winter olympic opening ceremony visuals...

[mikemc]

yes, there is some boring official-speech stuff in there, but the opening visuals, the way the projectors were used, was incredible.

[myxomat0515]

I can't believe they got Peter Pan to come out and do that interpretive dance and fly around and shit. Never knew he was Canadian.

[nuxnamon]

missed it but they kept running reruns of that poor guys luge accident.. . put some freaking pads or something on those steel beams.. RIP

[LoopStationZebra]

Finally saw that clip of the wipe out. Probably good that the guy never knew what hit him.

On principal I'm against the child-proofing that is now rampant throughout society (thank you mommy government for protecting me from transfat!), but even a few mattresses on each steel column would have been better than nothing.

Still. These guys and gals review the course in detail as soon as they arrive. They walk along the entire course many times. They take tons of pics and film the run with helmut cams; studying the track in minute detail. It's not like someone suddenly built those columns at the last minute. "HEY WHAT ARE THESE COLU....$&%($)BAM!!!!*$U%($%"............zzzzzzz

If you're a serious athlete and master of the sport, wouldn't a red flag have gone off in your head? Apparently there was some concern raised about the safety of the course before the accident. I guess that concern wasn't enough for a single athlete to say "Fuck you. Somebody's gonna die out there."

[outershpongolia]

Finally saw that clip of the wipe out. Probably good that the guy never knew what hit him.

On principal I'm against the child-proofing that is now rampant throughout society (thank you mommy government for protecting me from transfat!), but even a few mattresses on each steel column would have been better than nothing.

Still. These guys and gals review the course in detail as soon as they arrive. They walk along the entire course many times. They take tons of pics and film the run with helmut cams; studying the track in minute detail. It's not like someone suddenly built those columns at the last minute. "HEY WHAT ARE THESE COLU....$&%($)BAM!!!!*$U%($%"............zzzzzzz

If you're a serious athlete and master of the sport, wouldn't a red flag have gone off in your head? Apparently there was some concern raised about the safety of the course before the accident. I guess that concern wasn't enough for a single athlete to say "Fuck you. Somebody's gonna die out there."

And then "they" were all defending themselves saying that it was the athletes error that caused his death, and then somehow worded it to say that it couldn't happen again? How could it not happen again?

[smutek]

Finally saw that clip of the wipe out. Probably good that the guy never knew what hit him.

On principal I'm against the child-proofing that is now rampant throughout society (thank you mommy government for protecting me from transfat!), but even a few mattresses on each steel column would have been better than nothing.

Still. These guys and gals review the course in detail as soon as they arrive. They walk along the entire course many times. They take tons of pics and film the run with helmut cams; studying the track in minute detail. It's not like someone suddenly built those columns at the last minute. "HEY WHAT ARE THESE COLU....$&%($)BAM!!!!*$U%($%"............zzzzzzz

If you're a serious athlete and master of the sport, wouldn't a red flag have gone off in your head? Apparently there was some concern raised about the safety of the course before the accident. I guess that concern wasn't enough for a single athlete to say "Fuck you. Somebody's gonna die out there."

I agree with this, it was tragic for sure but some folks are talking about it as if it were this huge scandal or something. I've heard folks say that it is too fast, I just know from my own experience in skateboarding that there is no such thing as too fast, too big, or too high. I'm assuming it's the same type of mentality for athletes that ski, snowboard, luge, bobsled, and so on. People are out there pushing each other, going bigger, going faster, going longer. That's what it's all about.

I feel like everyone running the course knew what they were getting into and if anyone felt the course was too dangerous they did not have to run it. On the other hand though I'm not sure what the institutional mentality is like on an Olympic team, what kind of pressure the athletes are under, etc.

I'm not saying it was the athletes fault at all, what I am saying is that folks knew it was a very fast and potentially dangerous run.

I'm also not sure what good a mattress or any other sort of cushioning would have done on the beams when you are hitting them at 90+ mph. That's just mad sketchy. Maybe some sort of barrier to bring the athlete back down onto the course, almost like an extension of the wall, would have been in order.

Regardless, RIP buddy. I'm sorry this happened to you, but I hope that if you were going to pick a way to go doing 90 mph on a luge sled would have been high on your list.

[beats me]

That was straight out of the NASCAR playbook, and as a possible positive result maybe more than 12 unconnected people total will watch the winter olympics past the opening ceremony.

I won't be. That's what the internet is for. Editing down the only parts worth watching.

[LoopStationZebra]

Finally saw that clip of the wipe out. Probably good that the guy never knew what hit him.

On principal I'm against the child-proofing that is now rampant throughout society (thank you mommy government for protecting me from transfat!), but even a few mattresses on each steel column would have been better than nothing.

Still. These guys and gals review the course in detail as soon as they arrive. They walk along the entire course many times. They take tons of pics and film the run with helmut cams; studying the track in minute detail. It's not like someone suddenly built those columns at the last minute. "HEY WHAT ARE THESE COLU....$&%($)BAM!!!!*$U%($%"............zzzzzzz

If you're a serious athlete and master of the sport, wouldn't a red flag have gone off in your head? Apparently there was some concern raised about the safety of the course before the accident. I guess that concern wasn't enough for a single athlete to say "Fuck you. Somebody's gonna die out there."

I agree with this, it was tragic for sure but some folks are talking about it as if it were this huge scandal or something. I've heard folks say that it is too fast, I just know from my own experience in skateboarding that there is no such thing as too fast, too big, or too high. I'm assuming it's the same type of mentality for athletes that ski, snowboard, luge, bobsled, and so on. People are out there pushing each other, going bigger, going faster, going longer. That's what it's all about.

I feel like everyone running the course knew what they were getting into and if anyone felt the course was too dangerous they did not have to run it. On the other hand though I'm not sure what the institutional mentality is like on an Olympic team, what kind of pressure the athletes are under, etc.

I'm not saying it was the athletes fault at all, what I am saying is that folks knew it was a very fast and potentially dangerous run.

I'm also not sure what good a mattress or any other sort of cushioning would have done on the beams when you are hitting them at 90+ mph. That's just mad sketchy. Maybe some sort of barrier to bring the athlete back down onto the course, almost like an extension of the wall, would have been in order.

Regardless, RIP buddy. I'm sorry this happened to you, but I hope that if you were going to pick a way to go doing 90 mph on a luge sled would have been high on your list.

Yes. The news outlets and blogs are now trying to turn the Olympic officials into the new Exxon Mobil. fail.

I was teasing about the mattresses; though various forms of cushioned shock absorbers could have been deployed. Or, you know, build that superstructure on the OTHER side of the run, lol.

[LoopStationZebra]

I'm actually really enjoying the Olympics so far this year. Great stuff. The Biathlon today was pretty exciting.

And, for us in the States, NBC has actually done a decent job with coverage this year. The past several summer and winter games saw coverage that was so bloated and overwrought that I just couldn't watch it. Horrid, choppy coverage of the events. Not so this year. They are really sticking with events. Cool.

[tan111]

I agree with you, I'm not into sports myself, but enjoy watching it especially when I see the sportsmen of my county who show good results

[LoopStationZebra]

I do like to giggle when the figure skaters fall, however. I can't help it. Oh so serious. Oh so elegant. Then....BAM. Wipe out.

*snicker**giggle**snicker*

Is that wrong?

[mikemc]

I do like to giggle when the figure skaters fall, however. I can't help it. Oh so serious. Oh so elegant. Then....BAM. Wipe out.

*snicker**giggle**snicker*

Is that wrong?

You mean snickering while watching highly trained exquisitely sculpted butts slamming into the ice?

Yes, it is dastardly.

[LoopStationZebra]

You mean snickering while watching highly trained exquisitely sculpted butts slamming into the ice?

Yes! And the girl's butts ain't so bad either.