Crenk » Olympics

NBC Help Us Track the Winter Olympics

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:46:35 +0000

The Winter Olympics are well under way now in Vancouver but many of us are having trouble keeping track of both the results and the public reactions to the highs and lows of the games. Well Twitter have announced on their blog that NBC have launched their Olympic Twitter Tracker which allows you to see what’s happening in the games.

“I (@ChloeS) collaborate with our media partners, and have enjoyed watching them weave together new ways of experiencing these events that are even more engaging and interactive.”

This is definitely one of the best ways to follow the games if you can’t get to a television. A lot of us are stuck in school or work, so by just checking your Twitter account you can see what’s going on. The size of the pictures seen in the screenshot above, indicates how much a particular Olympic trend is being tweeted about. There is also a timeline along the top and different sections for different emotions such as those for fans rejoicing and those consolidating each other. Results are also updated regularly.

You can check out a video of the service in action here.

The Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony a Hit On BitTorrent

TorrentFreak — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:45:05 +0000

Just a few hours after the video of the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony was posted on BitTorrent, it has already been downloaded by tens of thousands of people.

In 2008 Olympic torrents were hugely popular, especially the Opening Ceremony which was downloaded by nearly 5 million people. It is doubtful that this 2008 Olympic record will be broken this year, but nonetheless, there is plenty of interest on BitTorrent for the 2010 Opening Ceremony.

As with most big sporting events there are huge commercial interests involved in the Olympics. This is one of the main reasons why the International Olympic Committee and broadcasters such as NBC have announced a piracy crackdown, trying to prevent their content from leaking online.

“Our aim is to make access to pirated material inconvenient, low quality and hard to find,” said Rick Cotton, NBC’s Executive Vice President commenting on their Olympic mission. It is needless to say that this mission has already failed miserably.

The Opening Ceremony could be watched online through dozens of illegal streams last night, and a few hours later a high quality video of the entire broadcast appeared on file-sharing networks including BitTorrent. Thus far, nearly 100,000 people have downloaded the Opening Ceremony through BitTorrent.

A quick look at the locations of the downloaders reveals that roughly a quarter are Canadians. Another 15% of the downloaders come from the United States, followed by the UK with 5% and The Netherlands and Australia both with 4%.

In the coming days many of the sporting events will also surface online illegally, but the interest for the opening and closing ceremonies tend to be the highest, based on download numbers from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

It is expected that the International Olympic Committee will be outraged over this massive rights violation. In 2008 they urged Sweden to take action against the Pirate Bay over the Olympic torrents that they hosted, without result.

Maybe they should start offering their own sponsored downloads in 2012? There is plenty of demand for it.

Top 5 Olympic Apps for iPhone

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:12:32 +0000

The world is currently in fever pitch over the Beijing Olympics this summer. Do you find it hard to keep up with all the events? Do you sit at work with the shakes because you’re in detox from the night before? No longer do you have to remain in the dark. If you have a late night meeting, an event with the family, or any other distraction that takes you away from the television, trust in your iPhone to keep you connected.

There are 5 of the top rated iPhone apps for the Olympic fanatic in you:

I. iOlympic
The most comprehensive coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics at your finger tips. This little apps offers you categories of interest which include: General News, Most Popular News, Team News, Telemundo News Feed, Special Features. You can catch up on all the news with even further breakdowns by event and by country. Want to know the number of medals won by each country, this little app has that info too. A true heavy hitter for Olympic fans.

II. Allmysports
A great general news provider app for those looking for quick bits of news. Not as thorough as iOlympic, but definitely enough to keep you going. Keep track of schedules, athletes, medals, and various country’s performances. The interface is easy to use and good for on the go info to whet your appetite for the moment.

III. Olympic Wallpaper
Who needs stats? You already getting your fill from TV, radio, and the net? Perhaps you’re already on board with some of the Olympic apps mentioned on here. If that’s the case, then this app is for those of us that want to share the experience, not just read it. Cover your iPhone with Olympic wallpaper and show you pride for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

IV. Olympic Games 2008 Medal Count
This quick view app allows you to quickly see a country’s overall standing in all events. You can see just how many medals your country has acquired and rally them to victory!

V. 2008 Olympic Sports Feeds
Perhaps you’re a fan of some of the more obscure, untelevised events at the Beijing Olympics. No worries because this app is here for you. This app provides a very thorough news feed for almost every event being held in Beijing. The Headline News is accessible and right at your finger tips to keep you ahead of the game.

Photo Credit, Marc van der Chijis