The Games of the XXIX Olympiad Park Place Log III



nbc.  all swimming, all the time.  i'm picking on swimming here, but this applies to the running, also.  would it really have been a bad idea to supplant some of the preliminaries for highlights of other sports like team badminton, field hockey, handball, judo, and team table tennis?  not only does not everyone have high-speed internet and oodles of channels, but by the time we get to the race that counts "for real", some of us have zoned out.  someone is always going to want to see more of such-and-such, so i think you should show a little bit of as much as possible on the basic nbc channel.


look, genius: if you're showing a replay, it's no longer live, so don't have LIVE up in the corner.  also, if a particular heat is "second-to-the-last", then there should be two more.


if you're just hearing someone talk, quadruple sculls sounds like an event you can't afford to miss.  to curb your disappointment, they made sure to use the words "peloton" and "repechage".


tell me again why gymnastics can't give multiple medals of the same color?  as if it wasn't bad enough that the new scoring system seems even more made up than the old.


speaking of gymnastics, i'm still not convinced that the rhythmic scores aren't chosen even more at random than the artistic ones, but the ribbon is a fun watch nonetheless. (the hoop is decent, but i wouldn't mind if the rope was dropped.)


BMX is one lap and yet you couldn't show it from multiple angles and in slow motion like you do swimming?  very, very lame.


considering that bryan clay has earned the title of "world's greatest athlete", i'm a bit miffed that he's getting so little press.  i didn't see phelps running five events in two consecutive days.


oh, and everyone raise your hand that's had your fuwa for over a year...


The Games of the XXIX Olympiad Park Place Log II



apparently between sunday and tuesday there was a brouhaha over at boardgamegeek, but i completely missed it because, you know, the olympics are on, and i have trouble finding time to sleep, let alone keep track of some brouhaha created by people i know almost nothing about.


well look at that: there's a handball that isn't at all like racquetball.


when they refer to badminton as the world's fastest racquet sport, they aren't idly talking.  i had trouble keeping track of the shuttlecock on some of the volleys, and i saw a one break a racquet.  the mixed doubles gold medal match had a 56-stroke volley.  as an aside, it's surprising how much the game changed thanks to the desire to squeeze in commercials.


for the most part, i'm rather disappointed with the commercials so far, though the kia luxury SUV ones were nicely done.


judo is definitely more like wrestling than i was expecting, just with scoring that rewards more difficult moves.  as an aside, cuba got robbed on the women's side.  i'm sure it was coincidence that it was to china (and that they alone were allowed to bring a flag into the arena).


i'm more of a football guy (what do i mean by that?), but field hockey is definitely an interesting watch; some of that stick-work is impressive.


not being a horse person, even after reading, "to achieve the objective of dressage the horse must be calm, loose and flexible, but also confident and attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with his rider", i still don't really get it, though i guess it's basically rhythmic gymnastics for horses (in slow motion).  regardless, kudos to wearing your military uniform (or a tail coat and top hat if you don't have one).  and i do have to admit that it's kinda cool that you can train a horse to be that specific.  it's a shame you can't train a cat to do that.  or anything useful at all.  or even simply not shed all over the place.


The Games of the XXIX Olympiad Park Place Log I



to everyone who wants to rail against "the whole China thing"...  i'm not saying there *aren't* things to rail against, but now that it's here, pipe down and let me get my sport on.


this one is for all the genius announcers...  you know as well as i do that i'm not watching this live, so you don't need to comment about any possible reaction to bush, because i would've already heard about it.


look at you, paraguay, with your double-sided flag.  you'd definitely place if we had a flag competition.


nauru.  just over eight square miles, with a population of fourteen thousand.  i'm sure they're very nice people, but how did they manage to join the united nations?  (and before you say it, liechtenstein is over seven and a half times larger, with two and a half times the population.)


i'm not saying the opening ceremony wasn't really well done, but even if you, for instance (just off the top of my head (not referring to anyone in particular (right...))), really like the costumes and people-painting, you can't tell me that the LED screen doesn't earn major kudos, though i agree that the drums were right up there.  as an aside, what's with acting like a projection screen is something miraculous?  we've been watching movies for over a hundred years.


the sabre.  the US's last line of defence.


i had already tried McD's attempt and was going to let it slide until they started pushing it, but if you want a great fast-food chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A is still your only real choice.


what was your race strategy?
    to swim as fast as i can for as long as i can.  why are you reporters still asking idiotic questions?


The Harrowing Monotony Park Place Log



we're all part monsters in our subconscious, so we have laws and religion.
    — forbidden planet


"cannibalism of Jesus"
you gotta wonder why some people try so hard to rile.


if you're quiet, you can hear houses breathe.  sometimes, in the middle of the night, you can hear them groan.  it's like they're having bad dreams.
    — rose red (i'm not sure i got this one 100% correct)


why is it cease *and* desist?  i'm just wondering...


the most dangerous thing in america today is that we're becoming soft - inside and out.
    — knute rockne, all american (paraphrased)


look people, when you raise and lower the kneelers, could you at least *try* to be quiet with them?  also, maybe you could actually look at me when you give the sign of peace (and do the idiotic greeter thing when i walk into the church).


that lofty moral superiority of yours will someday crumble like the walls of jericho and you will see what i see in you.
    — where on earth is carmen sandiego (the unsinkable carmen sandiego)