This Is Just Cool!

I have never heard of this act, but it is pretty cool — very creative.

Technorati Tags: Pilobolus, Conan O’Brien, shadow, contortion

  
Michael Phelps                       Dara Torres

By now half the world has watched Michael Phelps win a race by .01 seconds and Dara Torres lose a race by .01 seconds in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

So just how close were those races?  We thought it would be cool to figure it out.  We took Dara’s time of 24.07 seconds in the 50 meter freestyle swimming event.  If you divide 50 meters by 24.07 seconds, she was traveling at 2.08 meters per second (pretty darn fast).  At that speed she is moving 2.08 centimeters in 1/100th of a second.  For those of us in the USA, this is 0.8189 inches.

That means Dara lost by about 8/10 of one inch and Michael won by 8/10ths of an inch!  When you think of the years of training, the heats leading up to the finals, and then the race itself, the difference of less than one inch is truly amazing.   We are talking about the length of a finger nail.  If you think about it, if they didn’t have those electronic walls to measure it — a few decades ago, those races would have ended as ties and a couple more gold medals would have been handed out.

Congratulations to both Michael and Dara for making these an Olympics to remember.

Technorati Tags: michael phelps, dara torres, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics

This is an amazing story that has a happy ending (which is why it is Just Cool).  A woman ignores her daughter for years in a house. The house is filled with trash, feces and bugs. Police take the girl at age 5. That is 5 years of neglect.  There has been no interaction, learning or development in the first 5 years of her life. Truly a heart wrenching story that shows the worst of humanity and yet the power of love.  Click on the picture to read an amazing story.

Technorati Tags: the girl in the window

"liviboy" sent us this suggestion. I have to admit, it’s just not me, but I figured if one of our readers took the time to submit this, what the heck, we’ll post it. Afterall, there must be some real cat lovers out there. lol random but cute

Like millions of you, I was amazed by the Beijing 2008 Olympics opening ceremony!  As we watched, a few of us commented on how the people responsible for the Olympics in London 2012 must feel… like quiting I bet.

The dazzling opening ceremony, directed by China’s most famous film director, Zhang Yimou, cost tens of millions of dollars, a fraction of the estimated $43 billion that China has spent in building roads, stadiums, parks and subway lines in trying to transform Beijing into an Olympic city.

The elaborate production for the opening ceremony included 15,000 performers and a three-part performance focused partly on China’s long history and its desire for good will with the rest of the world. The production was filled with signature Chinese touches: the elaborate choreography of dancers on a giant calligraphy scroll; the undulating rows of Chinese characters, with the character for "harmony" illuminated in light; and the use of masses of people, working in unison in a grand spectacle centered on traditional Chinese history, music, dance and art.  Here is an outstanding photo journal of the opening ceremony.

Technorati Tags: 2008 beijing opening ceremony, london 2012 olympics, beijing opening ceremonies

It’s time for the Olympics!  So warm up for them by watching this video.  Wow. Kind of makes the Olympics balance bar seem wimpy.  Don’t miss the final routine. Its’ amazing.