Olympic Lights

I might as well get my fill now - this light display is going to be on for the duration of the Olympics and it is situated nearby the usual route I take when walking the dog. This is one of the things that people in my neighborhood were moaning about leading up to the event yet I was eagerly anticipating.

Every couple of minutes the lights reposition so it never stays the same - one person I spoke with said that people can go online to program routines for the lights to move in. Right now it looks like they are following several different routines - it's certainly not random as the lights tend to move in synchronized sweeps and passes. Maybe next time I will take some video to better capture the motion, but tonight I was interested in getting up close to the actual light units.

They are quiet. Somehow I expected to hear diesel generators or something, but did not. The lights are very powerful but also focused enough that even in rain/cloud/fog it doesn't diffuse enough to cause a problem for nearby residents. Despite the protests, none of the beams ever actually hit a nearby condo, although at one point they do illuminate a Canadian flag quite nicely.

This last shot is basically what it looks like in the night sky, at least at certain times when the beams are pointed to converge. It's visible from all over downtown and the Fairview and Kitsilano areas. I know that I will be enjoying this display as much as possible for the next few weeks.