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TECHVIEWS

Tech marvels@Beijing 2008

Mahdix Mahboob
The 2008 Summer Olympics is on full throttle in Beijing and the Chinese government has vowed to make it the most perfect and secure game ever. From making exceptional moves like taking technological help from different nonChinese companies to the attempt of ensuring a no-rain weather in Beijing, this Olympics is much more than sports alone.
In addition to sportsmanship, it is a celebration of state of the art technology and human skill and endeavour. This week, in Star-Tech, we will have a look into the technological marvels of the Beijing Olympics.
Say No to Rain!
The Chinese Government has decided to say no to any form of disruptions in the game, including rain! The administration is using a technique called 'cloud seeding', which works in the following way:
- Aircraft or artillery spray chemicals (often silver iodide or dry ice) into clouds to encourage tiny vapour drop-
lets to coalesce.
- Droplets of supercooled water (liquid belQW freezing) coalesce into snow and melt as they fall.
- Heat released as the droplets freeze boosts updrafts,
which pull more moist air into the cloud.
Security above all else
Security at the Olympics is not a joke and the Chinese are spending a staggering $6.5 billion for the purpose, more than four times of what was spent in Athens in 2004! This includes the usage of modern gadgets like segways (see picture) and advanced surveillance technologies.
General Electric (GE), IBM, Honeywell, Siemens. Panasonic, and LG have all won major contracts providing security technology for the Olympicsone of the biggest security-business opponuni-
ties ever.
GE@01ympics!
China has decided to let go of its ego about their technological superiority and have deployed a range of American, European and other foreign
companies for different purposes including surveillance and electronics supply. General Electronics (the American electronics giant) alone is surpassingS 1.7 Billion in Company-Wide Sales Revenues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The company is providing advanced infrastructure technology to all 37 official competition venues and projects around Beijing.
It has won 400 infrastructure projects in and around Beijing that will generate $700 million in revenues. NBC Universal, who are broadcasting more than 3600 hours of Olympic Games coverage in US has
also generated a record of more than $1 billion in advertising revenues, making the Beijing Games the most successful Games in GE's history.
GE is managing projects in all 37 official Beijing Games competition venues and 168 commercial buildings in and around Beijing. Several projects feature technological firsts for China, including filtration technology for safe drinking wafer and rainwater recycling at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), 73 electrical substations to provide power at more than 50 Olympic Games venues, and advanced baggage screening at the Beijing Capital International Airport.