about.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
ReplyDeleteHmm, would it violate The Rule if i offered my extensive knowledge of Olympic Dressage?
ReplyDeleteI just hope that instead of pizza, they'll deliver fish and chips and pasties. You know, for national pride and all :)
ReplyDeleteGretchen. I have been viewing the Olympics as the light at the end of my bar exam studying. I am so glad the timing worked out so I won't feel bad watching....
ReplyDeleteI know there are at least a few knitters floating around, but the most the Olympics have impacted my life so far other than having to stop watching NBC news is when the Olympics sent a cease and desist to Ravelry (online knitting community / database) asking them to stop/rename the "Ravelympics" (a bunch of people all starting a project with the opening ceremonies with the aim of finishing by the closing) -- not so bad, but in so doing, the USOC said the Ravelymics "tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games. In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country's finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work."
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of apologizing after, and now the Ravelry thing has the sucky but safer name: "Ravellenic Games."
Yes, we would love a Horse Ballet correspondent.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Can't they make their point without denigrating their actual fans?
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I like Ravellenic Games even better :)
That's amazing. Yes please -- will email you!
ReplyDeleteI dislike the USOC for several reasons -- this whole kerfluffle being the main one. However, those a-holes won't stop me from knitting what I planned and from watching my favoirte sports (and still calling it the Ravelympics in my head since that's what I'm used to). Suck it, USOC.
ReplyDeleteI also prefer the Ravellenic Games and that was the one I voted for, but Ravelympics rolls off the tongue more easily.
There will indeed be fish and chips and pasties -- and, in fact, an array of international food -- available at the press center, but for some reason, the only food they'll deliver to your desk will be "pizza, nachos, soft drinks and a limited range of alcoholic drinks." Which sounds like the basic journalists' diet. Everything else you've got to actually get up and go get. I guess they want to make sure that we get into the spirit of the Games by requiring at least a little physical activity.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you both!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck Gretchen and Marnie!!! As a recent bar survivor, I can only say this: do what works for you, don't talk to anyone on the days of the exam, and bring a sweatshirt.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!!!
ReplyDeleteNate Silver applies his mad skillz to "How to Get An Olympic Medal" this upcoming weekend in the NYT - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/sports/olympics/how-much-for-an-olympic-medal.html?hp
ReplyDeleteJohn Stewart called it the "horse prom".
ReplyDelete