the buzz log

Forget the fountain of youth. People want to know what's with Beijing National Aquatics Centre, better known (and searched on) as "water cube beijing" (+962%). In other words, what kind of alchemy is happening at the Cube to produce world record-breaking gold medalists?

The controversial influence of the Speedo LZR Racer suit has long been known, although the New York Times has looked over that outfit again as an explanation for faster swim times. Slate waded into the theory that the pool's responsible, and does find that the design—from its depth, width, gutters, and lane dividers—all helps to reduce resistance.

Radar Online dismisses those points as horse droppings. The magazine interviewed pool designer John Bilmon, who thinks the wins are due to the contagious nature of competition... that and the fact that the site's just darned purty.

He may have a point. Xinhua News Agency, the official Chinese government media, reports rave reviews about "awesome" pool temperature, a bright atmosphere, and water as "smooth as honey." Before the records started falling like dominos, American swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale called the Cube the "coolest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Better aesthetics leading to better performance is an ancient idea. After all, the environmental design psychology known as feng shui originated in China, and literally means "wind water." Now if only the designers could do kiddy-pool versions for the rest of us.

Filed under: Sports, Architecture, China, Swimming, Design, Olympics

Can you handle more than 3,600 hours of Games of the XXIX Olympiad? You don't even have to cut caffeine and get pedicures, as some Olympiad hopefuls have done. Instead, oil up the remote control and the mouse, and try these sit-down techniques instead.

Practice staring. Don't miss the action. The difference between gold and silver can be measured by a 1,000th of a second, which How Stuff Works says says is 40 times faster than an eye blink.

Visualize the surroundings. Understanding an event's setting may give you an advantage. Try scanning the BBC Sport map.

Tune in. Pump yourself up by listening to the Olympic songs... all of them.

Memorize all 596 American athletes. From the track-and-field competitors to the team members of soccer, volleyball, and B-ball.

Learn to talk big. If you can't memorize the athletes, talk about grand visions, like the boxing's great reform, America's immigrant athletes, Olympic artistry, environmental algae monsters, and if a Chinese tactical force can possibly look intimidating riding Segways.

Dress the part. What's the point of being a capitalist if you can't buy Olympic spirit? Pay $2,000 for an official torch, or $38.20 for a Speedo Team USA brief. If you get the swim trunks, don't forget to make that Brazilian wax appointment.

Filed under: Sports, Summer, China, Olympics, 2008

A Bond reborn, a White House exposé, and rhymes about eating bugs. The next best thing to reading good books is recommending them. Outlets like NPR have posted their summer literary shopping lists, and USA Today provides a helpful guide, noting new titles' release dates. While the Washington Post released its mix of critical and readers' favorites after Memorial Day, Salon drags out the pleasure with a weekly dip into the juiciest summer passages. Most recently—literary responses to "Sex and the City."

Political tell-alls are hot again, as publishers who rejected former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's (sold-out) memoir now see. Other revelatory reading includes a former high-level commander who gives the military lowdown in Iraq. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle aims for closure with the 'Good Riddance Lit' round-up devoted to the lame-duck president, including the night-time reader "Goodnight Bush."

In the fiction category, many critics agree on a fictional imagining of Nikolas Tesla in "The Invention of Everything Else," and Samantha Hunt (among others authors), reads a snippet from her work in NPR's fiction addict round-up. Sports lovers can get a wincing look into how female physiology may explain higher rates of injuries in "Warrior Girls." The New York Times compiles a wistful reading list that brings back the heyday of America's vehicular culture. Reviews have been mixed for Sebastian Faulk's "Devil May Care" redux of spy James Bond, but read an excerpt and judge for yourself. 

Not enough hours to stay lit? Die-hard readers can sneak in a few pages right under the boss' nose with a program that disguises the classics as Powerpoint presentations. The drama need never end.

As for what readers have been seeking out in new titles, below are the top "book" searches from the past 30 days.

1. James Patterson Book ("Sail," June 9 release date)
2. Scott McClellan Book ("What Happened," May 28)
3. Barbara Walters Book ("Audition: A Memoir," May 6)
4. Meg Wolitzer Book 2008 ("The Ten-Year Nap," March 27)
5. "Hello Cupcake" Book (April 24)
6. "Millionaire by 30" Book (April 30)
7. "Quantum Wellness" Book (May 20)
8. Terrance Dean Book ("Hiding in Hip Hop," May 13)
9. "The Grandmother" Book (March 1)
10. Randy Pausch Last Lecture Book ("The Last Lecture," April 8)

Filed under: Sports, Politics, Books, Reading, Fiction