New Olympic Sports

One of the fun things about any Olympics, including the one just finished in China, is watching the new sports. Who can forget the excitement that swept the world when curling was introduced at the 1988 Calgary games?

Actually, it was RE-introduced, having appeared in the first Winter Games way back in 1924 and also having been part of the '32 games in Lake Placid. Curling was a "demonstration" sport in '88 and '92, and became an official Olympic event in 1998. What was once so exciting for its newness is now part of the fabric of the games.

This year's Summer Games brought BMX racing to Beijing. While this is not a new sport to us Merkins, it is probably pretty new to much of the rest of the world.

But apparently you can change existing sports as well. Witness the Decathlon and Heptathlon and the throwing of Javelinas. Not being a big track and field fan, I don't know what javelina throwing replaced in the competition for the title of "World's Greatest Athlete". NBC declined to show the javelina throwing competition during its prime-time coverage, probably to avoid the protests that would surely come from PETA. I also couldn't find it at nbcolympics.com.

And it's a shame, too. I would be interested to know the proper technique for throwing javelinas, and wonder how far a world-class athuhleet can throw a javelina.

I would also like to know how athletes train in parts of the world where javelinas are hard to come by. We've all cringed as we've watched third world swimmers struggle to compete when they have no (50-meter) pools in which to practice. How do prospective javelina throwers practice? Do they use pot-belly pigs? Or worse -- midgets?

Enquiring minds want to know (and the National Enquirer(TM) has been silent on this controversial issue).

Inspector Gadget

With apologies to the animated Inspector Gadget(TM), that name seemed an appropriate title for a post which introduces my experiments with gadgets on my blog. It (my experiment) is clumsy and, in many ways, clueless. In other words, perhaps a lot like what you'd expect from Inspector Gadget if he were to write a blog.

So Many Gadgets, So Little Time

There are quite a lot of gadgets to choose from. Something north of 40,000, if I remember correctly. Indeed, with that many gadgets, how can one peruse them all to find the best? Most popular, perhaps? But would that really be the best? Or would it only be the best of the first 100 or so that were presented in the first couple of lists?

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen

So I chose "this date in history" and "quote of the day". Both are inspired by my good friend, Seamus, who occasionally sends out very interesting "this day in history" types of lessons and whose emails always end in a supposedly random but often quite apropos quote.

I should note that Seamus' history notes arrive occasionally, not that they are occasionally interesting. In fact, they are usually interesting, unlike actual history lessons from my days in publick skool.

I shall enjoy seeing what these gadgets have to offer.

Confused

If you peruse the list of gadgets, you may find yourself mildly confused, as I am, by the pictures that accompany each gadget in the list. For example, the Jokes gadget is presented beside a picture of a woman's bikini clad chest. The text describing the gadget indicates that you can choose from several joke categories, including "clean" jokes, but why did they choose that image as the visual identity of the gadget? I've never thought of either breasts or of bikinis as particularly funny.

And what happens to the wholesome, family nature of my blog if I put jokes in it? Will that cleavage photo appear next to every joke? Or will that depend on a "picture on/off" setting? And what about the jokes? I learned a long time ago that almost any joke is sure to offend someone. Indeed, a friend of mine recently sent out a joke that caused a few "I'm offended" messages (followed by the obligatory "I'm offended that you're offended" replies). So this is a current concern. I'm not sure that I could put an unregulated joke gadget in my blog without offending someone among my readership. So I guess I'll have to pass on that one.

Come to think of it, the two I am trying out (history and quotes) could end up offending some people. But at least they aren't accompanied by myopic pictures of buxom women.

What do you think? Are gadgets a good idea? Hmmm. Maybe I'll choose the poll gadget!