This won’t take long. We sat on the sofa and watched television all day. The Yankee loves the Olympics, she does a lot of her research on the topic. And it was nice to just sit down for a while.
Here are a few things to read, though, on your lovely Saturday. Deadspin has a bit on NBC’s selective gatekeeping:
Russia’s anti-gay laws have been a major focus in the lead-up to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and during his address at today’s opening ceremony IOC president Thomas Bach made a strong statement against “any form of discrimination” and in favor of tolerance. Viewers worldwide heard the statement; NBC viewers in the U.S. did not, because the network edited it out.
[…]
This is the second time in two years that NBC has made at least one ill-advised edit from its tape-delayed Olympic opening ceremony broadcast.
They’ve got both versions of the speech, if you are so inclined. NBC, since you want to be well-advised before jumping to your conclusion, says the edits are about programming run time.
Why every child should learn to code:
Anyone can learn to code. In a few hours you can pick up the basic skills and in a few weeks you will be able to build useful applications and websites.
In the last few years, the UK has finally woken up to the importance of coding. Organisations like Young Rewired State, Code Club and Code Academy have led the way, helping young people learn these key skills.
Why is it so vital that we teach our children to code? We are already living in a world dominated by software. Your telephone calls go over software-controlled networks; your television is delivered over the internet; people don’t buy maps anymore, they use the web; we all shop online. The next generation’s world will be even more online and digital. Soon, your house will be controlled with software, some of your medical care will be delivered over the web and your car may even drive itself.
Software is becoming a critical layer of all our lives. It is the language of our world. In the future, not knowing the language of computers will be as challenging as being illiterate or innumerate are today.
I bought new goggles tonight. We have one of those giant sporting goods stores about three miles from home and they stay open late. They had exactly one end cap, hidden at the back of the store, with swimming gear.
I picked up these:
They are comfortable. They feel like a mask, more than goggles, which will always be a win to me. Tomorrow I’ll give them a try. I’m sure none of the Olympic swimmers and national champions and All Americans we see from time to time would be caught wearing these. And I might get laughed at because these probably aren’t terribly hydrodynamic, but that’s the least of my worries in the water.
And, finally:
Tonight the Star-Spangled Banner played in Russia to celebrate the gold of an Olympic athlete born after the Cold War ended. We are old. #fb
— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 9, 2014
