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Timing Technology Behind Olympic Record Results

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the even-clocks-are-at-least-sixteen dept.

An anonymous reader writes "We've been on the edge of our seats cheering on the athletes at the Beijing Olympic games — but so often do athletes' victories and defeats rely on accurate timing. As the athletes compete on the world stage behind the scenes technology records their results. This interview with Omega's Christophe Berthaud (video) — the company's 23rd time as official Olympic timekeeper — explores how far the technology has come since the first time it was used in 1932."

6 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Huh? by gweihir · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I thought victories rely on biochemical enhancements today, i.e. doping?

    Personally, these Olympics are a non-event, except for China showing that they are really as twisted and corrupt as everybody thought before.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      LOL what a fag. You're probably just a fat, nerdy, slob who's fastest "dash" was to the fridge.

    2. Re:Huh? by somersault · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      "I thought victories rely on biochemical enhancements today, i.e. doping?"

      At least 5 athletes have been kicked out for doping, and presumably anyone who does get to a final would automatically have to pass a doping test. Usain Bolt certainly didn't need to dope to break the 100m record, look at the size of him. What he did was partly down to his frame, but then the rest of it was down to pure training and determination as it's harder for lanky guys to develop good sprinting technique.

      Personally, these Olympics have been full of pretty amazing feats by several athletes from my own country (Scotland/UK) and other countries and I've found them enjoyable to watch.

      It's a good thing they didn't try to host them in the US or anything, otherwise I hope you'd consider them a non-event because of all the corruption going on in the US government. But somehow I doubt it.

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      which is totally what she said
  2. Who the hell cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    All that technology to find out who the fastest drug cocktail is? Wouldn't it be cheaper to hand in the lab results?

  3. Speak for yourself by larry+bagina · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I haven't been sitting on my ass watching the olympics. Is your life really that pathetic?

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    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  4. Re:The photo/camera finish was totally inconclusiv by X.25 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Inconclusive? You could clearly see a gap between cavic's finger and the wall. Whereas phelps fingers were bent back a bit from contacting the wall.

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.5.html

    But you wouldn't know that, according to fucking rules, you need to press the sensor(s) with both hands, eh? That's why people complained about the lack of frame(s) which show that moment.

    But sure thing, your incorrect post is at "+5, Informative".

    Perfect example of "I read it on the Internet, it must be true".