Island Life by David Slack

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Island Life: A boycott would do nothing

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  • JLM,

    To say "I know how you feel" would be an understatement.

    They did finally show the last 11 k or so, uncut, and uninterrupted about 11pm, but by then we'd got the result both from our daughter in Sydney - watching the whole thing on public tv - and a check on the Guardian webpage.

    So, though it was a great finish it had none of the electricity of Cancellara coming from nowhere and sweeping up Rogers and the Russian to the front in those last moments in the men's.

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report Reply

  • Rachel Prosser,

    Grrr.

    Is anyone else frustrated that they used "NZ on Air" funding to bring us much worse coverage than we'd have had had Sky got the Olympics?

    I bet if Sky had it we'd have a choice of Olympics on at least 2, probably 3 or 4 sport channels.

    Grrr again.

    I'd rather have more home-grown drama and comedy, and Olympics on Sky.

    Christchurch • Since Mar 2008 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Who knows? We’re crossing to the soccer.

    Bastards.

    I'd love to know what went on there. It was probably a reasonable call to cut to our plucky lads playing Brazil (although I found it a bit dull), but to just ignore the women's road race once they'd actually got us interested ... the TVNZ Sport Extra channel on Freeview was whiling away the time with British coverage of the women's teams events in the gymnastics, of all things.

    My favourite competitor so far is the Chinese woman who kicked ass in the weightlifting. I liked the way she barked out motivational statements before every lift, and the local crowd seemed to absolutely love her.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB,

    Sky schmy.... we dont all have that box you know.... I'm glad the olympics are on free to air.... (not necessarily pleased it's getting NZ on air funding though?)

    Apart from the fact I just like watching a wide variety of sports, it's great to show the kids that rugby isnt the only thing you can strive to be good at....

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Welch,

    I watched the men's race streaming the coverage off the TVNZ website. I was stoked with this until I got an alert from Xtra saying I'd used 80% of my monthly cap. 2Gb used... Eek...

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 47 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    The games are for the fostering of peace and love.

    Bastard! I've been sitting on that one for months now, waiting for the right occasion (which may have never come).

    We gots to join together. Let a Laughter fill the air. Ect.

    My beef with the coverage is that on MySky, the entire fday's footage is counted as 1 programme - I went to tape the rowing for the rower in the family, from the beginning of the race, yesterday & it told me I didn't have enough free disk. I had something like 25% free.

    The other thing is, I keep thinking back to when I lived in the Uk - some 30 years ago, there seemed to be 3 or 4 channels showing nothing but olympics, something different on every one.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    OTOH, that Rabbit Proof Fence is a greaqt one.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • Hamboy,

    Oops I just had a little rant about the coverage of road race and the soccer in Russell's blog. Should have had it here.

    The online coverage doesn't work in ubuntu. You need the offical mircosoft plugin for firefox? WTF?
    Even running windows firefox through Wine doesn't like it.
    Why oh why do TV websites feel the need to discourage users from viewing their online stuff? Get that BS from TV3 and TV4 as well. (even in XP) Other websites don't feel the need to do it.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 162 posts Report Reply

  • anjum rahman,

    me too with the cycling/soccer thing. my kids were totally annoyed, it was the first chance we'd had to sit down together to watch the olympics, and they bored us with that soccer match. both of the kids went to bed sorely disappointed at not getting to see the rest of the cycle race. and they would have loved to see the gymnastics which were on really late. aboslutely appalling coverage.

    hamilton • Since Nov 2006 • 130 posts Report Reply

  • Evan Yates,

    OTOH can you imagine the outcry from football fans if TVNZ had decided not to cover the football against FSCKING BRAZIL, BABY!

    Especially if it HAD been an exciting match...

    The fact that most kiwi football fans would have switched off and gone to bed after watching the Brazilians having a bit of a lazy-sunday-kick-around is beside the point.

    TVNZ are damned no matter who they try to please...

    Hamiltron, Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Nov 2006 • 197 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    Who knows? We're crossing to the soccer.

    Which was not only crap but they were happy to interrupt with ads rather than a few 5 minute cut overs to the cycling.

    I like soccer, but for the love off God, what is it doing in the Olympics? As a game it has the strongest coverage and global tournaments of any sport and the shit that is dolled out for the Olympics is unwatchable. It is not elite. A demonstration of mediocre at its worst.

    The producers at TVNZ need a bollocking on that decision.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Why oh why do TV websites feel the need to discourage users from viewing their online stuff? Get that BS from TV3 and TV4 as well. (even in XP) Other websites don't feel the need to do it.

    I couldn't agree more. It's hard enough getting a live stream to run at all with our pathetic broadband but having to suck up to Microsoft and DRM issues was the last straw. Lets hope NZ on Screen get it right.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    OTOH can you imagine the outcry from football fans if TVNZ had decided not to cover the football against FSCKING BRAZIL, BABY!

    See above. But Brazil were hardly putting out the A team here. The format is under 23s with 3 "older" players allowed. It is really cynical that. There were also a couple of NZ cyclists performing pretty well at the time they did decide not to show *any* updates for 2 long hours.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Llewellyn,

    OTOH can you imagine the outcry from football fans if TVNZ had decided not to cover the football against FSCKING BRAZIL, BABY

    Agreed. Can't keep everyone happy all of the time. I'm a complete football nuffy, and I was pretty happy with the Brazil game and seeing Ronaldhino trying on his party-tricks, although I also would have liked more frequent updates on the cycling. A second channel devoted to the games would make a lot of sense.

    By the way, also got to give our womens football team massive props. They were awesome (and soooo unlucky) against the world champions Norway in a game that they could (and should) have won. We have a genuinely world-class womens football team, how cool is that?

    Mt Albert • Since Nov 2006 • 399 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    A second channel devoted to the games would make a lot of sense.

    You mean like TVNZ Sport Extra on Freeview? They should totally have something like that!

    :-)

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • JohnAmiria,

    The One inch punch is a skill which uses fa jing (translated as explosive power) to generate tremendous amounts of impact force at extremely close distances.

    It also helps if your opponent will kindly throw themselves backwards into the chair conveniently located behind.

    hither and yon • Since Aug 2008 • 215 posts Report Reply

  • Hamboy,

    OTOH can you imagine the outcry from football fans if TVNZ had decided not to cover the football against FSCKING BRAZIL, BABY!

    But it doesn't need to be a case of either or. Just cover the road race until it's finished and then start showing the football. Like I said over in the comments for Russell's blog. It's not live after the first ad break anyway.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 162 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Llewellyn,

    You mean like TVNZ Sport Extra on Freeview? They should totally have something like that!

    Doh! - so now I'm confused, for my future viewing pleasure (post-Olympics), should I be getting Freeview or MySky?

    Mt Albert • Since Nov 2006 • 399 posts Report Reply

  • Josh Addison,

    It also helps if your opponent will kindly throw themselves backwards into the chair conveniently located behind.

    The guy starts moving at the point of Bruce's impact -- there's no "throwing" going on there. Still, if you don't believe me, I know a few guys who are capable of demonstrating a one inch punch, if you're keen. They also get their targets to stand in front of a chair (and often hold a phone book over their chests, too...)

    Onehunga, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • Angus Robertson,

    Then in one explosive burst, your legs root, your waist turns, your ribs expand and your arm extends through the target.

    Your legs shouldn't be static, rather accelerating weight from centred to the front leg whilst lifting the back heel.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report Reply

  • JohnAmiria,

    I know a few guys who are capable of demonstrating a one inch punch, if you're keen.

    Oddly enough I just remembered an episode in High School where I unknowingly did something resembling a one inch punch. I punched a window at lunchtime (long story). I broke the glass without cutting my hand, and the glass shattered in all directions throughout the classroom (I was outside).

    But those utube clips of the 1" punch still remind me of the fist fights in the old cowboy movies.

    hither and yon • Since Aug 2008 • 215 posts Report Reply

  • David Slack,

    Your legs shouldn't be static, rather accelerating weight from centred to the front leg whilst lifting the back heel.

    Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I could not know less about martial arts. I cribbed that from Wikipedia.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    I was also annoyed about the choice to move off the road race. The previous night we'd been round at friends (*waves at said friends, long-time PAS lurkers*), enjoying their new Full HD Freeview tuner built-in 32" Sony W-Series, TVNZ extra, and the whole gory entirety of the men's road race. (OK, we flipped channels a few times, partly to see how Star Wars looked in 1080 goodness, and to see the occasional rowing race).
    TVNZ Sports Extra does have some other merits in addition to no adds. Also blissfully little Toni Street, Brendan Telfer, Peter Montgomery, Lavinia Good etc. At one point I suggested we could have a drinking game every time Toni asked a question involving the use of the verb 'feel'. I initially said this in jest, but we rapidly realised that this would get a person drunk very quickly.
    Oh, and on our high-def experience, it is very clear that Peter Montgomery has spent a lot of time outside on the water....

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • siman,

    Just so it's clear for people here- the womens' road race was shown in full on the Freeview sports extra channel complete with the excellent camera cleaning of the lens every so often with a Full HD rag (just like the freeview ads). Excellent finish with the English rider doing what the commentators said could not be done and leading it home.

    Go with Freeview.

    Since Aug 2008 • 1 posts Report Reply

  • JohnAmiria,

    enjoying their new Full HD Freeview tuner built-in 32" Sony W-Series

    Yeah, do you think Sony coulda let us know that was coming to market sooner? Like maybe 3 months ago when I bit the bullet and bought a big screen plasma (Sharp) to enjoy the Olympics?

    hither and yon • Since Aug 2008 • 215 posts Report Reply

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