Thanks Juan, thanks HG
Summary Description Simon Vandore gets lost among the gizmos at Olympic Park.
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Roullas Top10 Simon Vandore

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Article Topic Vandore
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Story Group 001008
Post Date 06/10/2000 06:29 AM Status Posted Entered by Simon Vandore on 03/10/2000 09:10 AM


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It's lucky I've finally caught the 'flu, because travelling to work through an Olympics-free Sydney is unappealing. I had expected it to be a relief, but while I was never an Olympic cynic -- I interviewed some SOCOG people in 1998 and developed the utmost confidence in them -- I am amazed at how much there was to enjoy. Technology even played its part well.

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For the last two weeks, Panasonic's beautiful twin screens at Circular Quay were my home away from home in the evening. The crowd was relaxed and enthusiastic, the ground was warm from the afternoon sun. People from all walks of life sat together in front of Customs House, oohing, aahing and applauding great feats by swimmers, pole vaulters, hockey players and 10,000 metre runners. Roy, HG and Fatso were something to behold on those screens! Nearby stalls served beer, soft drinks, ice-creams, gourmet pies and chocolate without queues. My mobile phone had perfect reception and there was a cybercafe around the corner. Suddenly it would occur to me that I'd missed four ferries.
After attending the soccer final on Saturday I spent about five hours getting home. Don't get me wrong, the buses and trains ran like clockwork -- I was distracted by all the gizmos.
Solar technology was the industrial highlight. The gold, silver and bronze platforms for medal ceremonies were towed into stadiums by solar cars; beautiful little buggies with rooftop panels and waving drivers. Outside at night, solar lights contributed greatly to the atmosphere. A solar ferry cruised around the inner harbour, its wing-like solar panels constantly adjusting themselves to the best angle.
Wireless communications sponsors Samsung erected a big marquee in Olympic Park, with a rather pixelated giant screen (sorry guys, you had nothing on Panasonic) fronting a technology showcase. Meanwhile, Kodak had a display of digital cameras and image manipulation techniques. Visitors ranged from the wealthy elite to homeless people given athletics tickets confiscated from scalpers.
Beyond the phones-on-sticks, the bridge-of-putting-monitor-radiation-in-your-head and the phones-on-wires, the Samsung exhibit featured some pretty cool toys. They finally got around to hyping a wristphone launched in Singapore last year. It's a fully-functional GSM model worn as a water resistant wristwatch. And the TV phones blew me away. Sure, they're heavy and run hot, but features like automatic tuning, great indoor reception and a very high quality screen mean they'll sell themselves. The only trouble is figuring out what to do if someone rings while you're watching the penalty shootout.
IBM and SOCOG copped some flak for failing to make the official Games Web site accessible to the visually impaired, but to be truthful there is plenty of ALT text in the site's HTML. The main problem lay in the presentation of results, which was too Java-oriented to work for anyone but the sighted. Ironically, the site also had some trouble working under Sun's own Java virtual machine, but let's look on the bright side: Atlanta's Web site spent much of the 1996 Olympics straining under the load, while Sydney's coped admirably with hit counts in the billions.
Dammit, I had fun at the Olympics! It was better and more inclusive of all population sectors than I ever thought it could be. McDonalds used recyclable and biodegradable packaging! Computer journalists from Sydney shared jokes on trains with mechanics from Adelaide!
Sure, now that we're back in the real world, slogans like "Everyone's Invited" will go back to meaning "everyone who has enough cash for a TV phone", but it was fun while it lasted. The question now is whether Australia will suffer from the expense or benefit from the exposure.
Vandore appears every Friday on Newswire. You can contact Simon Vandore on svandore@acptech.net.


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Simon Vandore gets lost among the gizmos at Olympic Park.

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