The Beijing Olympics have begun. Or, as the Beijing 2008 website notes: “-4 days to go.” Humorous if you know computer programmers, I guess. Once an event has started, turn off the countdown clock.
I found the opening ceremony to be absolutely breathtaking in scope, precision and theatrics. More than once, I stared at the performance—gloriously broadcasted in HD— and wondered aloud how exactly they did “that.” Arthur C. Clarke once said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That opening ceremony definitely included a healthy dose of magic. Uh, except for the flying guy. The special effects works in movies because the “magicians” can digitally erase the harness and wires. However, in real life, it just looks like a guy in a harness and there’s no magic in that.
Now that the opening ceremony has aroused the Olympic spirit in me, I’m in the mood to pick up some Olympic souvenirs. However, I was not spirited enough to go to Beijing and witness the spectacle live. Some of the official licensed products on the Beijing 2008 website look appealing, but the website has no shopping cart or 1-click buttons. Just a hotline to phone in an order. A China phone number at that. Some how, I don’t think they’ll be shipping to the United States. Anyways, for someone looking for some Olympic t-shirts, pins or other merchandise, I came across the following sites:
- Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. You can look, but can’t touch. This website has the largest selection of attractively-designed merchandise, but no way to buy online. 🙁
- Discount Pin Store. Features Beijing 2008 Olympic pins and merchandise.
- US Olympic Shop. The official online shop of the US Olympic Team.
- ESPN Shop. Find Team USA (or Team China) merchandise online.
- Pindemonium. Pins only.
- GreekShops.com. Beijing 2008 pins
- Classic Pins. Features logo pins, mascot pins, pin sets, event pins, etc.
- PinLink.com. More pins, but the site navigation is a bit awkward.