Wow. Pretty cool.

Funny thing, I was viewing an LA Times vid-reporter and he was coughing during his report. A reporter from LA coughing in Bejing! Oh the smog...

SigmundTheSeaMonster

The only question is, will NBC's commentators be able to shut up and let us watch, or will they feel the need to hear themselves talk over the whole thing.

I think the worst ever opening ceremony coverage was done by ABC where they'd let the commentators go to the dress rehersal, and they spent the whole thing going "oh, you'll love this next bit it's really good", "watch this!" etc.

"Please don't add your own sound track to the film."

Z.

Zoot

I like the pretty lights. China is our friend. How can we not bow down to our hegemonic masters like we are obligated to? To disobey is to take a bullet to the head and burden your family with the cost of the bullet!

Xavoc

@miocid31: Uh, if you watch any part of the olympics, that means you're actually NOT boycotting the olympics.

Pope John Peeps II

i have one friend working at the olympic village, he's getting like not very good pays, think it's around 1500RMB/mo, but he gets free 4 star hotel food, room, room service, and free transportation. so i guess i'd take that if i was there.

sega8800

Really, i think that this whole thing is so lame.
I got up 9 am, (-3 gmt) and it already had started. Then, 12:30 lunch time, and they were still telling a fucking story with people glowing and dancing, dear lord, what happened with sanity? Mom also told me, that they "told the story about china" but they skipped the whole Mao tsé tung part, Great! Hope i can clean my file on the police like that also, just by making a non-sense coreography with people glowing.

And hey, i love things that glow and have lots of nifty motions on it, but that is just a bunch of crap. LET THE DAMN GAMES BEGIN!!! JEZ CHRIST.

P.S.: so if you guys at Giz, just, make my vowells disappear, could you at least send a message for me? i usually don't spend my whole time reading over and over what i wrote.

laio

I agree, i'll most likely skip the Olympics because of china's oppression to basic human rights. ALthough, i'll tivo the USA basketball games and boy do i wish the US win the gold medal count!

miocid31

If that display did not attract extraterrestrials then I am having a hard time believing that they may exist.

DeadWriter

This is amazing!, I certainly hope it is downloadable in HD soon, torrent, etc... I don't have one of those new-fangled Tivo things that seem to be all the rage lately...

Naoki

I see where all the money we owe them is going.

Sloth

Those pictures look amazing. I wish i could have seen the opening ceremony... except for the whole being in China part of it.

Papsky

In the LA Olympics, the mass performers were not paid. It was considered an honor to participate. I bet the same is true for many of the performers, as they were likely pulled from the military, schools, and labor programs.

DeadWriter

@Mark Wilson: Well its understandable. People have day jobs. Day jobs that they slack at by sitting on Gizmodo.

dorylomorphs

The shinning people almost make me forget of their crimes against the Tibetans....almost. But, this is still pretty cool.

SgtToastie

@kickassy: That makes sense. I just was not sure if these individuals were plucked from their families at a young age to start memorizing choreography for an event a decade down the road. I would not have been surprised though. I'm not trying to derail, or change the topic, I was just genuinely curious.

gelatinous

@dorylomorphs: Yes, but the event already happened. Therefore, NBC is delaying it.

Mark Wilson

delayed? Isnt it still coming on at 8pm est?

dorylomorphs

Really good! WOW

humanporkrind

A lot of them including the opening drummers (2008 of them) were taken from the army to perform. I doubt they would have had to pay much co it seems like a real privilige to perfom for such a patriotic nation as China. There were about 15 000 performeres all in all.

kickassy

I've yet to decide if I'm skipping the olympics this year or not.

A country like China shouldn't of gotten them in the first place and some of the things they've been doing to get ready just further illustrate that.

On the other hand I do like swimming.

tande04

oh god yeah

araddatz

Who are the people that are preforming and how much do they get paid if at all?

gelatinous

@Xavoc: That it did... That it did.

Shutaro

@miocid31: China is not the only one. If you don't want to be a hippocrate you shouldn't watch any event where the US participates.
[www.amnesty.org]

Waka in Japan

PATHETIC how many of you people wanting to boycott the Olympics have "Made in China" stickers in your house?

javainside

@frigg: That comment translated via babelfish is fantastic, artificial cochlea implants eh?

"Looks like astonishingly Even if from mine standpoint, my artificial cochlea implants the factory in the basement assembly production line, I may see the emitting light from the fireworks in the nighttime sky."

npsinboro

Holy Shitaki mushrooms! talk about mind blowing! and the best part is...i'll probably miss it

Itspeat!

@frigg: Thats what she said.

Papsky

If you haven't seen "A State of Mind" I highly recommend it. It's a documentary about North Korea, and it's full of beautiful, synchronized pagentry and beauty. Sorry, I'm not impressed - I like democracy.

stryder100

@Shutaro: And yup.

MastaFalse

@Shutaro: It worked for the XBox 360's RROD didn't it?

Xavoc

@Sloth: Yup.

MastaFalse

@SgtToastie: Yeah, blinking lights and fireworks are surprisingly good at covering up crimes against humanity.

Shutaro

this is what communism is great for

.

xenoastro

as if it wasn't crowded enough over there..

rfayed

看起來驚人

即使從我的立場，在地下室的裝配生產線我的人工耳蝸植入工廠，我可以看到輝光從煙花在夜空中。

frigg

Major Matt Mason Returns! We love you man!

TrevEB

has anyone seen their olympic pool there, really freaking cool just like the birds nest.

stryker1800

@Passions: Heck, right now I'm in a building that's owned by a Chinese company, and right now all of our major clients are Chinese shipping concerns!

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

I laugh at all the moralistic losers who decide to refrain from watching the Olympics because of China's human rights violations. Probably 90% of the household items you have in your house has some part Made In China. Freaking pathetic, self-righteous, inbred hicks.

Passions

I have to say it was really good and A LOT of practice must of went into this whole thing. Props for pulling this off the lights were crazy.

@laio: Noone cares what you think man shut up it's embarrassing.

Why can't people just appreciate what's going on here "oh no i'm not watching it coz it's china" . You're going to watch it anyways please keep all the bullshit to yourself.

ten10

Awesome eye candy... forget politics, just enjoy it as
the atheletes are.

tpilot

@stryder100: difference between china and north korea is that mao literally said kim is fake communist because kim's capitalist lifestyle. also i think china is way better looking than NK, heck, I think any south asia countries is better than NK.

sega8800

well,I know what they(the party) using our tax for finally...

KawingL

Thanks for posting these. I wasn't going to try to see the opening ceremonies tonight, but I certainly will, now.
Amazing the world we live in. Gotta love light shows.

trek1394

@Waka in Japan: Agree. I think all this finger pointing is just a lot of armchair politics. It makes those who point feel better about themselves without actually getting off their ass to do anything about it. If all you're doing to support human rights is to not watch TV, you're really not all that serious about it.

indy360

@npsinboro: 互聯網和良好的一套人工耳蝸植入術取得了這是一個較小的世界，我的朋友。

frigg

@ten10:

Hey! guess you couldn't get a good grade at "Literature"
Let's see, the first thing i mentioned, was THE FUCKING TONS OF MINUTES JUST ABOUT BULLSHIT, and that is the main complain.
and finished with "LET THE FUCKING GAMES BEGIN" something like "gee, it looks like goin to your wife to an opera waiting to go to the bed l8r with her".

i didn't said "omg won't watch coz it's china" i love the games, much more than you do i'm SURE.

You are the fag here, not me.

oh i forgot, you also don't have a clue about china's history right? about China's culture? about kung fu? Only know about Jackie,Bruce Lee and Jet Li? moron.

why won't you watch Oprah. and let people say their opinion without criticizing, cause you just don't hold the knowledge to do it.

STFU

laio

Amazing how many LED's you can assemble with unlimited numbers of slaves.

heroineworshipper

@gelatinous: They work at the all the hardware chip manufacturers, and it's part of their job description to dance on request.

Joseph

If previous broadcasts are any indication, NBC will interrupt with commercial after commercial and NOT stop the playback so viewers in the USA don't miss anything while the sponsors eat up air time.

I watched my last Olympics when the #@%$^! American broadcasters did that to Seoul.

infmom

Pretty cool...I still refuse to support this.

bobx3

@ninelife777: So, a billion times greater?

qbrad

damn i need to see that moving

mpar

@frigg: Dude, where'd your vowels go?

qbrad

@sega8800: True.

stryder100

It is a fantastic showing of the Chinese's creativity. Director Zhang Yimou has done a super super job!!! The use of LED lighting is so creative. The way the Chinese history was told in a really dramatic manner. I hate to say, I am not proud of the human right issue of our country. But for the people around the world - foreign or Chinese to boycott the Olympic because of politics is pure WRONG and EVIL. Even Mr Bush was attending the Olympic because he knew the purpose of the Olympic game - THE OLYMPIC IS NOT POLITIC! Even HILTER understands that OLYMPIC is a SPORT, even though he hated Black people (Jesse Jackson ) which is WRONG! OLYMPIC does not equals POLITICS!!! Please remember the Chinese has invented paper, printing, compass and gun powder which had helped most of the world advanced to where they are today. And a lot of countries had been inhuman to the Chinese in history in the past (China was invaded by EIGHT nations together not too long ago and the Japanese soldiers had been raping and killing during WW II to name a few events) - read your history books. So they were not exactly Angels, but do we boycott their OLYMPIC games - NO! There is other time and place to talk about political views - leave the Olympic alone - IT IS SPORT, NOT POLITICS. China is not a perfect country, but neither are US, UK, Europe, Japan and Germany, etc. So do we start boycotting LONDON game in 2012 because of IRA business! We have waited since 1908 and it is our Olympic in 2008! A few countries like USA and Australia had more than one Olympic game in the past because of political alliances and that should be stop too! OLYMPIC is a SPORT, NOT POLITIC - learn something from Mr Bush (we use a early visit in Asia one day before the OLYMPIC opening at Beijing to criticize China's human right record and its wrong behaviors, but he also said it should be down to China to change these issues gradually). And then he attended the welcoming lunch and enjoyed the opening gracefully - now that is POLITIC.

ValentinoCossus

All the anti-China peeps need to really visit China to understand how things have changed in the last 15 years.

Yeah, the political system is a close system but it reminds me of places like Singapore as well. In fact, I think China would want to be like Singapore, but of coruse 1000x million times the scale on things.

Just put your Western bais and your nationalism aside, and enjoy the show.

ninelife777

Most of the people who work on the opening ceremony for most if not all the Olympic games do not get paid. They are volunteers. Be it in the actual show or ushers or water carriers many people consider it to be an honor to take part and hence do not get paid for their contribution. Hell I would have volunteered if I got offereed. Luckily I live oposite the London Olympic City so might have a good chance in taking part in 4 years time!

cwoodhams

Good god... can we keep politics out of this for once? Where's the love?

mushu

looks like a kanye west concert.

hesse00

Did ANYONE here read that article today about not posting like an idiot?

Hiphopopotamus

Does this count as the BBS "Nazi Rule"? If so, this board is closed :)

housermag

@ValentinoCossus: Yes, Jesse Jackson is black. But I think Hitler hated Jesse Owens the most.

housermag

Some awesome pics:

[www.boston.com]

Enjoy!

Twenty5

The Olympics are sport, not politics, until they evict you and bulldoze your house to have them.

Anyway, I'm skipping this stuff and will go (again) to see the Ming Dynasty exhibit at the Asian Art museum.

propertius

There were a few moments in the ceremony where I actually thought I was going to cry it was so beautiful. Like:

When I realised the moving images on the scroll weren't superimposed for television.
when I realised the color was actually thousands of men wearing LED suits
when I realised the boxes popping were people
When the sphere lit with runners seamingly defying gravity.
When the guy ran with the torch to light the cauldron.

I think it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
F&$k the politics - this was the highest form of art.

urban_alchemist

@ValentinoCossus: Zhang Yimou is one of my favorite film directors, "Raise the Red Lantern" is a masterpiece! (IMHO, obviously).

huarifaifa

@ValentinoCossus: Wow. You really don't understand the history surrounding the Olympics in Berlin. I mean, REALLY don't understand.

@housermag: Ouch. Although little know fact about hitler: he'd spend all night looking through his mystic "time mirror", finding black people far in the future he could also hate. Aside from Jesse Jackson, he also hated Kanye West and Logan NT314 from Mars colony circa 2547AD.

Pope John Peeps II

What is this silly talk about "Free Tibet"? It's the Olympics, not an invitation to protest 24/7. Enjoy the amazing display of athletics instead of whining and pretending to boycott everything Chinese for the duration of the Olympics. I suggest a new motto is adopted by the public... "Fuck Tibet"

Duckspwn

Did you expect anything less? I mean, they have all the worlds' coolest tech right there in their backyards. They make all that crap. I think the creativity of the opening games should be taken for what it is, art. It's like going to a play or the theater. And that my friend is some cool-ass art/theatrics going on right there.

CaptEO2000

@Waka in Japan: Agreed. Why aren't people boycotting the Olympics because of America's crimes against human rights.

elvisml2

@propertius: ...and then throw you in jail when you complain about it.

Shutaro

@urban_alchemist: STOP THE SPOILERS haha

chamychan

@heroineworshipper: slaves??? haha and you americans are the ones to complain about slaves, give me a break

chamychan

Stunning, magnificent. Brought tears to my eyes how beautiful it all is. Guess what? It being China does not make it any less awesome. If this were some "non evil oppressor nation", then everyone would be equally amazed, instead of bringing in human rights. Can't we just watch the Olympics for the sports? Celebrate the athletes?

twoffs

I really hate how EVERY SINGLE OLYMPICS we're forced to watch them on an 8+ hour delay. I don't understand why they broadcast them that way. For once I'd like to see the games _before_ they happen rather than 8 hours later. Jesus Christ, you'd think someone would figure out that we're sick of being left in the dark like this.

ppiddy

@Duckspwn: I'll be honest. While I think that oppression sucks, I really can't get behind any of the "Free Tibet" movements.

China Bad. I get it. The question isn't whether China is bad; the question is what we're willing to do about it. And the answer is nothing. We like gadgets and inexpensive clothing. Basically, we're willing to buy tee shirts and stickers that say "Free Tibet". We're not willing to do anything about it.

China bad. Move on.

OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks

I don't want to detract from the main point of this post, which is millions of LEDs (awesome), but regarding the am-i-boycott-or-not discussion...

As other readers have already suggested, choosing not to watch is hardly a form of activism. If you do watch, take note of which companies are advertising, and if you want to take action, boycott buying their products.

More importantly, instead of averting our eyes to China, I think the Olympics will attract a lot of attention to China, where the censorship and human rights issues have largely been ignored by the majority or world citizens in the past. The event has already garnered much debate. Now, with the world's attention fixed on China, they have to avoid tarnishing their own image on the world stage, just as they are coming into their own in terms of civic and economic development. Due to the increased attention, a lot more business people are going to be looking to get in on the economic boom in China's future, introducing more and more capitalism. Depending on your viewpoint, this may or may not be a good thing.

This is China's moment to shine, and it can be a boon for them, but with it comes responsibility. You wanna sit at the adult table, you have to behave.

Akibake-

Hmm, hereabouts I can hear the grinding of the propaganda machinery. Nice lights tho.

MarlboroTestMonkey7

man, i hope they installed some state of the art air purifiers in there.

yablunk

@ppiddy prime time TV ads for the win.

ninelife777

I hate communism as much as the next guy here(I came from viet nam) but come on China is not that bad. I've been to china before and the people are friendly and the law is much more relaxed now than it used to be. Sure they have problem with tibet but isn't russia have the same problem right now and what about Us and hawaii a hundred years ago?

dhlt25

well, throughout history, china's greatest enemy has always been themselves. Let's see how this generation goes and whether or not it implodes on itself.

kitsuneconundrum

@dhlt25: exactly! and that damn orange chicken at panda express...i mean i could eat that for every meal! haters gotta lay off them chinafolk...cause i don't wanna lose my career at wal-mart, shee-oot.

ravedown

@ValentinoCossus: Too much reading of little red book, not enough reading of real world history.

infmom

half the comments about not being paid "necause they are patriotic, it is great honor" slave bullshit, makes me question the intellegence of many gizmodoers, their age, and their location of residence.

OLYMPIC VOLUNTEERS. YES VOLUNTEERS ARE NOt PAID ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. AT ANY OLYMPIC?

why?

IT IS GREAT HONOR AND PRESTIGE TO HELP OUT AT THE OLYMPICS.

This is what America is turning into. A bunch of pretentious adolecents not grateful to their country and all the freedoms it gets.

Sure, the Chinese do get limited FReedom from China, but they sure as hell grateful and feel honored if they can help their own country.

As, an American, with FULL FREEDOM, I would also feel great honor and prestigeserving my country in any form and in any way. But you idiots seem to feel that Americans wouldn't feel honored serving their own country. MAkes me wonder what our men and women in uniform are fighting for. People like you?

gothamdarkknight

The olympics is about volunteering for your country's pride, not expecting pay. It has been like that for 100 years.

After seen that event you can understand why China and its people are the biggest power now. They even told George Bush to shut up if he wanted to be in the inauguration and he bowed his head...

VakeroRokero

VakeroRokero is right. Since u American's haven't seen it yet and us Aussies have XD. It was noted specifically that they were ALL volunteers in the speeches at the end of the ceremony. NOT PAID.

Silvadragon

@infmom:
History Textbooks are written by the victors.

gothamdarkknight

@laio: Dude I only had one line for you chill. Maybe I should've added a few more spaces didn't know you were so sensitive.

ten10

Jeez guys, stop with the China-bashing okay?! So many people make judgment about China based entirely on what they see in the media. If I do the same and make judgments about America based entirely on media impressions, I could say that "America consists primarily of street-gangs and red-necks, with the remainder stuffing their faces in hot-dog eating competitions or doing something particularly stupid for Youtube; the police regularly shoot unarmed people 40+ times and every corner you turn you'll see someone getting murdered." Fair and accurate assessment? I doubt it!So why judge China the same way? You'll notice that comments on Giz from people that have ACTUALLY visited there in the last few years paint a very different picture. Believing everything you see in mainstream media is a great path to ignorance.... Remember the quote from Rupert Murdoch, owner of Newscorp, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
BTW: AWESOME opening ceremony!

professor

@urban_alchemist: It was all stunningly beautiful. When the boxes of the movable type opened up and it turned out it was men, I was f'ing blown away. Amazing!

I concur with stopping the China bashing. I love Chinese culture and the Chinese people, though I've never actually been there I'd love to go. My own country, the USA, has an equally bad civil rights record.

What I want to know is, what was that look on Sarah Brightman's face at the beginning of that performance while she waited for the guy (sorry, I missed his name) to finish singing? Really, what was she on?

rsquared

@ValentinoCossus: Even HILTER understands that OLYMPIC is a SPORT [...]

( P.S. @rsquared: Ha! I thought the same thing. )

someToast

Most amazing thing I have seen yet 15,000 people made a piece of art thatt will never be beat. To bad about all the home they destroyed for it, pushing people to live on the streets.

Cougenstein

I did thought like most westerner about China before I went there the first time, but after visited almost 20 times last 3 years I can tell you there are big different between what you read/see in the paper/tv than the real China. I like the part when most of us think Chinese government been "torturing" the people by not given enough freedom, the fact is......, sorry go see yourself, but first stop thinking your country is better than them.

Regarding their approach to clean up the city by forcing the people out of Beijing, what ever they do you won't be happy anyway. There is no way I know everyone that been force to leave the street but at least few that I talked to sounded like a common problem from the homeless in any other country: the gov wiling to provide what ever necessary to improve their lives but they just refuse to take the offer, well Beijing is tougher than many country in this issue I suppose.

sim4nee

You Westerners should broaden your view about the world. China is just still developing, and you can't deny that the Western world was in a similar state to China, with the human rights and pollution hundred years ago. I mean just look at the Industrial Revolution.

If anything, China is 1/6 of all the people in Earth, so I would not necessary want to anger them...

CHO

@all you hoes who said you're boycotting the olympics.. stfu them. Don't discuss about it. I bet you run around telling all your friend and co-worker that you boycott the olympic this year b/c it's held in china.. ooo.. you're soo cool, so politically hip! STFU. I bet gonna watch part of it. Shut up, watch the game and cheer on your favorite athlete and for your country! China is gonna be China. May be one day they will come around and stop oppressing people.. May be they won't. You boycotting olympic is one step in the wrong direction for freedom of speech and worship you dumbasses!

Thanks

johnyeros

You hypocrites! Haven't you heard the oppression against Indians before?

vic2rp

@Cougenstein: All the homes that were cleared away for the olympics were old, single-brick buildings with a few having running water... most had to go to a shared water supply. The people whose homes were knocked down received up to double the market rate per square meter as compensation. The ones complaining/protesting are those who were unhappy that the compensation for their 32 square meter home was not enough to buy outright a brand new 100+ square meter apartment! No other country in the world would offer that kind of deal, so why complain China doesn't?

professor

So thats what the inside of an intel chip looks like.

the opening cerimonies were great.

Neverkilled: Terror! Action! Heart stopping thrills!

@Sloth: "I see where all the money we owe them is going."

...logic, where are you?

kidlucrative

@miocid31: As much as I agree with your comments about China, our country, the US of A, is eons ahead of anyone else in terms of tarnishing human rights. It is fairly convenient to point fingers at others while ignoring that fact that we ourselves have done nothing short of knock off every basic human rights off of our books.

JunoonX

<sarcasm machine=on>
I can't wait to see what Vancouver does for 2008. BC Place will look fantastic in comparison to that meager "nest" of an arena the Chinese built. LEDs? Big-ass projectors? 10,000 performers at once? Ha, we'll have them beat hands-down.

Two guys in a canoe and a moose. Eh.
<sarcasm machine=off>

Seriously, I watched the opening ceremonies twice. It kicked ass.

CapitalC

Hope this comment gets posted, so opression is wrong we get it. Like killing citizens as a collateral damage in Irak cause god made a mistake when he placed the U.S. oil under iraki soil? Come on you people, every powerful nation has some way of using its power to prevail. At least these Chinese guys are wasting their money in this (but still they are sh*tting on human rights). Which nation spends more money in weapons than any other in the world? Oh, and weapons are always built with one purpose, killing. So cut the crap, and the political correctness bullsh**t, cause Guantanamo still exists. And in the home of the brave you gave up on your bill of rights just to be constantly watched over by the big bro to fight against the war of terror in your own country. Talk about freedom. Sorry, my english sucks but i think i was clear enough.

Eimor

marvelous indeed!

Amiash is inquisitive

I saw this like, 10 hours ago, and I loved it, more for the technology implemented and the syncronism then the artistic side of it. Man, I want to know the kind of server nerwork/projection system that was used for those amazing displays, including the full circular all around stadium top screen.

ppdiddy, censorship! it's the Chinese. Nothing goes out without censorship. [jaychick.com]

I think everyone boycotting the olympics because of what they think of China Should brush up on some history. See if you can find some parallels between Chinese history and American History... say like racism, scalping of Native Americans, annexing land from Mexico, oh how about Hawaii, or the civil war, or the american revolution (weren't they a bunch of rebels and why don't you hate Britain just as much as you hate China?), oh and lets not forget the whole Iraq situation. Right, we American's are so righteous.

It's funny how all the haters can sit there in their "made in china" bought at Wal-mart chairs, desk, keyboard, and clothes and pretend they're above everyone.

The opening show looks amazing and it took a great deal of work and pride to pull something that grand. 1500 performers out of a 1 billion population country, I find it hard to believe anyone was "forced" to perform at the olypics...

Zhang Yimou directed this, really? That's fantastic. I'm not a huge sports fan so I wasn't going to watch but now I might have to; those pictures are amazing.

Oh and regarding politics, we Americans have plenty of things to fix in our own country before we can start pointing our fingers at China. Lead by example, stones vs. glass houses, etc. Plus I want some of that awesome LED tech so let's be nice to our friends across the Pacific!