Olympics: You've got to hand it to Google and their cheeky cartoons
Wednesday August 13 2008
Most people with a computer use its home page as their preferred search engine (rather like the index of an encylopaedia) and Google use cartoons around their title every day, which change to match whatever is topical internationally.
Last Friday, their cartoon featured the five Beijing Mascots carrying the flag, a cheeky move considering the Olympic movement is so tight-fisted about who it lets use their images for merchandising.
The International Olympic Council said Google hadn't sought permission but laughed it off, saying they were flattered that such a topical reference would be made by such a huge world reference point.
However, the Olympic mascots promptly disappeared next day, prompting speculation that the IOC did bar their use. But not to be outdone Google have come up with a series of even cheekier cartoons each day poking some very funny, ironic references at the Olympics.
They started last Saturday with a racing sheep on a bicycle (it was Olympic road-race day). Then they had a mouse lifting weights, followed by a pig doing spring-board diving.
Rare chance to see 'athletes' quarters'
THERE are a lot of places the media here would give a fortune to get into -- starting with the Olympic village.
This year's village is reportedly the 'best ever' and estimates for the apartment groups when they go on public sale afterwards are €800,000, though that's hard to imagine, given that they are very basic and you can buy a week's family groceries around here for about €60.
Team Ireland's HQ is situated near the Chinese team, facing Italy and France, with Venezuela upstairs and Fiji below, which should make for some interesting liaisons as competitions finish. Team Ireland also has three bikes on hand for getting around the huge Olympic complex, and they are suitably coloured green, white and gold.
For any journalist to get into the village for an interview it must be agreed beforehand, you need to get a special day-pass, and can only meet athletes in set venues, away from accommodation.
Granted most of us would feel pretty inadequate in there, among the 'super race' of Olympic athletes, but imagine our joy when we got a message saying the IOC was offering us a chance to see inside some athletes' living accommodation at close quarters.
Sadly this is in the form of a guided tour of the stables at the HK Equestrian Centre in Hong Kong!
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I was so nervous behind the blocks I threw up!" -- Canadian
swimmer Julia Wilkinson on a bad case of pre-race nerves.
Yikes! And swimmers thought the only thing in the water
they had to worry about was Michael Phelps.
DON'T MISS THIS TODAY
Cuba versus China in women's volleyball at 1.0pm (Irish time). Former champions Cuba dropped down to bronze in Athens where China won, so this is a battle of the heavy-hitters.
IRISH IN ACTION TODAY
(All Irish times)
ROWING -- Men's Heavyweight Four Semi-final, 9.50am.
SAILING -- Gerald Owens and Philip Lawton (470), Race 5 (6am) and
Race 6 (7am). Tim Goodbody (Finn), Race 7 (6am) and Race 8 (7am).
Ciara Peelo (Radial Laser), Race 3 (6am) and Race 4 (7am).
SWIMMING -- Andrew Bree (200m breastroke) Semi-final, 3.50am and
Individual Medley), Heat 2 (12.46pm).
IRISH IN ACTION TOMORROW
BOXING -- Kenny Egan (Light Heavy, last 16) v Bahram Mazaffer (Tur),
approx 8.30am; John Joe Joyce (Light Welter, last 16) v Felix Diaz (Dom
Rep), 1pm approx.
ROWING -- Men's Lightweight 4 Semi-final, 9.50am.
SAILING -- Tim Goodbody (Finn), Race 9 (6am) and 10 (7am). Ciara Peelo
(Laser Radial), Race 5 (6am) and 6 (7am).
SWIMMING -- Melanie Nocher (200m Backstroke), Heat 2, 1.28pm.
HOW THE IRISH FARED YESTERDAY
CANOEING (K1 Slalom) -- Eoin Rheinisch 10th in semi-final and fourth in the Olympic Final.
BOXING (Bantamweight) -- John Joe Nevin beat Algerian opponent
Abedehalim Ourradi 9-4 in his opening bout to reach the last 16.
SWIMMING (200m Breaststroke) -- Andrew Bree won his heat in a new
Irish record of 2:10.91 and qualified in 12th place for today's semi-
finals.
ROWING (Lightweight Men's Four Repechage) -- Ireland won it comfortably from Netherlands and USA to qualify for tomorrow's semi-finals.
Sailing (Radial Laser) -- Ciara Peelo 23rd and 17th in her first two
races to lie 25th overall.
Sailing (470) -- Ger Owens and Phil Lawton 17th and 15th in third and fourth races to lie 13th overall.
