If you were wondering why so many of the track and field athletes at the Olympics were wearing bright green shoes, here’s why: they’re all Nike athletes. And Nike has decided to go uniform across the globe on bright green shoes to grab your attention (and your dollars). It’s probably working. More »
In 2009, Usain Bolt “shattered” Tyson Gay’s world record in the 100-meter dash by a whopping .11 seconds. How do we know that? Because an ultra-precise, automated timekeeping machine told us so. It didn’t used to be that way. More »
Fancy owning a mini Mini? Yes, you read that right – BMW has created tiny versions of the Mini whose primary function at the Olympics would be to hang out at the track and field events, where it will zip around to retrieve javelins, discuses, hammers and shots back from the field to the throwing area. This type of automation will definitely save a whole lot of time, unless you could clone Usain Bolt and have his clones running all over the place to pick up the fallen items. Basically, these specially developed Minis are more or less 25% the size of a full-sized car, where the athletic equipment it picks up will be carried within thanks to an adapted sunroof. Capable of toting up to 18 pounds of gear each, they can run for up to 35 minutes before requiring a trip to the nearest power outlet. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: BMW recalls close to 89,000 Mini cars, 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe officially revealed,
Sports photography is usually home to the highest-of-high tech camera technologies, because its subjects move so swiftly, and in such limited bursts. It’s not the place you’d expect to find, say, a gigantic old 4×5 large format view camera. And yet! More »
Google has already churned out quite a few of its trademark doodles for the Olympics, but it’s upped its game considerably today for its depiction of the hurdles. Pressing that red play button on the search engine’s front page will let you test your Track & Field skills (and your keyboard’s sturdiness) in an interactive event — one where you can, naturally, also share your results on Google+ when you’re finished. Hit the source link below to give it a go yourself.
Filed under: Internet
Google’s Olympic doodles get interactive with button-mashing hurdles originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You might not be good enough to compete at the Olympics, but if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably adept when it comes to button tapping. So, make the best use of your skill set by playing Google’s new Olympics doodle, called Hurdles 2012. Left and right arrow keys to run, space bar to jump… and goodbye to a productive start to the morning. [Google] More »
The Curiosity landed safely on Mars today, marking a historic day for space exploration. But did you catch the rover in the background of today’s Google doodle? We didn’t either until a tipster pointed it out to us. More »
This week continues to be all about the London 2012 Olympics, with most shows diving out of the way of NBC’s ratings juggernaut. We do have a few premiers and several season finales though, so give the schedule a close look to make sure you don’t miss a favorite’s wrap-up. Also on deck is a healthy slate of preseason football, while we’ve got most of the national broadcasts listed, you’ll want to keep an eye out for your local team. Also worth noting? A slew of flicks hitting Blu-ray this week including personal favorites Clue and Adventures in Babysitting. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Olympics
For a second week in a row, it’s all about the Olympics, in one way or another. Either you’re watching and keeping up with early starting schedules from London or you’re not watching, and your favorite summer shows are on hiatus. No matter which side you’re on, things wrap up this weekend with the Closing Ceremony, although not soon enough for NBC to try to slipstream two sitcom premieres off of the Games’ popularity with Go On and Animal Practice.
(All Week, NBC & NBCOlympics.com)
Shark Week
Discovery’s Shark Week kicks off its 25th year Sunday night with two specials,including Air Jaws Apocalypse and Impossible Shot. This time around the big hook is internet integration since it’s hosted by “internet celebrity” Philip DeFranco, has tie-ins with Discovery’s iPad app for second screen info, and encourages voting on the Facebook / Twitter page to determine what the robotic Sharkzilla will crush next. Whatever, as long as they bring the sharks, we’ll always be there.
(August 12th, Discovery, 9PM)
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
Produced by Chris Rock, this comedy series has been pushed as hard by FC as NBC is pushing its new premieres for the week, but with Chris Rock as a producer and the network’s track record (Louie, Wilfred — we’ll forget Brand X and the Charlie Sheen show) we actually might check it out. Six episodes long, its run begins this week broadcasting Bell’s commentary and sketch comedy — check out a quick behind the scenes look embedded after the break.
Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 6th – 12th)
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Must See HDTV (August 6th – 12th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you’ve paid any attention at all to the Olympics over your lifetime one thing may stand out to you — every four years, records seem to crumble. We’re getting faster and stronger, not because of evolution, but thanks to science. High speed video has us refining our form, nutritionists are finding the most efficient diet and coaches are timing training schedules for peak performance. Just how much of an impact has this had on athletic achievement? Well, the New York Times decided to plot every medalist from the last 116 years of Olympic games in the 100-meter sprint, the 100-meter freestyle and the long jump. Though records aren’t actually shattered every year, there’s a clear trend of improvement (with the exception of the long jump). In fact, this year’s last place sprinter in the final round would have edged out 1896’s gold medalist by more than half a second — and he was battling a groin injury. Hit up the source links to see 116 years of medal winners compared, and the more coverage link to see how athletes are squeezing every last bit of performance from their bodies as we approach the limits of human capability.
Filed under: Science
116 years of Olympic medalists compared originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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