Interesting article on five ways technology will change the Olympics.

1. Weather prediction and control - Not only is China trying to predict rainfall, they are attempting to control it. Though they admit they will only be able to prevent light showers. Perhaps they should have just build the Bird’s Nest stadium with a retractable roof.

2. Cyber warfare - China says they will attempt to shutdown any website that illegally broadcast Olympic events.

3. Online coverage - NBC will broadcasting almost all of the Olympics over the internet. Unfortunately it will only be available for Vista users.

4. Anti-terrorism - China have taken security to a new level at the Olympics. Tickets have been fitted with RFID technology to store details of ticket owners to prevent ticket scalping and counterfeit tickets.

5. Timing - Lasers will be used to record competition times as well as using a high-speed camera at the line which can take 2,000 images per second to help determine the winner in close finishes.

I would also like to add some of my own ideas:

Stadium technology - The new Bird’s Nest stadium and the swimming center are both amazing new designs and works of architecture and engineering.

Blogging and social media - People are no longer just content to sit back and watch the Olympics. They want to contribute their own thoughts and feelings through blogs and online social networks like Facebook. Blogs were still fairly new at the last Olympic Games and now most major online newspapers have blogs on the Olympics.

Twitter - The micro-blogging platform Twitter could be huge during Olympics, if they can support the demand.

Amateur video - The IOC does everything to protect broadcast rights, but I think you can expect a lot of videos on what is happening in and around Beijing.