Gawker
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online advertising
NBC's online video ads a $5.75 million piddle in the pool
According to an eMarketer estimate, NBC's Olympics videos online would have generated only $5.75 million if paid for on a CPM basis. That number is likely low; the network may have signed flat-rate contracts for brand exposure tied into larger sponsorship deals, rather than bother with cost-per-impression deals. Still, low views on the Olympics will make it harder for NBC to charge more for video ads down the road. And why pay for online ads when sponsors get buzz for free through social networks? [TV Week] (Original photo by AP/Greg Baker) -
great moments in journalism
A videoblogger shows how well the media is playing Beijing's game
The whining by journalists about China's Internet restrictions at the Olympics in Beijing rings hollow: It belies how interested they are in actually reporting anything that might run afoul of the China's Communist censors. How convenient to blame packet sniffers and blocked network ports, instead of actually wearing out shoe leather tracking down protesters. Oh, but how much easier to refresh Amnesty International's website from the air-conditioned comfort of the Olympic Village. Actually showing up at a protest will get you detained without a trial, as muckraking videoblogger Brian Conley and friends have discovered. It's hard to meet deadlines from jail, so best to stick to hard-hitting reports about cheerleaders. A bonus: People actually enjoy watching that stuff. More » -
olympics
Underage Chinese gymnasts — an obsessive Internet investigation
A security consultant with New York-based firm Intrepidus has documented his hunt for online verification of the age of Chinese gymnast He Kexin. Honestly, I can't bring myself to care about her age, but it's fun to watch someone go crazy with the screengrabs of Google-cached Excel spreadsheets. (Photo by AP/Amy Sancetta)
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By Paul BoutinComment by Drunken Economist: @Passerby: No, they have automated scripts/queries do the reading. Keyword[s]: 'underaged' 'mine!' DING! [doffs hat to NSA sysadm, grepping dee logz] Oh... more » | Other threads
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olympics
Google pulling for Facebook's rower foes?
On Sunday, Google featured rowers in a custom Olympics logo on its homepage. Were the mullahs of Mountain View pulling for Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Olympics hopefuls in rowing who charged Harvard classmate Mark Zuckerberg with nicking the idea for Facebook from ConnectU, their college social network? The Winklevosses lost in the pair rowing finals, after handing their company to Zuckerberg in a court-ordered settlement. Then again, Google is known for backing losers in social networking. -
olympics
Michael Phelps breaks Facebook
Long-torsoed anatomy model Michael Phelps has won more gold medals in one Olympics than anyone before him. That's not the only record he's set in the last week. According NBC's Bob Costas, Phelps has more Facebook "fans" than Will Smith, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers — 767,885 at last count! Phelps tells Costas that besides the fans, he's got about 7,600 pending Facebook friend requests, too. "I can't accept any more," he tells Costas. Obsessed? You can always try. You might have better luck at friending Phelps than becoming his fan. Check out the screenshot below — that feature seems to be broken right now, perhaps because of the sudden onrush of Phelpsmania on Facebook. More »
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Comment by colonelpanic: @Passerby: It's just a couple of years from "fan" to "I promise I will never appear before this court again,... more » | Other threads
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olympics
ConnectU twins sink in rowing finals, rise in our hearts
ConnectU cofounders and identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss finished sixth out of six in Saturday's Olympic rowing finals. As you can tell from NBC's clip above, it wasn't close. It was an anticlimactic end to a rousing — for some, arousing — Olympic run for the beefy Harvard-grad dreamboats. The pair only made the finals after a stirring upset last week. Australians Drew Ginn and Duncan Free finished first. Sure, they have a gold medal, but did they create a college social network good enough for Mark Zuckerberg to copy? (Photo by Getty Images)
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Comment by vision4bg: Drew Ginn is a great guy, very pleased he got his third gold. more » | Other threads
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online video
NBC mocks Web 2.0 with 17.6 Nielsen rating, $1 billion in ads
The network's online lockdown of Olympics video coverage, ridiculed as old-Web thinking, has paid off: A captive audience drove television ratings for NBC's Beijing coverage higher than the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens games. Advertisers who bought a billion bucks' worth of spots from NBC are probably happy. Oh well, maybe next time. [Wired] -
mangobot
Coming Soon from China: Dystopic Futures, the Next Steve Jobs, and a World Full of Drumming Androids
Welcome back to MangoBot, a biweekly column about Asian futurism by TokyoMango blogger Lisa Katayama. I'm a total sports nut. Olympic season makes my bones shiver with excitement. But this year, I took my mind off record-breaking swim relays and super-twisty gymnastics routines for a minute to consider the host country's techno-socio-political future. The opening ceremony confirmed my theory that China is breeding robots. (We already know that the cute girl who performed the patriotic song was lip-syncing and that the fireworks shown on TV were fake. I'm pretty sure that the 2008 drummers who kicked off the five-hour technological spectacularity were androids, too.) But what else is up in the giant nation that many believe will be the next world superpower? I called some experts and came away with a list of five predictions for China's next half-century. [io9] -
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olympics
Know your Olympic finalists, ConnectU founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
ConnectU may be the college social network that isn't Facebook, but then Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also the social network founder who isn't an Olympic finalist. Row2K interviewed the pair who are, ConnectU founders and dreamboats Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. From the interviews, giddy fangirls and boys will be excited to learn that Cameron is the one who likes to play guitar, read books and watch movies. He's also very excited to seeing Beijing because he's never been to China before. Tyler doesn't say as much, but we do learn from the interview, excerpted above, that he was very tall in his youth. In an early 1960s rock band, we think he'd be the one who wore sunglasses on stage. The pair — who, along with third cofounder Divya Narendra, handed over all ConnectU shares to Facebook this week after months of legal wrangling — compete for gold this Saturday.
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Comment by Jackson West: I'm just disappointed that Team Jezebel had to pick two such media-stereotypical male body types -- with blonde hair, nonetheless.... more » | Other threads
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copyfight
YouTube pulls video of protest at request of IOC
The International Olympic Committee has issued a takedown notice to YouTube over a video that features protestors projecting free Tibet propaganda on the walls of the Chinese consulate in New York City. It's a clear abuse of copyright law. According to the takedown notice from YouTube, the IOC found the video through the "Claim Your Content" system that makes it easy to issue infringement claims. More »
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By Jackson WestComment by Vicodiva: What do you expect from the IOC. With the good ship Oly helmed by such previous skippers as Avery Brundage? What... more » | Other threads
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connectu
In rousing upset, ConnectU founders advance to Olympic finals
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin cofounders of a college social network which is not Facebook, finished second in today's Olympic rowing semifinals, just behind the Aussies, and will compete in the finals on Saturday. It was quite the upset. Previewing today's race, Row2k.com wrote that "the Aussie pair is a lock," that "Serbia, Germany, Italy are the like contenders for the final two qualifying spots," and that the ConnectU cofounders "have their work cut out for them if they want to win a spot in the A final." While they were winning in Beijing, they lost a battle in court. More »
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Comment by dotbombing: Is it cold on that boat? I think the turkey's done. more » | Other threads
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olympics
China deports Twitter user for livestreaming Olympics protest
Activist Twitterer noneck (aka Noel Hidalgo) was in Tiananmen Square on Saturday for a free-Tibet protest. After he Twittered the event and broadcast it live over Qik, Chinese authorities deported him. He's one of 28 activists bounced from China during the Olympics, but the only one who documented his actions live, with over 30,000 views. Rather foolish of the Chinese government: Had they not deported Hidalgo, it's unlikely so many people would have paid attention to his lifecast. His video of the pro-Tibet die-in runs below: More »
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Comment by RomildaWorm: Send in the Marines to free people? Thats the opposite of freeing. Violence doesn't free people. Social programs,... more » | Other threads
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online video
Legal, illegal Olympics clips rule Web
Traffic to NBCOlympics.com has likely already surpassed the 229 million pageviews garnered by the entire 2004 Athens Games, according to the network. Even so, users frustrated with the lack of full-screen video have already started to figure out workarounds. So where are people turning for better-quality Olympics video? More »
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By Jackson WestComment by giddieup: seriously, is the 4h30m long opening ceremony that interesting to warrant all this attention? it looked like a snoozer to... more » | Other threads
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jackpot
As ConnectU founders prepare for Olympic semis, Facebook takes over their company
ConnectU cofounders and Olympic rowers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss beat out Croatia to win their second heat yesterday, advancing to Wednesday's semifinals. Meanwhile, back on the home front, U.S. District Judge James Ware said Monday that ConnectU has until Tuesday to transfer all its stock to Facebook and comply with a settlement to the ConnectU founders' suit alleging that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea. More » -
olympics
Winklevoss brothers finish last in first try at Beijing
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the founding twins of social network ConnectU who are Facebook's legal foes and also Olympic rowers — fared poorly in their first Olympic outing Saturday, finishing fifth out of five in a 2000 meter preliminary heat. The Winklevoss brothers — who delighted fans on the home front when they practiced shirtless late last week — finished in 7:13.64, well behind the Polish team which finished up in 7:01.90. Also waiting on the other side of the finish line were the French, Italian and Canadian teams, one of which presumably won, but who cares, our boys did not. The Winklevoss brothers were supposed to get a second chance on Sunday, but that second heat rained out and will be rescheduled. Nevermind that, we think its time for the Winklevosses to go to Plan B: sue the French, Italian, Canadian and Polish teams for stealing their idea of finishing faster. Update: The brothers won their second heat and advanced to Wednesday's semifinals. -
copyfight
How to crack YouTube's Olympics channel
Commenter Stephen Sclafani figured out that replacing one cookie which YouTube's servers stuff into your browser will get you through to the site's U.S.-blocked beijing2008 channel. I'm watching Argentina vs. Cote D'Ivoire right now. Here are Stephen's instructions, slightly edited (I used to write documentation): More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by BCK: It seems youtube has figured out how to prevent this hack from working. It was working for me earlier this... more » | Other threads
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online video
The definitive guide to watching the Olympics online
The folks who are bringing you the Olympics online don't actually want you to watch their coverage. NBC and Microsoft are delaying the most popular events by three hours so that it won't interfere with more profitable TV broadcasts. And you'll have to download Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in to watch in your browser. But a bird's nest of geography and time-delay restrictions worthy of China's Communist Party government is in place. Thankfully, the anarchy of the Web offers plenty of options for having a crowd of curious coworkers surround your computer as you watch live handball, with varying degrees of expense and difficulty. Rather than being the coming-out party for Silverlight Microsoft hopes for, it may instead be the year sports fans learn a few new online-video tricks. More »
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By Jackson WestComment by cainmark: @stevieQ @tdhurst What's with the OS hating? I've paid plenty for hardware and software, even paid for a program to work on linux... more » | Other threads
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Tim the IT Guy
Media hacks compete for best nonworking Olympics links
So far, no one has published a workaround for YouTube's block on Americans trying to reach the site's beijing2008 channel. But lazy reporting and glib posts from reputable sites make it sound like the geeks (i.e. me) have solved the problem already. Wired, Silicon Alley Insider, and Om Malik's NewTeeVee are the worst offenders. I spent most of today actually trying their suggestions. I am obligated to report they're all worse than useless. Here's how each of them failed: More » -
superficial
ConnectU twins, Facebook's Olympian enemies, spotted shirtless near Beijing
ConnectU founders and Olympic rowers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the guys who are still in a legal wrestling match with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after suing him for stealing their idea, settling, and then rethinking the settlement — took their shirts off for rowing practice in Beijing. We thought some of you might want to know.
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Comment by Lawrence: they can't have their cake and it eat too - that's why Zuck is the king, not these douches more » | Other threads
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olympics
Live from Beijing, it's the Olympics over the Internet!
If you want to watch the same Olympics coverage that millions of Chinese viewers are tuned into, you can. YouTube has blocked even our IT guy's attempts to get to their clips. But I found this live stream of China's 24x7 Olympics channel, CCTV-5. Unlike most of the streaming sites you could Google up, this one plays instead of hanging my browser. There's a fatter 300-Kbps stream for Windows Media that works if you boost your player's streaming buffer size from the default 10 seconds to a more robust 60 seconds. Two caveats: There's no sound, and not all the games are broadcast in realtime. Right now, CCTV-5 has this morning's no-goal match between the Netherlands and Nigeria.
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By Paul BoutinComment by sample032: Watching athletic competitions doesn't help one's geek cred. Paul, you'll be a real journalist before you know it! more » | Other threads
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file sharing
Olympic BitTorrent optimization for dummies
Planning to watch the Beijing games via BitTorrent instead of NBC? TorrentFreak, my new favorite pirate read, asked a BitTorrent client developer to share his tips for maximizing your download speed. Greg Hazel's client configuration tips: More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by Uncle-Sam's Littlle Helper: @Spy from the Land of Rainpeople: Azereus has become Vuze. But I agree. lol. How goes the little dummy song? I... more » | Other threads
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cloud computing
AT&T to overcharge for cloud computing
AT&T has announced a cloud-computing service — hosted networking and storage, akin to Amazon.com's S3, Google's App Engine, and other Web services. Expect AT&T's version to offer higher service levels at a higher price. Called Synaptic, the service will be run from five supersized Internet data centers in New Jersey, Maryland, San Diego, Singapore and Amsterdam. The company has set up a high-profile demo: Teamusa.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's site, is running on Synaptic.
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By Paul BoutinComment by Drunken Economist: @mrfomoco: MrFomoco. My hero! Other than that, let me get this straight: The telco that my Japanese friends [who have NTT... more » | Other threads
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the olds
Your parents will be kicking ass in Beijing
Swimmer Dara Torres is 41. Another 20 of this year's American athletes in Beijing are 40 or older. Topping the list is 58-year-old John Dane III, the president of a boutique yacht-building firm who'll represent the U.S. in Star-class sailboat racing. The shift in Olympian age range comes partly from better science and technology for sports training and injury recovery. But there's a money angle: More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by WilliamMarkFelt: @Paul Boutin - mornin' Paul. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn I'm in a much better mood this... more » | Other threads
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censorship
Reporters find presumed privileges revoked behind China's Great Firewall
The Chinese government may have assured the International Olympic Committee that reporters would enjoy Western freedoms while covering the Olympic games, such as unfettered access to the Internet. Once on the ground, however, journalists have discovered that's not exactly the case. The IOC has been busy backtracking. Olympics reps now have clarified that open Web access is only for sites about "Olympic competitions" — not, say, Amnesty International, one of many sites that has been blocked. The question no one has asked, however, is why China should feel compelled to act in any other way? More »
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By Jackson WestComment by Dror Poleg: @LACJ: Cheers. I'm not sure all the blocked sites will be with us for many more years. After all, they... more » | Other threads
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The Winklevosses
ConnectU twins try to disprove dumb-jock image, and fail
The not-so-subtle thesis of a Boston Globe profile of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins who claim Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea from Facebook from them: They're not just dumb jocks. The Twinklevosses, as they're known in Silicon Valley, lost in their legal effort, but are hoping to win at the Beijing Olympics, where they are competing in rowing. They and fellow cofounder Divya Narendra settled with Facebook, agreeing to sell ConnectU for shares in the company — but are now trying to overturn that agreement, saying Facebook isn't worth as much as they thought. That argues strongly against the piece's attempt to bust stereotypes. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by mrfomoco: 'One of the cool things about amateur athletics is that I think the pursuit is sort of the pursuit of... more » | Other threads
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cubicle culture
Olympics video vs. office networks: We know who'll win
Nearly every chief information officer on the planet is worried the Olympics will take down his or her network next week, says network management tool maker Blue Coat Systems. The Wall Street Journal profiles Cathy McClain, CIO for a division of Brunswick, the maker of bowling balls and boats. It only takes 15 employees watching videos at once to affect her network. I like her solution: More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by tawni: @colonelpanic: [www.bowl.com] for the US bowling team of course more » | Other threads
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caption contest
China commemorates attack on Olympian Nancy Kerrigan
A worker strides past a sculpture at the site of the Beijing Summer Olympics. Make your suggestions in the comments and we'll rename the post with the best one. Yesterday's winner: fishneversleep, for "Mashable indeed." More » -
yahoo
Jerry Yang's Olympic dreams
With the Icahn business settled, Jerry Yang can move on to more important questions: For example, is he going to the Beijing Olympics? A week ago, he hadn't quite made up his mind.The dithering was utterly characteristic for the perennially indecisive Yahoo cofounder. But you'd think he could commit to a no-brainer like attending the Games. Yang is a Taiwanese native, and no fan of the Communist regime — China's jailing of a blogger, aided by Yahoo China's handover of email records, led to a humiliating session where he was called to the carpet in front of Congress. But the Beijing Olympics is a seminal event in the rise of Asia, where Yahoo has significant investments — one of the few areas where it has an edge on Google. More » -
online advertising
NBC almost sold out of video ads for Olympics
With a little help from brands McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, Hilton, Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch, NBC Universal is 85 percent sold out of its expected inventory of ads to play at the beginning ofOlympics Web videos. All of the ads will be 15- and 30-second "prerolls" — because that's the only kind the International Olympic Committee currently allows. Hate prerolls? Go ahead and set up your own broadcast, then, bub. (Photo by striatic)
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Comment by MikeTy: They'll give them the 15 percent remaining so they can stop complaining! more » | Other threads
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breakdowns
First it was the Colorado Rockies who couldn't handle the thousands of Bostonians wishing to buy tickets to see their team crush the mile-high dreams of Rockies fans. Now, a rush of advance purchasers has knocked the 2008 Beijing Olympics ticket server offline. [WSJ] -
baidu
How do you say "bubble" in Chinese?
According to Google Translate 泡沫 is Chinese for "bubble". Chinese search engine Baidu is up another 3.5 percent today to $378.35 — with a market cap just shy of Facebook's notional value at $12.8 billion. The FT Tech Blog notes that Baidu has a forward P/E ratio of 94 — that is, a comparison of its price to next year's earnings — trouncing Google's P/E of 54. Another Chinese search engine, Sohu, reported strong earnings today and anticipated future growth across the Chinese market because of advertisers' interest in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A chart of Baidu and Google's stocks year-to-date is above.
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Comment by fatbastard: Baidu is the second largest search engine in the world. Why is it so hard to come across a valuation... more » | Other threads
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