Monday, February 27, 2006
I got a credit!
Rumour is: I was included in the credits after NBC's coverage of the Closing Ceremonies! Nice.
K saw it, so did somone at her office, along with a collegue of mine in LA. It's my first credit that I know of. I'm pleased.
I hope to get a tape of it when I get home and perhaps post a screen capture (for my massive ego).
K saw it, so did somone at her office, along with a collegue of mine in LA. It's my first credit that I know of. I'm pleased.
I hope to get a tape of it when I get home and perhaps post a screen capture (for my massive ego).
Golden!
Last week I used my credential to get into the Women's Gold Medal Hockey game, and sat in the "Press Observer" seats. Not something I do very much (don't want to abuse the priviledge), but this was too good to pass up. There are some photos below, and more here.
I'm still here
Wow, it has been a while since I was able to post anything. As I mentioned last week, it had been much quieter. That actually posed a bit of a problem (for updating the blog) becuase there were too many other people around! I really didn't want the rest of the office to watch me while I updated the site.
It ain't quiet anymore.
Today is the first day of load-out at the IBC. Also known as strike. Not a strike where everyone holds-up placards and stands around a barrel burning wood pallets. The kind of strike where you take everything down and get out of Dodge.
Load-out started a few days ago at some of the venues, as soon as competition was over. I spent all-day on Sunday in the mountains "observing" the load-out at the Sestriere Colle venue (where our Alpine Skiing crew was located). This compound was huge! Our cabines, trucks and equipment covered ~1600 sq. m (nearly 2000 sq yards). There were 2 OB trucks and 2 tender trucks, At least 12 cabines and a crew of over 100 people.
During the set-up and gamestime, we had some serious safety issues at this location due to the material that the Host Committee decided to put on the ground (covering a golf course). They installed huge metal plates that became extremely slippery whenever there was a bit of snow on them. Traction was made even more difficult as the compound was on the side of a gently sloping hill. Seeing as this was the WINTER olympics, this was a bit of a problem. In fact, it was so slippery that the OB vans needed to be towed-out by a huge front-end loader.
In anycase, it was a great day. No injuries, 80% of the equipment was gone by 5 pm, and it was sunny and beautiful all day. I even got a bit of a tan.
It ain't quiet anymore.
Today is the first day of load-out at the IBC. Also known as strike. Not a strike where everyone holds-up placards and stands around a barrel burning wood pallets. The kind of strike where you take everything down and get out of Dodge.
Load-out started a few days ago at some of the venues, as soon as competition was over. I spent all-day on Sunday in the mountains "observing" the load-out at the Sestriere Colle venue (where our Alpine Skiing crew was located). This compound was huge! Our cabines, trucks and equipment covered ~1600 sq. m (nearly 2000 sq yards). There were 2 OB trucks and 2 tender trucks, At least 12 cabines and a crew of over 100 people.
During the set-up and gamestime, we had some serious safety issues at this location due to the material that the Host Committee decided to put on the ground (covering a golf course). They installed huge metal plates that became extremely slippery whenever there was a bit of snow on them. Traction was made even more difficult as the compound was on the side of a gently sloping hill. Seeing as this was the WINTER olympics, this was a bit of a problem. In fact, it was so slippery that the OB vans needed to be towed-out by a huge front-end loader.
In anycase, it was a great day. No injuries, 80% of the equipment was gone by 5 pm, and it was sunny and beautiful all day. I even got a bit of a tan.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
It's oh so quiet...
Good Morning. It's Tuesday morning and not too much is doing. I thought I'd take a few moments and post an update.
Once the games have started and we are "on-the-air", things start to settle down for me. There are a couple of reasons for this:
I was here for over a months before the games started, there was plenty of time to get familiar with the venues, compounds, and how to get there.
People know me and has asked for assistance instead of me chasing down problems.
I've become better at asking for what I know that I need (regardless how big the problem is).
People are better at responding to my requests because they understand what I am trying to do.
Here's a good example of asking for something big...
One of our compounds was a major problem due to poor preparation by the host, slow contractors, and a lot of rain and snow. As a result there were some pretty pissed-off people who were saying it was totally unnaceptable. They were right. (Someone said it looked like Max Yasgur's farm after Woodstock, he was right too.)
After some very basic measuring and drawing, I estimagted that we needed about 85 sq meter of planks and a dump truck full of gravel. I figured that I would submit my report/drawings and who ever said "NO" could deal with the people who had to live with the muck and mess.
The next morning, this is what I saw at 8 am.
I was pretty shocked.
Several hours later, the compound was finished.
I didn't build it. I'm not taking credit for it...but it was a good result.
Once the games have started and we are "on-the-air", things start to settle down for me. There are a couple of reasons for this:
I was here for over a months before the games started, there was plenty of time to get familiar with the venues, compounds, and how to get there.
People know me and has asked for assistance instead of me chasing down problems.
I've become better at asking for what I know that I need (regardless how big the problem is).
People are better at responding to my requests because they understand what I am trying to do.
Here's a good example of asking for something big...
One of our compounds was a major problem due to poor preparation by the host, slow contractors, and a lot of rain and snow. As a result there were some pretty pissed-off people who were saying it was totally unnaceptable. They were right. (Someone said it looked like Max Yasgur's farm after Woodstock, he was right too.)
After some very basic measuring and drawing, I estimagted that we needed about 85 sq meter of planks and a dump truck full of gravel. I figured that I would submit my report/drawings and who ever said "NO" could deal with the people who had to live with the muck and mess.
The next morning, this is what I saw at 8 am.
I was pretty shocked.
Several hours later, the compound was finished.
I didn't build it. I'm not taking credit for it...but it was a good result.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
K was here...
Saturday, February 18, 2006
I love it...
Yesterday was a GREAT medals day for Canada. Nice!
(Grabbed from the CBC.ca/olympics website)
On another note...I'm a dumb ass. Katherine and I went to the Canada vs. Finland women's hockey game, but I didn't bring my camera. Ugh. No pictures of the handshakes. Sorry.
(Grabbed from the CBC.ca/olympics website)
On another note...I'm a dumb ass. Katherine and I went to the Canada vs. Finland women's hockey game, but I didn't bring my camera. Ugh. No pictures of the handshakes. Sorry.
Friday, February 17, 2006
K's pics
USA vs Kazakhstan
Last night K and I were given hockey tickets to see USA vs Kazakhstan (men) at Torino Esposizioni. It looked like the US was going to blow-out the Kazakhstanis (or is that Kazakhs?) when they scored 3 goals in the first period. But, despite the low "shots-on-net" stats, the Kazakhs actually made a game of it.
More info about the game here and here.
Face-off at the start of the 3rd period.
Face-off right in front of us. No pucks flying our way unfortunately. One of the guys onthe far side (left wing, #80) is Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is one of only two NHL'ers on the Kazakh team).
He shoots...misses.
We (USA) win!
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Tonight we are going to the Women's semi-final, Canada vs Finland. More photos soon I hope!
More info about the game here and here.
Face-off at the start of the 3rd period.
Face-off right in front of us. No pucks flying our way unfortunately. One of the guys onthe far side (left wing, #80) is Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is one of only two NHL'ers on the Kazakh team).
He shoots...misses.
We (USA) win!
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Good game, good game, good game, good game...
Tonight we are going to the Women's semi-final, Canada vs Finland. More photos soon I hope!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Post-Opening Ceremonies
I had meant to say something about the opening ceremonies a few days ago, but was pretty distracted last week. A few days before the ceremonies I started to come down with a cold and was feeling pretty crappy. It appeared that it was only going to be a 2-3 day problem as I was recovering pretty quickly. About 3 hours before the event, my manager offered me tickets to the event. I turned them down. That's right I said "Thanks, but no thanks." He was pretty surprised to say the least.
I actually wanted to go, but I knew that it was not going to be a good idea while struggling with a cold. Just getting in and out of the stadium can be a huge hassle, let alone sitting in the cold for 3 hours. I was worried that I would be miserable if I got sicker, especially becuase Katherine and Laura were coming into town in the next 24 hours.
I ended up taking it easy and watching the ceremonies in a pub near the hotel. It was the right thing to do.
Just to re-cap...I turned down a ticket to opening ceremonies. Ugh.
Anyway...
The equipment used for Opening Ceremonies don't take themselves off of the stadium. I am pretty sure that these things were used for the pyrotechnics.
I actually wanted to go, but I knew that it was not going to be a good idea while struggling with a cold. Just getting in and out of the stadium can be a huge hassle, let alone sitting in the cold for 3 hours. I was worried that I would be miserable if I got sicker, especially becuase Katherine and Laura were coming into town in the next 24 hours.
I ended up taking it easy and watching the ceremonies in a pub near the hotel. It was the right thing to do.
Just to re-cap...I turned down a ticket to opening ceremonies. Ugh.
Anyway...
The equipment used for Opening Ceremonies don't take themselves off of the stadium. I am pretty sure that these things were used for the pyrotechnics.
Ski Jumping Venue - Pragelato
On Sunday, Laura and I visited the mountain venues and spent a long time in Pragelato at Ski Jumping. During the visit we took a trip to the top of the jump. I can honestly say that I have not found a new sport/hobby in ski jumping. Ski jumpers are brave. Smart? Not sure. Brave? Yes.
As for the production side of things, we saw some pretty crazy camera platforms. These things were AT LEAST 40 feet high, they had few or no railings, and no one was wearing any sort of fall protection. Yikes. The good news is that NBC was not on any of these!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Coming soon
Hello there. I will have a new post/update very soon. I have been very busy over the past few days, but I have the pictures to prove it. I hope to get something up this a little later today!
jay
Thursday, February 09, 2006
NBC Olympic Ads Breakeven at Best?
"While prime-time spots are worth $700,000 each, the network only expects to book between $650 and $750 million in advertising revenues."
http://www.marketingblurb.com/2006/01/nbc_olympic_ads_breakeven_at_b.html
http://www.marketingblurb.com/2006/01/nbc_olympic_ads_breakeven_at_b.html
Monday, February 06, 2006
It had to happen eventually.
Post-nasal drip, that is. After a month of work with 2 days off, I seem to be coming down with a cold. I expected it would happen earlier as the medical staff have told me that a cold is making the rounds at the IBC. Nothing too bad, they say, just enough to cause discomfort.
I'm sure that the events of the last 2 days lead to the cold. On Saturday I spent the entire day outside visiting the city venues. I never even visited the IBC. It was a great day with all the fresh air, but it was definitely tiring. That evening I did a bit of sink laundry and went out for dinner and drinks. Before Saturday, I only stayed out until midnight at the latest. This time I pushed it to 1 am. Not super-late, but late enough when you work 12hrs per day, there is not much time to recover.
Sunday was a relatively easy day. I was at the IBC and one of our hotels from 10 am to 7pm. Of course it was superbowl Sunday. Long-story short, I stayed at the Huntsman waaay too late. I got to bed at 2:30 am (not even half-time) and had to wake up at 4 hours late in order to be ready for a 7:30 meeting.
The hangover wasn't too bad and when it cleared up around noon, I actually felt pretty good. A little while later, the itchy/scratch throat started. Ugh. (WOW, I am SUCH a complainer!!!) Tonight I am going to get at least 8 hours sleep before I head to the mountains again. The car ride up there should also be a good opportunity to nap.
By the way, my 4 hours of sleep was a lot more than some people got last night. Many people watched the entire game, some of them were from Pittsburgh.
Sorry for the complaints. I am still having a great time. The 2 late-nights were quite fun and I'll do it again dammit! Probably in a couple of days, in fact. Tomorrow, Andy Smith arrives. Wedensday, Gus will be in town for the night. Should be fun.
Other thoughts...
Today is my one-month anniversay away from home. (I left NYC on January 6th.) K arrives on Saturday (yay!).
I hope this blog does not cause an uproar similar to that Danish newspaper with pictures of Mohammed. Who hates the Danes?!?!? No one has ever started a fight with Danish people before. I think someone spit on a Danish person back in 1983...but burning down the embassy? Crazy.
The story about the woman who had a face transplant is all over the news here, and it's wierding me out. Between the part about her own dog eating her face and the fact she started chain smoking again, I'm beginning to feel woozy.
Alright. Time for another lemon tea and then it's off to bed. Once again, sorry to all for not responding to your e-mails. I am REALLY going to try to get back to y'all soon.
I'm sure that the events of the last 2 days lead to the cold. On Saturday I spent the entire day outside visiting the city venues. I never even visited the IBC. It was a great day with all the fresh air, but it was definitely tiring. That evening I did a bit of sink laundry and went out for dinner and drinks. Before Saturday, I only stayed out until midnight at the latest. This time I pushed it to 1 am. Not super-late, but late enough when you work 12hrs per day, there is not much time to recover.
Sunday was a relatively easy day. I was at the IBC and one of our hotels from 10 am to 7pm. Of course it was superbowl Sunday. Long-story short, I stayed at the Huntsman waaay too late. I got to bed at 2:30 am (not even half-time) and had to wake up at 4 hours late in order to be ready for a 7:30 meeting.
The hangover wasn't too bad and when it cleared up around noon, I actually felt pretty good. A little while later, the itchy/scratch throat started. Ugh. (WOW, I am SUCH a complainer!!!) Tonight I am going to get at least 8 hours sleep before I head to the mountains again. The car ride up there should also be a good opportunity to nap.
By the way, my 4 hours of sleep was a lot more than some people got last night. Many people watched the entire game, some of them were from Pittsburgh.
Sorry for the complaints. I am still having a great time. The 2 late-nights were quite fun and I'll do it again dammit! Probably in a couple of days, in fact. Tomorrow, Andy Smith arrives. Wedensday, Gus will be in town for the night. Should be fun.
Other thoughts...
Today is my one-month anniversay away from home. (I left NYC on January 6th.) K arrives on Saturday (yay!).
I hope this blog does not cause an uproar similar to that Danish newspaper with pictures of Mohammed. Who hates the Danes?!?!? No one has ever started a fight with Danish people before. I think someone spit on a Danish person back in 1983...but burning down the embassy? Crazy.
The story about the woman who had a face transplant is all over the news here, and it's wierding me out. Between the part about her own dog eating her face and the fact she started chain smoking again, I'm beginning to feel woozy.
Alright. Time for another lemon tea and then it's off to bed. Once again, sorry to all for not responding to your e-mails. I am REALLY going to try to get back to y'all soon.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Technical difficulties
(Update: I finally got the pictures posted...they are in the entry below.)
The on-line editor that I use to publish this thing is crap. I was trying to upload some new photos and I was quickly becoming enraged & exhausted. The layout was not working. It just wasn't worth it.
It's midnight now and I was "at work" for about 14 hours today. Time to call it a day/night.
I'll fix the post at work tomorrow.
Hope you all are doing well.
Jay out.
The on-line editor that I use to publish this thing is crap. I was trying to upload some new photos and I was quickly becoming enraged & exhausted. The layout was not working. It just wasn't worth it.
It's midnight now and I was "at work" for about 14 hours today. Time to call it a day/night.
I'll fix the post at work tomorrow.
Hope you all are doing well.
Jay out.
Finally, some more pictures
Several factors have conspired against me when trying to post some new photos on this site (or Flickr):
Snow storm in progress
As I mentioned earlier, it snowed for a few days here. I don't have too many good pictures of the storm or the ensuing traffic/carnage. At the very least, this was the view from my hotel window.
Hockey 2
I re-visited the second hockey venue (I refuse to call it "ice hockey". Especially at the winter olympics, dammit!) and it is much improved. Last time that I was inside the venue, there was sand where the ice should be. I think sand is the opposite of ice. Very odd. In any case, the place looks great now. The Canadian men's hockey team won't play here, but the women might have a game or two.
Extinguishers must be kept clear at all times
I promised Katherine that I wouldn't post any information or pictures that would get me in trouble. I said that I would not post and pictures of "non-compliances". (Is that a word? Probably not. Janine and Scott?) Well, I broke my promise. Ooops.
Ceci n'est pas un NBC employee
Actually I think this guy worked for the BBC, but I can't be sure. Definitely not for NBC. The drop behind him was approximately 40 feet. Nice work.
- Complete exhaustion - things have become very busy. 12 hours days are very typical. Today was 14 hours.
- Working is not always interesting (in pictures) - there really hasn't been that much worth sharing in photos
- Crappy connection - the wireless connection in the hotel has been brutally slow lately
- Missing parts - I lost my cable for a few days! I couldn't download the few photos that I had on my memory card. Dumb.
Security Measures
One of the subtle changes last week was the appearance of small metal plates on any sort of manhole cover or similar. These plates show that the hole has been checked and are sealed. Of course it is easy to find covers where the plates have not stuck properly.
Snow storm in progress
As I mentioned earlier, it snowed for a few days here. I don't have too many good pictures of the storm or the ensuing traffic/carnage. At the very least, this was the view from my hotel window.
Hockey 2
I re-visited the second hockey venue (I refuse to call it "ice hockey". Especially at the winter olympics, dammit!) and it is much improved. Last time that I was inside the venue, there was sand where the ice should be. I think sand is the opposite of ice. Very odd. In any case, the place looks great now. The Canadian men's hockey team won't play here, but the women might have a game or two.
Extinguishers must be kept clear at all times
I promised Katherine that I wouldn't post any information or pictures that would get me in trouble. I said that I would not post and pictures of "non-compliances". (Is that a word? Probably not. Janine and Scott?) Well, I broke my promise. Ooops.
Ceci n'est pas un NBC employee
Actually I think this guy worked for the BBC, but I can't be sure. Definitely not for NBC. The drop behind him was approximately 40 feet. Nice work.
Another NBC'er blog
I was searching on blogsearch.google.com and found another NBC freelancer with a Torino-related blog. Here it is: http://jonberrydesign.blogspot.com/.
Olympic broadcasting center evacuated
Headline: Part of temporary floor structure collapses at Alpine media hub
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11131244/
Everyone is fine...more info later.
Update: everything is fine. It has been cleared to re-occupy. Phew!
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/other_sports/13776407.htm
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11131244/
Everyone is fine...more info later.
Update: everything is fine. It has been cleared to re-occupy. Phew!
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/other_sports/13776407.htm
Associated Press
SESTRIERE, Italy - The Alpine broadcasting media center for the Turin Olympics was back in action Thursday, a day after part of the floor collapsed.
The problem was noticed Wednesday by people inside the building. The structure is elevated from the ground by a metal support system which organizers said had failed.
"A full investigation of the structure was carried out, the section was fully repaired and subsequent testing has been undertaken by a certified building inspector," organizers said in a statement.
The broadcasting center in the games' Alpine hub of Sestriere contains 80 TV studios. The much larger main broadcasting center is in Turin.
The Turin Games begin Feb. 10.
