A little pessimism

People say they want for the pandemic to be over, and return to life as they knew it.

First off, we will have an endemic when nature decides it's ready. No amount of wishing will change that. But why haven't we invested into anything that may hasten that, short of a vaccine of course? We humans are ill prepared for much in spite of our intelligence and advances in technology.

Second, from where I sit, there is no way I (and I suspect many others) can return to what we had before.

My dad died. My boys went to college. We found out that sports is a big lie, and should be consumed only for entertainment. It's about money and nothing else. Disney has turned out to be about a cash grab. I'm happier at home watching movies on my schedule. I decided I really didn't care for restaurants anyway, and cook great things at home. People I thought were my friends moved, flaked out, or otherwise showed they're really not my friends (save a few of course). I'm older and closer to retirement, and don't have a passion for working - and anyway we went remote 100% and I'm just as happy with that. There's no office to return to, per se.

So any- and every- thing I had pre-pandemic is gone. I have nothing to return to. And in my seemingly-rewired brain, I feel different. Maybe anti-social to a point. I have no real interests. The things I enjoyed and enjoyed doing don't really exist anymore.

So for me it's a whole new normal. Different that pre-pandemic. Closer to pandemic. But not that, either.

Maybe we'll travel at some point. Maybe there's something in that?

See Trump Denialism Debunked By Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Reading in 2022 with Levar Burton | The Daily Show

About that Russian skater

The Olympics are struggling in many ways. No spectators. All time low tv ratings. Athletes no longer being amateurs. Athletes crossing borders to seek their own fortune (thus subverting the idea of "international competition")

And of course countries putting pressure on the events in various ways.

Plus payoffs and scandals surrounding hosting (because there's big money to be made)

Including from Russia of course.

Russia has a huuuuuge doping scandal. So much so that they are not allowed to compete as Russia. They are the "Russian Olympic committee."

It pisses them off. Because they get caught.

There is much back and forth and legal wrangling.

And of course they don't stop doping - why would they? This is about money. About winning.

So a 15-year-old skater gets caught. It's not her fault! Maybe she tested positive because she drank from the same glass as her grandfather! You can't keep her from competing!

There're a lot of lawyers involved. No decisions. No idea what to do.

The Olympic committee, corrupt to the core, is trying to stay relevant. They can not win in any case. So why not sluff it off until after the games are over?

Because the alternatives are (1) that the rest of the world gets pissed and stops competing or (worse) people stop spending money. Or (2) Russia says they're not playing anymore and forms their own worldwide games.

In either case, there is a revenue issue Who makes money then?

This is 100% about money and power.
The Olympics are not about competition. Though certainly to some athletes it is.

EV ads in the big game

Interesting. There were 2 ads for car companies promoting their ICE cars. Though it was about the company, and not about a specific car.

Nissan had an ad, in spite of them getting into the EV market. It was kind of like a "hey! Don't forget about us!"

And Toyota had an ad. Which is hilarious because it's clear they will only get into the EV market when pulled into it, kicking and screaming.

There were two ads for EV charging. One was a local ad for Florida Power & Light.

The other was for a company called Wallbox.

Then there were 6 ads I saw for EV cars. I think the first was technically before the game started; it was for the Hyundai ioniq.


Then there were ads for Polestar, BMW, and Kia.

And two ads for GM. The first was decent. But the second was a clever ad featuring Dr Evil talking about EV taking over the world.

This was my favorite ad of the night.

EVs for the win!

NFTs

As in "Nimrods find truth" … that is idiots try to seem smart by talking about crypto.

There was an ad during the big game that was a QR code just floating around the screen for 30 seconds.

It was stupid. Dear daughter wanted to see what it was and so snapped a pic.

It was for one of the phony baloney not-actual-coin money deals. (As Ralphie in “Christmas Story” says … “a crummy commercial?!”)

And I thought "hey that commercial makes about as much sense as their actual product"

Later, right on queue there was another funny money ad. Essentially "don't be stupid. Don't miss out!"

No explanation or suggested ideas what "it" is.

But invest in it!

Hype machine.

Is this the end of an Olympic ticket monopoly?

Absurdity.

https://thehustle.co/is-this-the-end-of-an-olympic-ticket-monopoly/