The Olympic Legacy

I just read this article on Guardian (via Buzz) regarding the legacy of the sporting venues created for the Olympics and whether they're worth it. Living in Athens for the past three years it's become clear to me that most people --- including myself until very lately --- is unaware that they can, cheaply, access some of the facilities created for the 2004 Olympics, for example the Olympic swimming centre. It has been clear that most of the facilities have been under lock and key and unavailable to anyone wishing to use them. Then there's the case of 'The Mall', the huge shopping mall that was created just after the games and which seems to be illegally built (a story widely publicised [in Hellenic], but largely ignored), but also a recent report [in Hellenic] by the Hellenic private TV station 'Alpha' claiming that the main building of the Olympic Village was given by the Hellenic government to a monastery which then sold it. It's, therefore, unclear to me whether the Olympic facilities are really a burden or whether Athens is such a bad example upon which this conclusion is drawn. With proper management, more public interest and --- if anything --- no multi-billion euro scandals, I'm pretty sure that the Olympic investments could be beneficial to many hosts. Barcelona comes to mind.

Canon EOS 50D

It’s been almost four and a half years since I got my venerable Canon EOS 20D. And, in DSLR time, that’s quite a lot. The 20D was a fantastic camera for its time, highly valued by both amateurs such as myself and pros (mostly as a second body). Sadly, most updates to the series by […]

iΠακέτα ηλιθιότητας

Η Vodafone Ελλάς ανακοίνωσε τη διαθεσιμότητα του iPhone 3G της Apple στην χώρα μας. Πέραν τις ιδιαίτερα ακριβής τιμής απόκτησης του τηλεφώνου (ιδιαίτερα για τα ελληνικά δεδομένα), η Vodafone κατάφερε να δημιουργήσει κάποια από τα αθλιότερα πακέτα που έχω αντικρύσει διεθνώς, σε βαθμό που ακυρώνουν πολλά από τα χαρακτηριστικά του iPhone (250MB μηνιαίως;), τόσο σε απόλυτη τιμή όσο και αν λάβει κανείς το πραγματικό εισόδημα του μέσου έλληνα. [Γράφει σχετικά και ο Γιώργος στο Reality-Tape]

Point of No Return

I had no intention of writing anything about the conflict in South Ossetia, but it turns out it escalated much faster — and to a higher degree — than I (or anyone for that matter) expected. So much that for most of the mainstream media — and a couple of blogs I’m following — it […]

Επίσκεψη στο Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο

Τη περασμένη Παρασκευή, 18 Ιουλίου 2008, έλαβα μια πρόσκληση από την ομάδα Ευρωβουλευτών του ΠΑΣΟΚ για μια επίσκεψη στο Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο στις Βρυξέλλες όπου θα πραγματοποιηθεί σειρά συναντήσεων με Ευρωβουλευτές, σχετικούς Επιτρόπους της Επιτροπής καθώς, εκπροσώπους κάποιων ιδιαίτερα γνωστών Μη-Κυβερνητικών Οργανισμών (π.χ. Statewatch, EFF μεταξύ άλλων) αλλά φυσικά και αρκετών bloggers, πάνω στο θέμα της […]

Dumbfounding Zeal

Those that have been reading this site for a while know that I'm all for curtailing smoking in public places. Living in Hellas, a country where non-smokers are forced to inhale third-party smoke daily, my sentiments often become somewhat strong. Yet, fining a freelance painter for smoking in his own (private) van while going to work is stupid, wrong and --- if anything --- provides ample ammunition to those that try to portray smoking bans as discriminatory or controversial. Smoking bans, to the extent that they ensure smoke-free public spaces are good. This kind of overly zealous enforcement of a vague (at best) law isn't. I hope this guy takes them to court and wins.