Thread: OT: Engineering in the Olympic opening ceremony

Originally Posted by Mark Rand

Yabbut, we thought you lot wanted tarrifs on imported goods!

The lubrication modifications were designed to keep the dust down on your dirt track roads. British cars and bikes didn't leak at all apart from the special export models.

Well, thanks for the explanation. I often wondered why that oil leaking issue was so uniform and widespread across all of the British imports. My mind is relieved. I had thought that it was due to poor quality.

I owned several British bikes when I was racing. I never had to change the oil. Just refill the oiil tank when the leaks stopped. That meant that they were out of oil. LOL.

Originally Posted by Mark Rand

More of a reality check really:- Assuming any of you watched it, did the various interpretations of engineering and historical references in the London Olympics opening ceremony make any sense at all to the vast majority of folk that weren't UK born and bred?

Just curious
Mark

As I remarked in another thread much of it was spoiled for me by a Danish reporter's constant comments much of which was both way off track and factualy incorrect at times.
In spite of that I did manage to follow most of it. Damn, just remembered I am British born and bred.

Was there any running commentary by a speaker given to those that were in the audience at the opening ceremony? I'm thinking along the lines of what is said at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, 2011. - YouTube

US Army Drill Team - YouTube

Originally Posted by Newman109

Well, thanks for the explanation. I often wondered why that oil leaking issue was so uniform and widespread across all of the British imports. My mind is relieved. I had thought that it was due to poor quality.

I owned several British bikes when I was racing. I never had to change the oil. Just refill the oiil tank when the leaks stopped. That meant that they were out of oil. LOL.

You could follow the advice a labourer once gave me. We had a " Binns & Berry " lathe with an hydraulic drive which leaked like a sieve. The labourer saw me topping up the hydraulic oil tank , he said " Why don't you cut out the middle man Tyrone and pour it straight onto the floor ? "

Regards Tyrone.

Sorry to have missed all that as I was near the back of the line of athletes (US delegation) to march in. It was a spectacular show from what I saw once I got inside the stadium though. Only problem was the speakers were oriented toward the stands so Sir Paul McCartney sounded pretty muted out in the field. I shoot in the morning so have to sign off now...
Eric U

Good luck Eric

P.S. Keep us posted.

Originally Posted by Eric U

Sorry to have missed all that as I was near the back of the line of athletes (US delegation) to march in. It was a spectacular show from what I saw once I got inside the stadium though. Only problem was the speakers were oriented toward the stands so Sir Paul McCartney sounded pretty muted out in the field. I shoot in the morning so have to sign off now...
Eric U

Eric Uptagrafft?!? Best of luck and keep it in the 10 ring.

Originally Posted by rbent

Eric Uptagrafft?!? Best of luck and keep it in the 10 ring.

The same, and his wife was competing as well. Haas house magazine had an article about
his facility fairly recently.

I enjoyed the opening ceremony very much, not as flashy as the Chinese, but very well done.
Torch was nicely done as well. QEII should smile a bit. I still think the Spanish archer
shooting a flaming arrow to light the torch was the best modern era torch lighting however.

I am still pissed the OC deleted the video of Midnite Oil excerpted from the closing ceremony
of the 2000 games.

Wow, good luck Eric!

Originally Posted by Eric U

Sorry to have missed all that as I was near the back of the line of athletes (US delegation) to march in. It was a spectacular show from what I saw once I got inside the stadium though. Only problem was the speakers were oriented toward the stands so Sir Paul McCartney sounded pretty muted out in the field. I shoot in the morning so have to sign off now...
Eric U

Good luck in the competition, from what I saw a muted Sir Paul is not such a bad thing. Regards Tyrone.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

Good luck in the competition, from what I saw a muted Sir Paul is not such a bad thing. Regards Tyrone.

Amen to that, vastly over rated.

16th. I didn't feel like I shot bad, just not good enough. Thanks for the kind words.
Eric U

Hard luck Eric, 16th in the world is pretty good to me ! 16th out of how many billion ? Did you enjoy the experience of being an Olympian and representing your country ? It's an achievement the whole of this message board can only dream about. Regards Tyrone.

Originally Posted by Limy Sami

Like F*** we do.

As for Marxist - Bollox

I always find the use of "socialist" as an epithet amusing.......

Don't those folks understand that the FIRE DEPARTMENT is a "socialist" institution? Not to mention the highway department, and pretty much every other function of government..... From each according to his ability (taxes) TO each according to his need (how much do you drive?). Absolutely CLASSIC socialism.

I very much suspect that the issue most of them have with "Socialist" is the lack of the word "National" ahead of it....... and the fact that one can still wear any color of shirt you choose.....

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

You probably don't realise that the " socialised health " system - The N.H.S. as it's known over here is considered to be one of Britain's finest post-war achievements, maybe even it's finest. That's why it got the prominence it deserves. Regards Tyrone.

I guess that's relative. Considered in the context of the quality of their food, appliances, roads and automobiles, I guess the medical system looks good. What medicine has to do with athletics I don't know.

For those who have not been to England some explanation of the British medical system may be in order. There is actually two different systems: a public system and private system. The public system is free. The private system costs insane amounts of money. Most doctors have a dual practice: a public practice and a private practice. This is because by law they are forced against their will to service public patients for a pittance. In other words they basically are enslaved by the government for a portion of their time. They make up the money by working the rest of the time in their private practice.

A patient has an option: wait up to a year to get an appointment in a public practice and pay nothing OR pay big bucks and be seen immediately in a private practice. The difference is stark: public offices are extremely drab, cheap and the equipment is obsolete, usually the cheapest stuff the doctor or dentist can get away with. The help in the public offices is low-paid, uneducated, poorly dressed women from the lowest orders of society. In the private offices it is the exact opposite: everything is the latest equipment, lavishly decorated, the assistents are attractive young women in smart outfits. The doctors often wear suits when they attend their private offices.

The psychological of this arrangement is obvious: the doctors do everything they possibly can to induce their patients into their private practice and "punish" patients for going to the public practice. If you go to the public practice, you get brusk, almost rude treatment, and the medical attention is rushed and minimalistic. The reverse happens if you go to the private practice. You are treated royally and with the greatest attention and care.

When the UK government publishes medical care statistics they use numbers from the private practices (such as wait times) and deceptively present these as the numbers from the public system.

Sorry but that only contains vestiges of truth, its so far from reality it's hard to know where to start in rebuttal. £ billions have been spent on the N.H.S over the last 20 years and most people would say it's money well spent. Regards Tyrone

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

Hard luck Eric, 16th in the world is pretty good to me ! 16th out of how many billion ? Did you enjoy the experience of being an Olympian and representing your country ? It's an achievement the whole of this message board can only dream about. Regards Tyrone.

X 2 Eric, I'll never be 16th in the world at anything.

Originally Posted by Limy Sami

X 2 Eric, I'll never be 16th in the world at anything.

I second that remark....and third and so on.

My thanks to both of you for your personal sacrifices you have made to contribute to your sport and congratulations on your accomplishments. I am sorry that you will have to be spectators for the medal ceremony but you should should still be happy with your achievement. Enjoy the rest of the games and thanks for keeping us all informed. I have been watching the results myself and waiting to see if you were going to have time to chime in someplace.

Safe journey home and thanks again to both of you.

Charles

Originally Posted by Newman109

Look, I was only trying to be positive about your country. For the record, I'm still incensed about all of that stuff you folks tried to pull off back in the colonial days, especially the Boston Massacre. The Revolutionary War helped to clear things up a bit. That wasn't enough for you, though. Damned if you didn't come back again in 1812 for another go! WTF?

Then, to add insult to injury after WWII, you flooded our country with shiploads of funny cars and motorcycles that leaked oil.

So, I was only trying to be charitable and show you that my grudge is wearing off.

Boston massacre???

More people die in a south LA drive by shooting than us British killed there.
Still we did good 25 year later when we came back and burned down the white house..... If it was'nt for the fact we're foriegn , I'm sure the tea partiers would invite us back for a second go right now

Meanwhile , back at the olympics, (instead of discussing various historical grudges) I've seen exactly 1 swimming race... and part of a women's beach vollyball match. but I did find the sight of the London mayor hanging from a wire quite funny.....but if only he'd got it right and got the wire tied around his neck too....

Boris (NO relation)

.Hello all, so UK doctors have to work for a " pittance" do they ,( jscpm), £100000 a year doesn't sound too bad to me. I agree, that the NHS isn't perfect, what is?, but generally speaking the service is excellent and I for one wouldn't it any other way. Cheers.

Originally Posted by jscpm

For those who have not been to England some explanation of the British medical system may be in order. There is actually two different systems: a public system and private system. The public system is free.

I'm not sure where this myth comes from, although it seems to be commonly held. For 2011/12 the NHS is costing UK tax payers £106 billion.