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.