london olympics

It seems die-hard Olympics fans hate the Internet now that results are posted instantaneously. The drama that prime-time coverage can usually deliver is somewhat dampened by the fact that a list of winners is readily available quicker than the time it takes to turn on a TV.

Even if you casually browse a site like Twitter, you're bound to accidentally uncover some breaking news from the Summer Games. Come to think of it, it's probably harder to shield yourself from the news than it is to find it out. … Read more

File this one under M.W.A.: Marketers with attitude.

Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics are peeved at Beats Electronics, makers of the headphones that are ubiquitous in major U.S. cities, according to The Guardian and other British publications. Without the company ponying up the money to become an official sponsor of the games, Beats' headphones still managed to find their way onto the ears of Olympic athletes, who during the games are some of the most watched people on the planet.

That makes them very valuable human billboards.

Officials from the International Olympic Committee are looking into … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Olympics fans told to stop tweeting if they want TV.

- NBC's No. 1 tweeting critic suspended from Twitter.

- NBC defends its use of tape delay for London Summer Games.

- The FBI wants a database of your tattoos.

- How Twitter can tell when you're going to get sick.… Read more

Ah, the Olympics. We get three weeks of athletic prowess, medal counts, moving personal stories, and slow-motion replay of swimmers touching the side of the pool. If you can't stand yet another headline about sporting glory, turn to the Olwimpics browser extension for relief.

Olwimpics' sole purpose in life is to expunge the Olympics from your browsing experience. It's available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It thoughtfully covers up keywords with Olympics-color blocks, though it doesn't make the accompanying images disappear.… Read more

There are few events quite as exciting as the Olympics. With athletes from all over the world competing for their respective countries, it's easy to get excited as you root for your country to win. Obviously, I'll be rooting for my American compatriots, but seeing the drama of each event, no matter who the winner is, can be appreciated by anyone.

This year, the apps for tracking Olympic events are better than ever before, but still not quite perfect. Since NBC is covering the Olympics, it's the only app in this collection that will have live streams … Read more

Twitter has an Olympic-size headache on its hands.

The microblogging site is making a push to be a bigger part of live events -- especially the London Games -- but had trouble keeping its feeds up and running on the eve of one of its biggest.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo told The Wall Street Journal this week that the service is trying to "more closely tie the shared experience on Twitter to the actual event that is happening," essentially increasing its presence associated with the event. That goal is reflected in a partnership Twitter has formed with NBCUniversal … Read more

When I think of London, I think of bright red double-decker buses. When I think of the London Olympics, I think of bright red double-decker buses doing pushups. I can thank Czech artist David Cerny for that indelible image.

Cerny attached giant red arms to a full-size bus, but he didn't stop there. He added an engine-powered hydraulics system that lets the bus art, called "London Booster," perform pushups, complete with groaning effort noises. Since the bus has back wheels and no legs, I'm assuming this is the equivalent of doing knee pushups.… Read more

On your marks, gamers. Nintendo is applying a lick of Sonic-blue paint to its Wii console as part of a new bundle celebrating Mario and Sonic's latest outing at the London Olympics.

The Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (snappy title) limited-edition pack is out on November 18, and we hear it comes with a copy of the game, a blue Wii, Wii Remote and nunchuck, and some stickers. Yep, stickers.

Read more of "Blue Wii with Mario and Sonic brightens up Olympics" at Crave UK.… Read more

London police are setting up two specialist teams to deal with aspects of e-crime and ticketing fraud surrounding the 2012 Olympic Games.

One of the teams will be dedicated to tackling e-crime related to the Olympics, such as attempted hacks on computer systems and fraud aimed at sponsors and prospective visitors. The other will focus on the prevention of ticketing fraud and other physical crime and will investigate ticketing Web sites. Recruitment is under way for the Olympics e-crime team, which is already investigating Web sites suspected of being set up to launch phishing attacks.

The computer systems at the … Read more