High Drama Ends With Biden Pick

With the skill of a Tarantino or a Spielberg, Obama and his campaign had teased us with the news of the veep pick. Every night prior to the announcement featured some revision of the ever-speculative shortlist for the choice. Names were floated, submerged, and alternately resurfaced, but as early as last night it was clear that some names had much more buoyancy than others. The surnames Bayh, Kaine, Nunn, Edwards, a less (in)famous Edwards, and Clinton inundated the airwaves. In a telling revelation of what 24-hour news had become, we saw reporters running up and down to confirm which contenders had been told no and commentators admitting after all that they had no idea what they were talking about.

The pundits came out en mass to analyze the pros and cons of picking or not picking each candidate. The C-word which had been bandied about shamelessly since Obama sealed up the nomination continued to be a mainstay in whatever conversation came up. Was Clinton ever fully vetted? What will Hil say/do especially with the DNC coming up? How are the infantile P.U.M.A activists and other Clinton loyalists going to react? After commentators berated Obama for stiffing Clinton, it was revealed that Clinton had asked not to be vetted if she wouldn't be the pick. Seems the two avoided giving the media a run-around on a dream-ticket that was exactly that: not going to happen. It was great fun, though, a sort of comedic relief for me as I watched Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 in a painfully slow Olympic soccer gold medal final.

And then there was the promised be-the-first-to-know text that I never got, which was apparently sent at 3 am (Clinton diss anyone). After all, even if I had gotten it, it would have been kind of late as I had watched the story unfold from the previous evening to past midnight the next day. It was definitely disappointing though; Obama had done such a good job of keeping word of the veep pick within a tight circle until someone leaked it prematurely.

At any rate I ordered one of those Obama-Biden stickers from MoveOn.org (hey, its free).

The Olympics Online: Revū'd

In "5 Reasons to Watch the Olympics" I mentioned that NBC was, for the first time, broadcasting live footage of the Olympics online. Powered by Microsoft's Silverlight, Redmond's wannabe Flash competitor, the site requires a quick download to make it work. Fear not if you own a Mac, Bill's got you covered. Linux users are out of luck...or not.

But is Silverlight's coming out party worth attending?

First I head on over to http://www.nbcolympics.com/ and look for the "Replay" link, hoping to find a replay of Nigeria 2-0 victory over the US National Team. It tells me to install the Silverlight plug-in which takes like 10 seconds. Once that's over I'm prompted for my cable service provider. Surprise? I type in my cable provider, good 'ol Cablevision and I get an error. Apparently Cablevision is the only provider that doesn't have a contract with NBC. But all is not lost, I can simply pretend I use AT&T and open sesame! I have a commercial for some NBC related product. 10 or so seconds later I have green and white jerseys chasing a ball, the green ultimately prevailing!

Pluses:

You're not locked to NBC's broadcast schedule. If you miss an event you can always watch it online. It's also great for people who watch sports that don't get much coverage like Equestrian events.

PIP? ehh not really my bag but Silverlight needs some points.

Great for when you're online and have time to burn.

Minuses:

Some of the videos don't have any commentary. You don't know how boring a basketball game can be until you've watched one without commentators. Even the US-China game was pretty much a silent picture except for a symphony of squeaking sneakers.

The quality wasn't great and the loading was slow. I definitely anticipated better. I expected a slight delay for live streams but was disappointed with slow loading from "Replay" videos. I noticed that the picture quality seemed to fluctuate but even at its best it wasn't that great. You can't maximize the video to full screen which is a nice thing to have. I like to make comparisons when I review things. NBC Online does not compare to Fox on Demand which excels in serving up fast, crystal clear streams of TV episodes. Try watching Serena William's loss to Ellen Dementieva then watch Bones on FOD and you'll see what I mean

In this revūer's honest opinion: watch what you can on TV. If you really want to check something you missed or if the event wasn't on TV, go ahead, but you might be disappointed. It's better than nothing, but not that much better.

Child Singer Lip-synced at Opening Ceremonies

In yet another blow to China's effort to put its best face forward, it has been revealed that the little girl who performed her native country's "Ode to the Motherland" had lip-synced a pre-recorded song. 7-year-old Yang Peiyi was set to perform the song until some high-ups decided she wasn't cute enough replacing her with the spritely Lin Miaoke.

Lin received acclaim for what was believed to be a fantastic performance. Now many people, including the Chinese, are asking "couldn't they find someone who could sing and had the looks?"

The music designer for the Games, Chen Quigang, explained the decision in an interview with a state broadcaster:

"The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression"

This episode is a microcosm for the entire event: China is going through the motions of being an up-to-date world power. They're doing a pretty good job too, except for a couple of slip-ups like this one that remind us that China is still very much Communist.

Read about how some of the fireworks at the Opening Ceremonies were faked.

Despite all the fakery, I'm still enjoying the games. Who knew archery could be so fun to watch?

US Medal Count: 7 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze, 22 total (China's still in lead for gold medals won) Read

China Trains Army of Fans

So I've decided to watch the Olympics in spite of it all after finding "5 Reasons to Watch the Olympics." Still, I refuse to shut down my brain for the sake of the Games. What with the escalating Georgia-Russia crisis on the verge of all out war, someone's gotta stay awake. I've been trying to learn what I can about what's going on behind the scenes at the Olympics but one thing I noticed is the common denominator of control.

I mean it's not totally out there, but come on, who trains a legion of 800,000 identically dressed fans to support a national team? You guessed it, China! Students get tickets for ultra-low prices (less than 2 bucks) in return for learning a simple cheer. Also, to ensure that the "fans" know when to display their elation, about 450 volunteers will act as orchestra conductors, directing their reactions.

Many feel that this is another way that the Chinese organizers are taking the spontaneity out of the Olympics, exerting tight control on the Games to ensure perfection. It's definitely bad pr for China though-and they really don't need any more of that. You have to wonder what BOCOG was thinking when it decided to essentially bribe students to cheer for China's national team. Surely they knew the whole world would be watching. And get this: the Olympic committee brought in cheerleaders from the New England Patriots (who famously went 18-1 in the 2007 season) to help them out. I think Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni should consider China's approach to spectators for the upcoming NBA season.

The pattern of tight control in this year's Olympics is a constant reminder that China, in spite of all its progress, is still Communist. Take a look at this video describing the lengths to which the People's Republic have gone to "adjust" its people for the Olympics. As far-fetched it may seem to us, to many Chinese this is their reality.

This raises the question: are the Olympics good for the Chinese people or are they solely meant to bolster the image of China's Communist rulers? Weigh in on the poll on the right.

USA Medal Count: 3 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze, 11 total

5 Reasons to Watch the Olympics

Why so glum? It's the Olympics. It's a time to shed our political misgivings about China and enjoy the Olympic spirit of global cooperation. Forget all this din about human rights violations, pollution, Tibetan dissidents, etcetera, etcetera. We'd like to help you enjoy the next 16 days of the Games by sharing with you a couple reasons, in no particular order, to tune in (as if you really need any!).

1. Its in HD - For the first time ever we'll be able to see the world's athletes in their stunningly lifelike glories. And if you're not home you can always watch the Games online.

2. You'll have company -4 billion people are expected to watch the Olympics this year. The other 3 billion probably don't care or worse don't even know they're happening. Millions of Chinese, some of which were evicted to make way for extravagant architectural structures, probably won't tune in either. Lopez Lomong of the "Lost Boys", who was chosen to run the US flag around the track in the opening ceremonies, hadn't heard of the Olympics until he came to America in 2001. He's now running in them 7 years later, talk about the American dream.

3. Firsts and lasts- BMX racing will, for the first time, be played as an Olympic sport while baseball and softball will not be played in 2012 due to low international interest. So get your fix of Olympic softball for the next four years. If we're lucky, Canada will start playing baseball (EDIT: Apparently they do play baseball! Who woulda thought it?) and the admirable prudent IOC will reinstate the sport in '16. We can only hope.

4. Americans are poised to win big-LeBron promised us a gold medal and his word is as good as any. This year's star-studded roster cannot possibly do worse than in '04. Michael Phelps is predicted to win as many as 8 medals in the pool, becoming the winningest Olympian in history.

5. See Chinese culture- China has been accused of turning the Olympics into some sort of parade of propaganda, an exaggerated display of their 25 year progress. But who can blame them? They have a right to show off their country, their culture. Every nation does it, so why should China be chastised for it. Sure they don't have the greatest human rights record or the cleanest air and they might imprison a dissident every now and then but is China all that bad?

EDIT: Whatever you do, don't watch Lou Dobbs. He doesn't want you to enjoy the Olympics!

Randy Pausch: A Tribute

Some parts of this post won't make sense. I am warning you beforehand because these thoughts are truly from the heart, and like a poet I try to express myself as honestly and true to the soul as possible. If you feel the same way, you will know.

This won't be a post about who Randy Pausch was or what he spoke about. This won't be a post about cancer or awareness. It won't be about living life to the fullest, about how the good die young, or how the world has lost a beautiful soul. No. This will be about how Randy Pausch saved my life.

Mr. Pausch did the impossible. He brought me to another level of thinking. I have been pretty successful in my few years of living, but it was not until I saw his inspirational lecture that I understood what being human is really about. This man, dying of cancer, had the balls to put his reputation on the line and speak about his dreams like a prepubescent child. Instead of being mocked or looked down upon, this man was praised. Why? He helped all who heard his lecture understand the beauty of being a human being.

I saw his situation as a microcosm of life. Though he had cancer, which is an imperfection, he was able to touch so many people. He was truly loved. I define love as the ability to accept another person's flaws and to appreciate him or her unconditionally. Pausch was loved, for people saw past his frail state and absorbed his message and happiness.

I was then better able to appreciate life. For I realized, you do not live for yourself... you live for others. I think nature, God, and life work in mysterious ways. Because of his condition, Randy was about to reach out to so many more people with his lecture.

I had first discovered that Randy Pausch had passed on the elevator of my internship. When I heard, the first thing I did was wonder. How could he have passed after he had dedicated his life to others? As corny as it sounds, if all of us hold his message in our hearts, Randy will never die. Randy Pausch FTW.

10 Less Problems to Deal With

For those of you that watch the news as frequently as I do, it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay positive. Global warming, global cooling, sky-high oil prices, a souring economy, and partisan bickering-I've nearly lost all will to live.

This New York Times article, entitled "10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List", has allayed fears that I didn't even know I had. Never again will I fear getting sucked into a random worm hole or being caught in the middle of a universal collapse.

#4 on their list, getting cancer from cell phones, isn't nearly as hard to dismiss. Whether or not cell phones cause cancer, they have become dangerous in other ways. 8-year-olds don't really need phones, what they need to do at that age is to focus on doing well in school and develop meaningful relationships and hobbies. They don't need those unlimited texting plans that take the human contact away from communication at such an important developmental stage. Most importantly, keeping them away from the potentially harmful waves could turn out to be a prudent precaution as children would be most vulnerable to their effects.

#2 and #5 are surprisingly counterintuitive. Who would've thought that running the AC is just as bad as opening the windows? Or that plastic bags are more environment friendly than their paper hewn counterparts?

This article is a reminder that the hype is often misleading. The toxic plastic bottle (#6) panic was based on poor science. Being the skeptic that I am, I called it for what it was when a friend warned me to stop drinking an ice cold Poland Spring. Unfortunately, not everyone is so questioning of what they hear.

Here at theRevū.com we value what we call the "Three D's of Democracy": discourse, debate and dissent. All are necessary in order for democracy to function.

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