It's kind of silly to go all the way to another city and only watch the Olympics. That's almost
what we did, but we did spend a little time looking around...
This picture
(116k) is from just west of downtown looking at all of the buildings with the supergraphics on them. They were just as cool up close.
This (50k) is downtown near the Olympic square, where you can not only see the
supergraphics but also the art of Dale Chihuly. The piece here is officially called Sun and
Moon, but we preferred to call it "The Sun Has Been Eaten by Snakes." It's cool, but kind of creepy.
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:07 AM
But what would any Olympic coverage be without tribute? By that, of course, I mean...
TRIBUTE TO
OUR CORPORATE MASTERS!
Yes, the tribute to our corporate masters begins at the Olympic Square (61k), where if you look to the left, you'll see the Olympic Medals
Plaza, where Creed was playing that night. No, we didn't pay to see Creed. Why would we, when we could enjoy the trinkets of our corporate
overlords.
Look down near the bottom of that picture. See that globe-like object? Well, take a closer look here (55k), where I'm trapped inside the glorious Hallmark Torture Sphere! Oh sure,
that's not the way they advertise it, but does it look like I'm having a good time?
Or perhaps you think electronic torture is more to your
liking? Well then, step right up to the Samsung building, where inside they'll take a picture of your torment then post it on the video wall outside (80k) so that onlookers will heed the warnings of
their capitalist slave-drivers. Don't mess with Olympic sponsors!
What about Coca-Cola, you ask? Yes, they too tormented thousands with their
devious interactive displays. Here (68k), they're forcing someone to try out
curling. CURLING! Have these people no shame? In the same tent they were also forcing into servitude dozens of others by making them try out hockey,
a bobsled push, and the luge.
Okay, I have to admit...I wanted to try the luge bad, but we never got another chance to get back
there.
Who's heard the stories about those USA Olympic berets? We talked to lots of people in Salt Lake who had them and found out that they
stood in line for three hours to buy one. You can get one here in about five minutes.
And you'll still feel just as silly two weeks from now when you finally get it ("I just ordered a beret? What am I, French?").
Anyway, Roots,
the company who makes them, was hired to outfit the USA team for this Olympics because of the job they did for Canada in the last Olympics.
They were back again this year for Canada, and the Canadians responded with...well, see for yourself (138k). We went by this store a dozen times, and only once did it
not have a line this big in front of it. I'd call the Canadians crazy, but how could you say that about a country that produced Tom Green? Oh.
Oh yeah.
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:33 AM
