Brett Zarda

Gridiron Gear Goes to War

With combat-zone brain trauma on the rise, the Army is stealing a few ideas from the NFL's playbook

The Department of Defense (DOD) has a lot to learn about concussions. The National Football League can empathize. For decades the NFL has faced similar questions on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long term effects. With a concussion occurring approximately every other game, research efforts benefit from an ample and growing population. Recognizing the value in such uniquely willing lab rats, the DOD hopes to steal a few ideas from the league’s playbook.

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The Score

The Baseball Replay Redux

MLB implements its severely misguided instant replay plan; techie fans weep

Can’t say we didn’t try. When we saw the proposed instant replay plan for Major League Baseball in June we pleaded with Bud Selig to reconsider. Heck, we even gave him a blueprint for how to get it right. Apparently, Bud wasn’t listening. As of this Thursday, MLB will implement its weak excuse for instant replay.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

All About Badminton

The final edition of Know Your Olympic Sport takes a long hard look at that sport of champions

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, the past two weeks of our lives have been much less productive.

Our final edition of “know your Olympic sport,” focuses on the top secret science of shuttlecocks. And for your viewing pleasure, a badminton brawl.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Doping

Okay, it's not an official event -- not yet

Who's Got the Drugs?

Anybody notice something missing? Where are all the drugs? Despite all the attention going into the games, Beijing has been relatively clean (air pollution not withstanding).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Beckham of Field Hockey?

Bending it like that guy, special shoes, and one very hot training chamber are all part of the making of a modern player


Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by introducing the next David Beckham explaining why field hockey players are always wet.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Equestrian

The largest athletes need high-tech toys too

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. In this edition of "know your Olympic sport," we focus on the largest athletes in Beijing and how to keep them cool (not you, Yao).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Filming Beijing

Bringing every action packed second to millions of viewers takes some serious gadgetry


Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. But enough with the obscure sports, for now.

In this edition of “know your Olympic sport,” we focus on the technology enhancing our viewing experience (plus a darn cool video clip of a dog show).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Synchronized Swimming Show Down

A high-tech, swimsuit-bound light show has landed Spain's team in hot water

How did the heck did we miss this one? When profiling the science behind synchronized swimming we covered everything from hair products to underwater speakers. But the technology making a buzz in the pool at Beijing is actually a set of underwater lights – get this – attached to the swimsuits.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Bend It: The Science of Gymnastics

A slew of high-tech innovations have vaulted gymnastics to the forefront

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” with more than you need to know about gymnastics.

Inside we’ll provide a trick to help you finally touch your toes, expose a fault in major equipment and challenge our readers to win back a gold for America.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Know Your Olympic Sport: Michael Phelps (i.e. Swimming)

Brett Zarda looks at the athletes, the water, and the technology

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of "know your Olympic sport," by answering some and posing some questions about the science of Michael Phelps (and swimming).

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Olympic Softball (One Last Time)

A look at the advanced tools players are using to stay sharp—even as softball's last hurrah nears a close

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by fielding some softballs.

With its Olympic license being revoked after these games, let’s pay tribute to Jennie Finch by profiling a pitching machine, a method to improve your eyesight and little bit more about softball’s secret weapon.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

Volleyball (On the Sand and In the Gym)

Smacking a ball over a net calls for some surprising technology

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” (check out the whole series here) by serving up some volleyball.

Inside we’ll provide thermal imaging, a new ball and a sock for the sand. Let us begin!

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Secrets of Synchronized Swimming

Think it's a sissy sport? Think again. A look at the arduous training, high-tech speakers and super-strong hair paste involved in keeping those swimmers peak

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton and wonder about the modern decathlon. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, our lives are suddenly much less productive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our daily edition of “know your Olympic sport,” by diving into synchronized swimming.

Inside we’ll explain what the sport has in common with the war on terror and why every swimmer worth her hair bun abides by the power of horse cartilage. Go ahead, check it out. Nobody is looking, and we won’t tell.

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Science of Speed

Swifter suits, shoes that lean and gaming the pistol are just the beginning of the tech innovations giving track the runaround this summer

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton, wonder about the modern decathlon and proudly pause for synchronized swimming. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, the next two weeks of our lives should be impressively unproductive. To aid in your immersion, we continue with our new series: “know your Olympic sport.” It’s part reminder that people actually get medals for this stuff (see: trampoline gymnastics) and part introduction to the science behind the sports.

In our second installment, we leave the ping pong balls on the porch and head to the track. Inside you’ll find shoes that don’t match, a suit not made by Speedo, an excuse for why you never won races in high school; along with a plea for some better technology. Andalé!

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Know Your Olympic Sport

The Truth About Table Tennis

Speed glue, robots and more. Learn why ping pong truly is the sport of champions

Every four years, we watch. We marvel at badminton, wonder about the modern decathlon and proudly pause for synchronized swimming. With more than 300 gold medals awarded across 37 disciplines, the next two weeks of our lives should be impressively unproductive. To aid in your immersion, we introduce the first installment of “know your Olympic sport.” It’s part reminder that people actually get medals for this stuff (see: trampoline gymnastics) and part introduction to the science behind the sports.

As a tribute to the recently lit flame in Beijing, our first installment focuses on the pride of China: Table Tennis (a.k.a. Ping Pong). Inside you’ll find a 30-year old performance enhancer in its final days, a training method built for Forrest Gump and all (perhaps even more than) you'll ever need to know about Ping Pong balls.

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