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The Book Of Secrets...


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And mine hasn't arrived yet. :(

CAF, has yours arrived already?

But Baron predicted that it will arrive between January 17 and January 20, so probably the Australian postal service was only extraordinarily quick. Or (since I suppose that Baron didn't send them by air mail, considering the long period he predicted between shipping and arrival) they were directly put on the ship to Australia while our books had to be brought to the US East Coast first and then put on the ship to Europe.

They all went out (Global) Priority mail. It must be at your end. Of course, Oz has only 20 mil+ people; you guys in Germany have 90 mil...so your Deutsche Post is a little more over-extended than its Oz counterpart.

You should be receiving them in a few days.

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And mine hasn't arrived yet. :(

CAF, has yours arrived already?

But Baron predicted that it will arrive between January 17 and January 20, so probably the Australian postal service was only extraordinarily quick. Or (since I suppose that Baron didn't send them by air mail, considering the long period he predicted between shipping and arrival) they were directly put on the ship to Australia while our books had to be brought to the US East Coast first and then put on the ship to Europe.

Hello F.,

no I haven't received it either - I suppose Deutsche Post has problems to deliver it during the snow/ice...

;)

I am not concerned so far - I suppose we will receive it in the next week

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Taa-daa! The book has arrived today -- so I should have kept my patience only for one more day. ;)

I hadn't the opportunity yet to read much of it, but after a few quick flip-throughs I really have to say: I'm very impressed. I didn't expect so much information on only a little bit over 200 pages -- since I expected it would rather have a pocket book format and larger print and not be so big and abundant with text and pictures. (I know -- it sounds as if Myles paid me for supporting him in advertising the book. But I assure you: He didn't. :D )

How much time did it take to collect so much information, Myles? And thank you for the nice personal dedication!

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Taa-daa! The book has arrived today -- so I should have kept my patience only for one more day. ;)

I hadn't the opportunity yet to read much of it, but after a few quick flip-throughs I really have to say: I'm very impressed. I didn't expect so much information on only a little bit over 200 pages -- since I expected it would rather have a pocket book format and larger print and not be so big and abundant with text and pictures. (I know -- it sounds as if Myles paid me for supporting him in advertising the book. But I assure you: He didn't. :D )

How much time did it take to collect so much information, Myles? And thank you for the nice personal dedication!

Thanks. I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible...and as I said before...given the choice, I would've priced it much lower. But I am glad that I packed in as much as I could so at least (you) buyers would be getting something substantial for your purchase.

I say from the time I conceived it to the time I "froze" a final version in early November, about 11 months. (Of course that didn't include a lot of material that I had already saved previously for no other reason, and/or had stored in my collective memory banks.)

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M.,

yeepeeh - I got the book today!!!!

My first impression: WOW!!!

It seems you collected a lot of details about the different ceremonies and it it will be a lot of fun to read the book for everbody, who is interested in the Olympics - and I am looking forward to find new informations!

... and I just flipped through the pages and I found the first one - I didn't know that the monster part of Barcelona was never shown on US-TV-screens...

That will definitely become a lot of fun to read!!!

and thanks for your personal dedication, M.!

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius
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Can we talk about the book now?

My major complaint is you devote a whole few pars to the Pan African Games, and don't mention Abuja!!!!!!

BTW - the Kangaroos on bikes also made it to the Olympic Closing ceremony. Don't know if they showed it on US TV, but in the sequence of the lawnmower going out of control, there was a cut across to Ric Birch and a cycling Roo having to leap out of the way of the mower.

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1. Can we talk about the book now?

2. My major complaint is you devote a whole few pars to the Pan African Games, and don't mention Abuja!!!!!!

3. BTW - the Kangaroos on bikes also made it to the Olympic Closing ceremony. Don't know if they showed it on US TV, but in the sequence of the lawnmower going out of control, there was a cut across to Ric Birch and a cycling Roo having to leap out of the way of the mower.

1. Mais...OUI!!

2. I too, was so confused by all the cancellations and postponments of the All-Africa Games that I figured throwing in Abuja would've obscured the subject even more. (And Abuja, of course being an inside-GB joke!! ;) )

3. Never saw that on TV. Even the lawnmower and BBQ segments were never shown on the NBC telecast proper...thanks to the all-(un)knowing Dick Ebersole!! But afterwards, I read that the 'Roos on bikes featured prominently in the Sydney Paralympics Ceremonies.

See, I had some more to throw in...but going past the 200-page mark would've probably pushed amazon (and thus me) to the $40.00 level if, say, I went 210+ pages. So I had to leave out some parts. Maybe I'll get some of those excised sections in the 2012 edition.

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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I started yesterday evening to read the book and I have to say that it is really fun to read it - especially for everyone, who is "devoted" to the Olympic Games.

I nearly finished Chapter I and it isn't giving insights only, but there is some humor in it too (I must smiled several times).

In the book are some very fantastic pics and photos!!!

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius
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... and I found two minor inaccurate details on a map (p. 101), when I flipped through the pages:

"Hamburg" is too far in the east - that is more the position of "Rostock" - Hamburg isn't at the Baltic Sea...

"Germany" is too far in the east, too - that is Poland (that area belonged to the German Empire until 1945)

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Never saw that on TV. Even the lawnmower and BBQ segments were never shown on the NBC telecast proper...thanks to the all-(un)knowing Dick Ebersole!! But afterwards, I read that the 'Roos on bikes featured prominently in the Sydney Paralympics Ceremonies.

Bike Sale - Roo at Sydney CC

I've been trying to hunt up a clip on YouTube, but no luck. Even a text search has been hard, but I have ound one mention of it - in an add for the sale of the quad bike used in the lawnmower segment.

Phew, I was wondering if I was getting delusional in my dotage!

This quad cycle has significance in material culture due to its role in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games, an important event in the recent history of Sydney and NSW. It has the potential to communicate in exhibitions and publications about the Sydney Olympic Games and has significance in its design, making, use and the cultural meanings ascribed to it.

The closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games took place on Sunday 1 October at Stadium Australia, Homebush Bay. It included solemn formalities, an informal parade of athletes and a farewell party that took the form of an unregimented parade with floats that celebrated and often mocked aspects of Australian popular culture. The intention was to conduct the ceremony with decorum until the extinction of the Olympic flame, and then to unleash a party. The artistic director of the closing ceremony David Atkins explained 'The athletes have finished competition, and are ready to party, and we have set about creating a party to end all parties. We have decided to invite everyone into our giant Australian backyard - fully equipped with Hills Hoists, barbecues, an eclectic mix of music, performers and all manner of Australiana. Australians have a tradition of throwing great parties, and this one will be imbued with a sense of fun, larrikinism and goodwill.' According to Ric Birch (speaking on Channel 7's 'Olympic Sunrise'), the opening ceremony was to represent Australia at large, but the closing ceremony was Sydney's show.

Irreverent humour was evident from the opening (untelevised) sequence, in which the sports satirists Roy Slaven and HG Nelson welcomed the crowd and coached them in how to use the contents of the small eskies that each of the 110,000 audience members could find on their seats. These contained essential Australian backyard barbecue equipment including fly-swats which, when held aloft, gave a distinctively Australian flavour to the Mexican wave.

The quad cycle was central to the comic 'lawnmower man' segment that started the telecast with a slapstick chase. It appeared on the arena just as a mock ceremony, complete with officials and a marching band, began. Driven by a rogue groundkeeper (played by Neill Gladwin), it appeared to be an out-of-control lawnmower that ploughed through a stage, speakers, officials and the marching band, careering off through the entrances to the field of play (known as 'vomitoriums'), and back on to the arena, pursued by an ever- growing crowd. It even threatened to crash into Ric Birch, perched on one of the infamous kangaroos on bicycles from the Atlanta closing ceremony, before being eventually pulled to pieces.

The 'lawnmower man' segment set a comical tone that characterised much of the closing ceremony. The lawnmower itself was one of a proliferation of suburban images that characterised the ceremony, such as Hills Hoists, blowflies, lifesavers and thongs. Each was treated with self-deprecating irony rather than clich‚. The wit and quality of the 'Parade of Icons' showed the influence of the late Peter Tully as artistic director of the Mardi Gras in, for example, the 'pit chicks' in silver hot pants who carried the eyelashes, stiletto shoes and giant mascara for the Priscilla bus.

The opening ceremony told a mythic story of nation-building that dwarfed individuals. It was evocative and subtle. The closing ceremony, however, celebrated personality, celebrity and attitude. Loud and brash, more like a rock concert than a profoundly theatrical event, it was an extravagant send-off -- fun, festive, shamelessly excessive and decidedly weird. The 'lawnmower man' segment provided an unexpected, innovative start to the proceedings.

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It's almost like GamesBids: The Book!

Yeah - that is right - especially on page 9 that yellow marked "thing" - I must laugh when I saw that

And I do love the Lillehammer pic of the cover (it shows the atmosphere of the OC) - and that pic of Barcelona on page 4 is very nice!!!

Especially the advice on page 16 (the first sentence of that page) is very important for my London 2012 planning!!!

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Phew, I was wondering if I was getting delusional in my dotage!

No - I do remember that, too - that was shown on German TV!

The quad cycle was central to the comic 'lawnmower man' segment that started the telecast with a slapstick chase. It appeared on the arena just as a mock ceremony, complete with officials and a marching band, began. Driven by a rogue groundkeeper (played by Neill Gladwin), it appeared to be an out-of-control lawnmower that ploughed through a stage, speakers, officials and the marching band, careering off through the entrances to the field of play (known as 'vomitoriums'), and back on to the arena, pursued by an ever- growing crowd. It even threatened to crash into Ric Birch, perched on one of the infamous kangaroos on bicycles from the Atlanta closing ceremony, before being eventually pulled to pieces
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the one with the scroll and the chamber.

In Baron's next book I promise a much better graphic. Perhaps including a 3-d model of it which readers can access on a cd to be found in the backcover. :)

... yeah, that is the one I meant - I mixed the english word "scrolls" with the German word "Rolle" and created the english sounding word "rolls"...

That would be a great idea!!!!

I haven't read the chapter about Bejing of M's book so far - I always thought that the "scrolls" were no real scrolls, but two moveable platforms with a roll at the end, which fake that the scroll is opening, when it is moved and in a special way illuminated...

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius
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... and I found two minor inaccurate details on a map (p. 101), when I flipped through the pages:

"Hamburg" is too far in the east - that is more the position of "Rostock" - Hamburg isn't at the Baltic Sea...

"Germany" is too far in the east, too - that is Poland (that area belonged to the German Empire until 1945)

CAF, but I did post there..as with all the drawn illustrations, that they are "NOT TO SCALE." They get shifted a bit to fit the captions and what I want to say in the map...rather than cartographic accuracy...which you will get on standard maps.

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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