NBC and the space/time continuum

Ever since I turned 30, I've been very conscious of the fact that time seems to pass by quicker than ever before. For some strange reason, I find that I've been particularly aware of this fact during the bobsled races.

I've been trying to make sense of the bobsled competition ever since the Olympics started. What does the brakeman do? Can the pilot actively steer the sled?* And--here's the big one--how it is that every one-minute sled run feels like it only takes 20 seconds?

The answer to the last question--which I'm embarrassed to say that I just figured out last night--is that it does only take 20 seconds. NBC only airs the first 8 seconds and the last 15 seconds of every race. They covertly edit the footage such that the middle section of the race is never shown.

I'll be looking for NBC/General Electric to pick up the tab for the next two sessions with my therapist.


Speaking of the Olympics, did you happen to catch the weird moment between Bob Costas and figure skater Sasha Cohen last night? Mr. Costas was interviewing Ms. Cohen when he brought up the fact that US snowboarder Shaun White has a crush on her. Costas ran some footage of White--who looks like Shaggy meets Danny Bonaduce with a little Scooby thrown in for good measure--and followed it up by asking Cohen if she'd be interested in meeting him.

Costas should have taken the hint immediately: I haven't seen a look like that on a girl's face since I asked Beth Corcoran to the homecoming dance back in 1992. Still, Costas kept pushing and Cohen was eventually forced to say, 'I'm very flattered, and I think we should leave it at that.'

Unfortunately for Cohen, the NBC time-dilation feature wasn't working in her favor: she must have felt like she and Costas were on a bobsled for several minutes.

*Incidentally: yes, the pilot does steer the bobsled. There's a handle on either side of his legs, and he pulls on them to turn the front runners left or right. (Also, the brakeman does have a brake, but it's only used at the end of the race.)