a boot in the behind

We all know that we don’t have actual TV running on the Hilltop; we’ve got a big 36” Sony and the DVD player for entertainment. I’ve got nothing much to say about TV in general but I do have something for NBC: you suck. NBC has kommissar rights to the Olympics and allegedly have a Web presence where one could, if NBC’s online site was worth a shit, watch a few select events from Beijing: some swimming, cycling, track events, etc. I’ll get to scheduling in a sec, but first - to the NBC Webmaster: I think you must be part-time myspace or facebook high school sophomore. The layout and navigating is horrid, the system requirements don’t seem to matter, and content is for junk. I’ve checked all of my system components and they meet ‘requirements’ yet I endlessly get nothing but a ‘system requirements for operation’ message that gives me no actual input. I’ve ended up watching what I can on X’s old Vaio which plays the videos just fine. Back to NBC in general: they are kidding, right? I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on time zones, and whatnot, but this video broadcast selection is miserable. They’ve got a miserly plan that appears to ensure no video of available on-line videos until the event has been broadcast on terrestrial TV – including the junior high commentary and studio management presented by Jim Lampley and Bob Costas. My sports writing in the Valley View Junior High School paper in 1979 was purely Roger Angell-like compared to this hack production. I think I used to like the up close and personal pieces and sap-o-meter crammed down my throat when I was eight; I hate it now. A good example of immature commentary was Lampley summarizing the British team’s stunning success at the velodrome where they’ve won 4 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze so far: “Now if the Olympics only had snooker, cricket, and darts!” Ha ha ha…that IS hilarious. The British program has really put a ton of effort into cycling and his comment was completely bush league. (I’m watching TV today while working the USO so I can finally cringe while watching. Hey Jim Lampley, wouldn’t it be great if you actually had any other sports job during the normal calendar and weren’t merely the overnight janitor on NBC’s broadcast?) What is NBC thinking? If I watch online, where they can format my screen and make me watch ads, why would they make me wait 12-18 hours, sometimes longer, to see anything that happens at midnight stateside? Why can’t I watch Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps either live or on video immediately after the event? If I had TV, I’d boycott NBC for the next year – total incompetence. Their Web skills are a sorry reminder of just how far afield the music industry was when trying to deal with technology – they must have signed some old Arista music executives.

I’ll lighten up a bit and turn to my very little fashionista leanings. Here’s another great Johnston & Murphy ad featuring a shoe I need. The last time they got me this fired up about a shoe was a Johnston & Murphy ad that featured Lyle Lovett a few years ago.


The Cubs hung 8 runs on the Marlins in the seventh inning today – looks like the streak is up to seven series without a loss and six straight won. Fingers are crossed for the rest of the season.