NKD wrote on Jul 24, 2024, 09:05:
Why is Snoop Dogg any less appropriate than Will.i.am or Lance Bass or one of the Spice Girls which one I don't recall? Maybe you should have just never started watching the Olympics because from what I remember, athletes have never had a monopoly on who gets to run the torch.

Unlike those folks, Mr. Dogg has a brand of wine, which makes him an "elevated" man of class. Enough to casually carry the Olympic flame while keeping his mind on his money and his money on his mind.

I thought I was seeing things at first, or that Blue tries to make us Max Payne fans by subliminal messaging, but apparently the Max Payne logo appears and then quickly disappears again on mobile phones (Android).

I hope the Max Payne 1+2 Remake won't be canceled. That is going to be so fucking huge and the best thing that happened in gaming for YEARS personally.

Kxmode wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 14:16:
Do you think Snoop will light a blunt with the Olympic flame? Pretty certain that would be the first time in human history.

If he doesn't I will be extremely disappointed.

RedEye9 wrote on Jul 24, 2024, 08:59:
Values, don't make me puke.
There are 11,000 torchbearers chosen by such diverse groups as the two official sponsors of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays (Coca-Cola and Banque Populaire Caisse d’Epargne)— a soda pop maker and a bank will play a vital role in the selection of the torchbearers.
in other words, Olympic Value$

French personalities set to carry the flame on Friday include rapper MC Solaar, actress Laeticia Casta, Saint Omer film director Alice Diop.

First, you are absolutely right. It is messed up. Second, I never claimed Snoop the first or only inappropriate torch bearer. This nonsense has been going on for a long time. As I said in my other post, I get that it is entertainment. But I am disappointed the Olympics does this junk. Did it start in Paris? Nope. Will it end anytime soon? Nope. Does that make it right? Nope.

NKD wrote on Jul 24, 2024, 09:05:
Why is Snoop Dogg any less appropriate than Will.i.am or Lance Bass or one of the Spice Girls which one I don't recall? Maybe you should have just never started watching the Olympics because from what I remember, athletes have never had a monopoly on who gets to run the torch.

He isn't. They shouldn't have carried the torch either. Listen, I get that it is entertainment. Entertainment is about getting as many eyes as possible. I guess I am just another old man screaming at the kids to get off my lawn, but I think the Olympics should be above that. And yes, I think torch bearers should be athletes. The games are about the athletes. If that makes me a grumbling old man who can't see some supposed larger picture -- I can live with that.

Mr. Tact wrote on Jul 24, 2024, 08:28:

RedEye9 wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 21:46:
In what way.

It isn't complicated. The Olympic ideal is fair and excellent athletic competition. Or as the IOC says on their website:

What are the Olympic Values?

The three values of Olympism are excellence, respect and friendship. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world.

Call me crazy, but while I suppose Snoop Dogg might be an excellent entertainer and friendly guy, I don't think that's what many people had in mind when considering the Olympics.

Why is Snoop Dogg any less appropriate than Will.i.am or Lance Bass or one of the Spice Girls which one I don't recall? Maybe you should have just never started watching the Olympics because from what I remember, athletes have never had a monopoly on who gets to run the torch.

Values, don't make me puke.
There are 11,000 torchbearers chosen by such diverse groups as the two official sponsors of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays (Coca-Cola and Banque Populaire Caisse d’Epargne)— a soda pop maker and a bank will play a vital role in the selection of the torchbearers.
in other words, Olympic Value$

French personalities set to carry the flame on Friday include rapper MC Solaar, actress Laeticia Casta, Saint Omer film director Alice Diop.

RedEye9 wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 21:46:
In what way.

It isn't complicated. The Olympic ideal is fair and excellent athletic competition. Or as the IOC says on their website:

What are the Olympic Values?

The three values of Olympism are excellence, respect and friendship. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world.

Call me crazy, but while I suppose Snoop Dogg might be an excellent entertainer and friendly guy, I don't think that's what many people had in mind when considering the Olympics.

To this day, I still use my original Max Payne mouse-pad I got as part of the deluxe version from Fry's in 2001.

Have a suitably maudlin birthday Max!
Looking forward to the remake.

Mr. Tact wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 20:48:
What a complete and utter disgrace.

In what way.

Stick around folks, this ought to be good.

Well, if I hadn't already thought I was done with the Olympics -- finding out they made Snoop Dogg a torch bearer would have fixed that. What a complete and utter disgrace.

jdreyer wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 15:16:
The opposite. He could just stop for a toke every few minutes.

The Olympic flame isn't going to be a giant doobie! Come on, sir.

Kxmode wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 15:00:

jdreyer wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 14:56:
My thought was the torch the gave him to carry would be in the shape of a giant spliff lit at one end.

Would that not be a form of torture for him?

The opposite. He could just stop for a toke every few minutes.

jdreyer wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 14:56:
My thought was the torch the gave him to carry would be in the shape of a giant spliff lit at one end.

Would that not be a form of torture for him?

Kxmode wrote on Jul 23, 2024, 14:16:
Do you think Snoop will light a blunt with the Olympic flame? Pretty certain that would be the first time in human history.

My thought was the torch the gave him to carry would be in the shape of a giant spliff lit at one end.

Do you think Snoop will light a blunt with the Olympic flame? Pretty certain that would be the first time in human history.

I am also waiting for a 2nd gen version of the Yoshino. I saw that same video and it looks good, although I would like to see a much more thorough review (ie. the temperature range is no different than the non-solid state competitors, but is that a limitation of the electronics, and not the batteries themselves?).

This comment was edited on Jul 23, 2024, 14:30.

I watched that video from Sabine Hossenfelder and generally agree with her. The problem isn't the tech, it's the hype. Thus the usually derisive comment of "Oh look, it's another 'miracle' battery tech" that I make. Don't tell me about something that works for half a second one time in a lab. Show me something that is usable. Something that I can get my hands on today. So that pretty much puts me in the valley of disillusionment.

Which led me to this video from Matt Ferrell from his Undecided YouTube channel about a Yoshino solid state power bank that you can buy today. Compared to current offerings from Anker (whose power banks I have used extensively in the past for a variety of applications), Bluetti, and EcoFlow, it's...OK. The Yoshino unit is certainly lighter (kind of a negligible win in my view since I mostly deal with fixed and semi-fixed installations) but the real win for it is in its expanded temperature use range. However, that being said, he brought up an excellent point. This is first gen tech for SSBs. But at least you can buy it, today, for a fairly reasonable price. That's actually meaningful. Am I going to buy it? No, I never buy the first generation of anything. I'll wait to see if a second or third generation shows up with greater power and energy density along with a cheaper price and a larger amount of charge cycles.But if it pans out, I'll buy in. So while I am not hyped, I am interested.