Madplanet

Beijing Olympics opening ceremony photos

Gizmodo has a few high-quality images of the opening courtesy of Getty.

A couple of observations, after watching the thing live:

(1) Wow.

(2) Little girl on wires flying into Bird Nest stadium made from human pyramids = riff on jetpack at LA Olympic opening?

(3) Overall aura of “Kim Jong Il birthday celebrations with higher technology budget and less malnutrition” —i.e., shitloads of people doing things in formation—intended to convey sinister message that “there are more of us than of all of you put together”?

(4) Since when was it “5,000 years of civilization”? I thought 4,000 was the already somewhat hyperbolic but generally accepted standard.