⇒ Greatest Sprinter Ever?

Usain Bolt: World and Olympic champion/record-holder in 100m and 200m sprints breaks both records:
the 100m record is now 9.58s (previously 9.69s - his own record)
the 200m record is now 19.19s (previously 19.30s - his own record)

also triple Olympic Gold medallist, 2009 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

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⇒ Beijing closing ceremony

good:
-artistry
-execution
-the tower
-Jackie Chan!
-fun atmosphere

bad:
-fireworks (were they faked again?)
-channel 7's shameful coverage. Cutting away to a sponsor ad-break in the middle of proceedings. How dare they! The bastards!
-london's sampling of things to come...I detect tacky (British Idol), with a bit of 'Rent' thrown in...

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⇒ mens 200m sprint

Usain Bolt FTW!

Bolt ran the whole distance this time and left the field 10m behind as he crossed the finish in a new world record time of 19.30s!

notes on the race:

• Bolt is a fun kind of guy--you can't help get swept up in his tomfoolery (posing) and boogeying-down after winning.


• Walter Dix reminds me of Lil' Jon


• Shane Crawford is f#cking huge!. How does someone that bulky run that fast?


• spare a thought for Spearmon, who was disqualied for taking one half-step out of his lane

Also watched the 110m hurdles semis. Dayron Robles (sp?) is a pimp. He's the favourite and all, but how many athletes can run like him while passing for H&R Block's finest? Add to that the enormous gold cross which threatens to impale him through the throat should he fall...

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⇒ mens 100m sprint

watched Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell line up for the mens 100m sprint gold medal race.
Bolt is very relaxed, posing, a bit of showboating and generally not showing too much concern. Powell is very reserved, possibly feeling some pressure to perform.

10 seconds later: the race is over! ZOMGWTFBBQ?!?!? Bolt destroyed the field! He outran the entire field in just 60m and carried on at to take gold in 9.69s! A new world record--and he watched himself do it!

More showboating, posing, boogie-ing and good times...Only this time, I'm with the dude, he earned it! Seriously, the most impressive 100m win I've ever seen--and it wasn't his full capacity, either!

[update] this is yahoo's footnote about Bolt:

Bolt hasn’t reached his prime, he’s routing people in what he considers his second-best event, and he practically jogged to the finish to win the biggest race in the most prestigious track meet of all

from here

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⇒ tennis at the olympics

Rafa defeats Novak Djokovic 6-4 1-6 6-4 to reach the Gold medal match. He will play Fernando Gonzales, who edged out James Blake 4-6 7-5 11-9. Blake wasn't happy about that.

Yahoo's coverage here and here.

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⇒ weekly 19 d4

new theory of headlines:
if you read all your headings/sub-headings together, they should form a semi-cohesive sentence (provided you use headlines appropriately)

AMD kicked serious ass with it's Cinema 2.0 announcement here, here and here
'eye-definition'. I agree with that. They rode a stonking rocket ship across the uncanny valley with one of the images. I'm shocked as to how good the CG is. Think about the future of cinema, with digital actors, the director could puppeteer.
Yes, I know, I'm late to the party on this one, but better late than never, right?

Speaking of CGI, China faked it! The opening ceremony was a sham! They duped us on the fireworks, and they duped us on the 'cuteness' of the little girl. WTF?!?!? Damn you, China!

summer up by better writers:

Greetings, roundeyes.  The People's Republic of China hopes that you are enjoying this most thoroughly authentic of Olympic experiences.  We're very proud of our most perfect fireworks in the clear Beijing sky, the beautiful little girl who sang our national anthem, our team of 16-year-old gold medalist gymnasts, and our rich ethnic history displayed in the opening ceremonies.

[The children] were dressed in costumes associated with the country's ethnic minorities, including those from troubled areas such as Tibet and the muslim province of Xinjiang... But the children were all from the Han Chinese majority, which makes up more than 90 per cent of the population and is culturally and politically dominant, according to an official with the cultural troupe from which they were selected...

The official guide to the opening ceremony said that the children did not just represent but "came from" China's ethnic groups. "Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups," it said.

Yeah, apparently this is tradition in China.  Non-minorities dressing in the minorities' traditional garb as a way to "honor" the culture.  We have that in America, too.  It's called "blackface."
from withleather - china faked it
more here:it's good to know that the Chinese girls all have valid passports saying they have valid ages. The only way they could get their ages faked would be if an iron-fisted communist government hellbent on Olympic domination deliberately altered their birthdays on official documents. Thank God there's no way that could happen."
And here.

I bet correctly this time:
http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/364235972/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/03/consoles-in-the-home-theater-the-game-has-changed/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/06/06/sonys-playstation-3-gets-re-reviewed-blu-ray-abilities-smiled/
Dad wanted HD, we got it.

Criterion Collection philes know the score: DVIGear HDMI cable

speaking of HDMI, I was shopping around for one yesterday, and some dou--er, dude from Dick Smith Powerhouse tried to sell me a $300 cable. WTF??!? I was like, 'psssh, yeah, I'll have a look around...' Trying to sell me a $300 cable. What an asshat. This v. helpful bro from JB (Pitt St, not Galleries Victoria [GVJB]--they've gone down in quality HEAPS!) gave me a sincere opinion of HDMI cables. For once an honest answer. Thank God!

eat this, Monster Cables: http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
http://www.gizmorepublic.com/accessories/monster-hdmi-cable-scam-830
http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/11/28/report-reminds-us-dont-get-burned-by-overpriced-cables/

More on the GVJB staff: All the guys and girls that work there: they're in some kind of hubris--they think they're too cool to serve or something and just act all detached and bored all the time. What a bunch of emo-fashionista-fag-assholes! One dude even tossed me my purchases like 'meh, whatever, I'm emo, I don't care'. Dude, do not throw stuff I just paid for! I used to think highly of GVJB but now that an alternative has opened up, with great service, I no longer need them.

Exceptions to the rule: the bald guy w/ glasses who actually serves people, the skull-rag wearing urban style dude who's actually helpful and that girl who served me when I bought John Safran's Music Jamboree DVD (she knows who she is). BTW, Chatswood Westfield's JB: staff are very good.

dance floor visualisation http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/13/video-sensacells-interactive-floor-shows-trail-of-led-footprin/

polygon lamps
http://www.curbly.com/DIY-Maven/posts/2944-How-to-Build-a-Polygon-Lamp-Shade

designer DIY lamps
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/05/24/icff-2007-emulator-battery-lamps/


mole surfing game
http://www.addictinggames.com/dangerousdavebrutalbob.html

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⇒ weekly 19 d1

zhang yimou directed Beijing's opening ceremony!

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⇒ games schedule

full events schedule here: http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/schedule/


SBS' day to day coverage of the games:
http://www.sbs.com.au/article/108100/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20Coverage%20on%20SBS

let's see what's coming up (on SBS, that is):
Tuesday 12th August, 2008
4:00PM Beijing 2008: Mens Handball CHN v FRA


Thursday 14th August, 2008
4:00PM Beijing 2008: Mens Handball KOR v ISL

Mens Handball - Korea v Iceland
5:30PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Teams


Friday 15th August, 2008
2:00PM Beijing 2008: Badminton Semi Finals

Badminton Semi Finals
3:00PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Teams Day 7

01:00AM Beijing 2008: Wom Badminton Doubles Gold


Saturday 16th August, 2008
4:00PM Beijing 2008: Wom Badminton Single Final

6:15PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Day 8

9:45PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Semi Finals


Sunday 17th August, 2008
1:50PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Day 9

7:30PM Beijing 2008: Mens Tennis Singles Gold

9:30PM Beijing 2008: Wom Table Tennis Team Gold


Monday 18th August, 2008
7:30OM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Day 10

1:00AM Beijing 2008: Men Table Tennis Team Gold


Thursday 21st August, 2008
12:00PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Day 13 Morn
01:30PM Beijing 2008: Taekwondo Day 13 Morning
02:30PM Beijing 2008: Womens Volleyball Semi 1
04:00PM Beijing 2008: Taekwondo Day 13 Afternoon
05:00PM Beijing 2008: Table Tennis Day 13 After


Friday 22nd August, 2008
12:00PM Beijing 2008: W Table Tennis single semi

2:00PM Beijing 2008: Taekwondo Day 14 Morning

7:30PM Beijing 2008 Table Tennis Day 14 Evening

8:30PM Beijing 2008: Taekwondo Day 14 Evening


Saturday 23rd August, 2008
11:00AM Beijing 2008 Highlights Day 15

12:00PM Beijing 2008: M Table Tennis Single Semi

11:15PM Beijing 2008: Gymnastics Day 15


I'll try to catch most of the Athletics, running, and racquet/paddle events.

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⇒ 8.8.8.8.8.8

8 seconds past 8 minutes into the 8th hour of the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of the 2nd modern millenium...that's the opening of the Beijing Olympics for ya...

if you haven't figured it out by now, asians dig the number '8' - it's uber lucky.

Watched most of the opening ceremony--not bad! Actually much more memorable and classy and cultured than Sydney and Athens (IMHO).

other stuff:
http://io9.com/5034100/the-cheesy-art-of-skywalker-ranch
http://io9.com/5034825/make-your-own-insane-clown-posse-with-the-many-faces-of-joker
http://io9.com/5034999/the-shadowy-eco+destructive-technology-of-day-the-earth-stood-still

One last thing: did you notice that 8 minutes past 8pm = 20:08! Crazy!

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⇒ during the week of 17

crazy mobile phone escapades. Why was it so damn hard to transfer ownership and switch from post-paid to pre-paid?

China's '08 Olympics: my early analysis? Set to be the worst, most media-censored, government-dictatorship-run bestest games in history!

pop quiz, hotshot!
http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/2008/07/ultimate-fan-quiz-jaws.php
http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/2008/07/jaws-cinemania.php

Apple+Nike's 'Human Race' http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?locale=en_au

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/joystiq-holidaze-explaining-the-ps3-skus/

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