olympic
Latest
Breakfast Topic: Olympic WoW
Even if you're not following the sports, there's no way you could miss that the Olympics are happening. Who would want to miss a worldwide spectacle of heroes and some of the finest athletes on the planet? They're beautiful, amazing, and downright breathtaking. They're also a big interruption to a busy schedule of dailies, farming, and raiding. Of course, we're pretty deep in a pre-expansion lull, so that interruption isn't nearly as bad as it could be. (Thanks to Blizzard for not dropping Warlords in the middle of the Olympics.) Still, if you're trying to wrap up some goals, these Olympic fever could be pretty frustrating. At least you have plenty of random commentary and chatter during which you can squeeze in a little farming time. Are you playing WoW during the Olympics? Are they playing on a second screen? Have you had to cancel a raid or take a brief break to see one more ski run? Has the games had any effect on your game at all?
With one day to go, the official NBC Olympics app is a bit of a mess
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics begin tomorrow, and if you haven't already seen the coverage from journalists who have arrived in Russia for the festivities, well, let's say there's a lot of work that clearly won't be done in time for tomorrow's opening ceremony. And it seems that same "unfinished" theme carries over to the official Olympics highlights and results app from NBC as well. The app is designed to be a one-stop shop for news from the games, and while I can't judge it on its promptness -- since there have been no results yet, of course -- the app has a number of issues. For starters, some of the images for the columns and video content are incorrectly cropped, leading to some squashed faces and otherwise ugly graphics. That's not really a deal-breaker, so we'll overlook it. Then there's the matter of the content itself not showing up after following a link from the front page of the app. Some stories seem to load fine, while others are simply nowhere to be found. You can click a teaser on the "What's Hot" list and get a blank page. That's a problem. On top of those two issues, there are all kinds of errors that pop up randomly on the top and bottom of the screen. I don't know what an "SSI file" is, but the app seems to have problems processing it. Oh, and there's a yellow bar at the bottom of the screen that reads "Base mobile - from 320px (20em) to 480px (30em)" which seems like some sort of formatting guide for the developers that was never taken out or cleaned up. All in all, it's kind of an embarrassing effort on NBC's part and definitely not worth downloading despite the fact that it's free. Unless they release the actual finished version, it'll remain a major disappointment.
Sony unveils Meb Keflezighi Edition Walkman W Series, fills it with the marathoner's coaching wisdom
NBC may have retired its Olympic spirit by repurposing its dedicated app, but Sony's sporting fever hasn't broken, as its just announced the Meb Keflezighi Edition Walkman W Series. A special edition orange hue graces the third-time Olympic marathoner's device and, like the other players in the line, it features a water resistant design, a quick-charge mode and an eight hour battery life when fully juiced. Twenty-four minutes of audio coaching by Meb himself are preloaded into the player's 2GB memory, which is estimated to store roughly 470 songs. Eager to hear the athlete's dulcet tones as you pound the pavement? You can pick up the player for $69.99 at Sony's online and brick-and-mortar stores, or wait until October for its arrival at Walmart.
You've heard of the Child Catcher? Meet the WiFi Snatcher
Remember the Olympic ban on WiFi hotspots to ensure the games' corporate sponsors could sell you back access at a premium? The threat to seize or eject anyone caught using such gear seemed hollow -- after all, how could you be found in a crowd of 90,000? It turns out, LOCOG have employed WiFi police, chasing down unauthorized signals with their big red detectors. Although we should give them some credit -- you'll certainly see them coming from a mile away. [Image Credit: Sadao Turner, Twitter]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D printed boat, algae-based biofuel and a bus that does push-ups
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The Olympic flame completed its tour through the UK this week as the 2012 Summer Games officially kicked off on Friday, and all eyes have been on London ever since. All week long we've been focusing on the Olympics, beginning with an overview of London's new Olympic Park, which is headlined by the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre, and Anish Kapoor's controversial ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower. For a deeper look at the venues that will be on display at the Olympics over the next two weeks, check out our roundup of the top six green buildings at the Olympics. In addition to the sports stadiums, Olympics visitors will also be treated to the sights and sounds of Coca-Cola's multi-sensory Beatbox Pavilion, an interactive sound and light display that responds to touch. But the art installation that we're most excited about is the one by artist David Cerny, who retrofitted a 6-ton London double-decker bus with a gigantic pair of human arms. Best of all, the arms are motorized, enabling the bus to do push-ups.
Remote camera mounts replace AFP photographers at Olympic Games
Remember those robotic camera rigs Reuters cooked up for the Olympic games? They won't be alone -- the AFP have lined the games with their own remote mounts. Traditionally, aerial shots are captured by brave, well harnessed photographers -- but the AFP's acrobatic photojournalists have been grounded by the powers that be. "The Olympics Committee has warned us that, for security reasons, no photographer will be allowed on the stadium roof," stated the AFP's chief editor of technical issues, Francois-Xavier Marit. "We had to come up with a system of remote-controlled photography." Marit worked with Nikon and Mark Roberts Motion Control to build a dozen rigs to pepper throughout Olympic facilities. It's not Marit's first time kitting out the games either -- he's been using remote camera rigs to snap underwater Olympians since 2004. Each mount is equipped with a Nikon D4 and 16 to 400mm zooms, ten will be mounted in the main Olympic stadium with an additional two covering the swimming complex. Worried you won't be able to see the hardware from the bleachers? Mosey on past the break for a quick preview.
Reuters cooks up remote camera rigs for 2012 Olympics, mounts them where humans can't tread
Sure, the 2012 Olympics may be gearing up for HD, 3D and even Super Hi-Vision broadcasts, but that doesn't mean still photography has lost its appeal. In fact, Reuters photographers Fabrizio Bensch and Pawel Kopczynski are taking Olympic photography to the next level, perching remote-controlled camera rigs in stadium rafters. The system, which the duo has been developing since 2009, can turn, adjust focus and receive commands wirelessly. Once stills are snapped, they're sent to an editing system and then off to distribution. The team is spending more than 12 hours a day installing the cams at different Olympic venues before the games kick off on July 27th. In the meantime, you can sprint to the source for photos of the setup.
HTC chief Peter Chou to run Olympic torch relay, invade hostile territory
The Summer Olympics in London are quickly turning into mobile-themed games: along with Samsung's official role in handling mobile payments, HTC is now stepping up with its own, if modest, contribution to the athletic get-together. CEO Peter Chou will be one of the Olympic torchbearers and carry the flame on July 6th, three weeks before the opening ceremony in Stratford. Officials say the torch run is to honor Chou's contribution to the mobile industry and the benefit he represents to Taiwan, although we can imagine that Chou wouldn't mind crashing a Samsung party with a torch in one hand and a One X in the other. He may just want to steer clear of Samsung's Mobile Pin stores while he's at it.
NBC, YouTube pair up for synchronized streaming at London 2012
If the news that the Olympics is but 141 days away fills you with excitement, then you'll be overjoyed to know that NBC has abandoned Silverlight for YouTube, which is the network's official on-demand partner for the games. All events will be streamed live on Google's backbone (presumably via NBC.com), with replays of web-exclusive events, all the TV broadcasts and "behind the scenes" footage all available at your whim. Good luck finding the 3,000 plus hours necessary to watch it all, unless this is the reason you've been looking for to quit your job over the summer.
Canon captures your coffee in a 70-200mm telephoto lens
OK, not really, but Canon was indeed giving out these novelty coffee mugs -- in the shape of an EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens -- at the Winter Olympic's press center, and here's Microsoft's Josh Weisberg (Director of Rich Media Group) showing off his swag to the whole world. Yes, we're just a bit envious. So anyone got a spare Canon L-Series lens that we can tamper with? Or maybe that big-daddy Sigma lens if you're game with sharing coffee?
EVE player wins silver medal at the Winter Olympics
It's not every day you run across an Olympic Medalist in your favourite MMO, much less gank them and take their stuff. For some EVE Online players, that opportunity may be closer than they think. With the conclusion of the recent Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, it came to light that one of the medal winners is not just an EVE player but also an avid PvP junkie. Casting off the stereotype of MMO gamers as unfit and demotivated, Kjetil Jansrud is a professional alpine skier at the peak of physical fitness. Competing in this year's Winter Olympics, the Norwegian EVE player took the silver medal in the Men's Giant Slalom event. Kjetil Jansrud is better known to his friends in "hirr" corporation as "NThraller", the Caldari ECM specialist. As part of Morsus Mihi alliance, he takes part in roaming PvP gangs and full-scale territorial warfare. In conjunction with the news of NThraller's Olympic win, JumpOnContact has taken an interesting look at the demographics of EVE players and MMO gamers in general. According to CCP, the average age of EVE players is around 27 and most players have some kind of degree-level certificate. The EVE community is made up of everything from high-paid professionals to students but did you ever expect to see "Olympic Medalist" added to that list? I know I didn't.
Panasonic's Lumix DMC-ZR1 catches Olympic fever
Well, it's Olympic season once again, and that can only mean one thing: a new round of tie-in products. One of the first to arrive on the scene is a new version of Panasonic's Lumix ZR1, which boasts an eye-catching red paint job complete with the official Vancouver 2010 logo. Otherwise, this one looks to be the same 12-megapixel point-and-shoot as before, with it packing an 8x optical zoom, a 25 mm wide-angle Leica DC VARIO-ELMAR lens, a 2.7-inch LCD, and the usual face detection and image stabilization features we've come to expect. No word on US availability for this one, but it looks like it's now available in Canada with an MSRP of $349.99 (or about $330US).
iPod tossed 154 yards by an Olympic thrower
Roald Bradstock is a champion javelin thrower, but lately he's been throwing more than that, including an egg, a golf ball, and a soccer ball. You know when people start breaking random things in creative ways, an Apple product will show up. Sure enough, in the video above (turn the sound down, the wind noise is horrendous), Roald tosses an iPod a football field and a half.There's no reason why he should do this, but it looks like Apple expected this might happen some day -- despite a mess of mud and grass, the iPod is apparently no worse for the wear. You might say it's silly, you might say it's not impressive, but then again: could you do it?And if you do, could you post it on YouTube, too?[via Macenstein]
Beijing Olympics, DTV transition to thank for skyrocketing STB adoption in China
While we doubted ABI Research's assertion set-top-box shipments would peak in just over three short years, new data from the house of CCID Consulting sure helps substantiate that very notion. The outfit has taken a cold, hard look at STB adoption in China, and what it found was that citizens were snapping 'em up this year like never before. The numbers show that sales were up 83.4% for the first three quarters of 2008 compared to the same window a year ago, and a couple of main occurrences were to thank. First off, the drive towards ditching analog signals in favor of digital has increased adoption and awareness, and also, many locals picked up boxes in order to either catch the Beijing Olympics more clearly or in high-definition. The takeaway? If China's already buying in big to set-top-boxes, maybe that 2012 prediction isn't so off base after all.
Masochist sits through 24 straight hours of Olympics, writes about it
Just because there are 3,600 hours of Olympics coverage being beamed out in one form or another this year doesn't mean you actually need to watch all 3,600 of them. For one particular pain lover, however, he consumed 24 straight, and thankfully, he had the decency to write about it. Starting at midnight ET on August 12th, he flipped on NBC just in time to catch Alexander Artemev save the bronze for the US in men's gymnastics. 24 hours later, he watched the women's team disappointingly snag a silver in the same sport. Nearly every minute in between is chronicled in the read link below -- seriously, this is a read you can't afford to miss.
Samsung m530 coming to Bell in Canadian Olympic Team livery
Hey Canadians: looking for a quick, easy, cheap (well, sort of cheap) way to show some national pride? We think we've got just the ticket, and so does Bell. Turns out they'll be launching the m530 music flip with Canadian Olympic Team branding next month for $99.95 CAD (about $99) on a three-year plan or $299.95 CAD (about $298) prepaid. You're not going to blow anyone away with the features, though -- unless your friends and family are blown away by barn-burners like 1.3 megapixel cameras, stereo Bluetooth, and somewhat unattractive external music controls.[Via Mobile In Canada]
Lenovo's Olympics infatuation continues with themed Ideapad U8 MID
Alright Lenovo, we get that you have a ridiculous obsession with Beijing and / or the 2008 Olympics, but seriously, enough is enough. We've got desktops, laptops, USB drives and even torches to show your unending love for the Games; the last thing we need is a questionably useful MID all dressed up in game day attire. Nevertheless, the company's Ideapad U8 MID has been spotted recently with a colorful motif to commemorate the upcoming spectacle, but aside from the new design, we're assuming everything else is just bronze-medal worthy (read: the same as the non-decorated version).[Thanks, Ricardo]
NBC Olympics on the Go brings the Games to Vista Media Center users
We've got this sneaking suspicion that we'll be forced to digest bucketfuls of Olympics news as the run-up to August continues, and Wavexpress is making sure our thoughts are accurate. Said outfit has just announced a partnership with NBC that will see the former "develop, host and support a service for viewing NBC's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Microsoft's Windows Vista Media Center." The NBC Olympics on the Go will utilize Wavexpress' TVTonic internet video application to enable Media Center users to "watch channels of NBC's coverage of Olympic events in up-to-HD quality on the go on their laptop." As expected, the service will be free to all who choose to take advantage, but this time you'll actually need to download the TVTonic application (versus just logging in via the web portal). %Gallery-25897%
Gilded Samsung D780 is official for Russian Olympic team
Released in May of this year, the Samsung D780 must have turned enough heads that is was given the high honor of being the official handset of the Russian Olympic team. Perhaps the color thrilled? Maybe the fast and flowing lines or that certain je ne sais quoi brought about by gem encrusted or golden technology? Either way, the team will be enjoying tri-band GSM with EDGE, support for two SIM cards, 2.1-inch QVGA screen, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD memory expansion, and a whole lot of gold. No price was given, but it is expected to be shipping by August this year.
Panasonic launches HD marketing push around Olympics
Given the amount of buzz surrounding the 2008 Olympic Games, we aren't too surprised to see Panasonic jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to push its brand. The outfit has just kicked off a nationwide tour involving a fleet of customized trucks encouraging families to get their living rooms ready for HD. Reportedly, the flagship truck will be visiting retailers across the US and give prospective buyers the chance to snag an autograph from swimmer Mark Spitz and gymnast Kerri Strug. As expected, Panny will be handing out lots of free kit along the way, and interestingly enough, the trucks you see should look awfully familiar -- after all, they're the same ones used in last year's "Living in HD" contest (but with a snazzy new paint job). Talk about a good example of recycling.
