A Spectacle of Sound, Motion and LIGHT - The Majesty of the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies

For those who witnessed Beijing's Opening Ceremonies, either on T.V., or by stroke of luck were among the 91,000 in the stands at the Birds Nest Stadium, you were treated to one of the most thrilling displays of luminescence ever.

Making good on their historical reputation, the extravaganza seemingly had more fireworks (including impressive shaped displays) than every 4th of July show combined.

What was truly striking, however, was the use of glowing lights in a multitude of colors and uses, brilliantly applied to every surface, including human canvases.

The crowd itself was given thousands of glowing wands in reds, greens and blues that were enthusiastically waved for more than two hours. The stadium itself also has an enormous liquid crystal display that runs around the entire quarter mile plus circumference at the top of the open stadium. This mammoth screen stands a good thirty feet tall, and changed expressions throughout the ceremonies, displaying everything from rippling water, to the faces of smiling children as the theme of the ceremonies progressed from ancient Chinese history to the activities and sensibilities of modern China.

What was truly amazing was the seemingly bare floor of the stadium, which began covered with 2008 drummers whose drums lit up and flashed off with each strike. They formed shapes and moving type with their beats, holding down to maintain certain images, including a countdown to the opening in both English and Chinese numerals. Eventually, their pace quickened and they went from hand strikes to rapid synchronized drumming with the biggest orange light sticks I've ever seen. Raves everywhere came to a grinding halt to witness this epic display, especially when the lights went completely dark to show thousands of flying hands in unison.

The drummers gave way to the bare floor which showed what seemed like a galaxy of light motes from out of nowhere, converging on the center of the floor. The center of the floor turned out to be another lcd screen, 240 x 60 feet. As the motes came together to show the Olympic Rings, the center of the screen, which was on wires and movable, astounded the capacity crowd by lifting the light directly off the floor, as if China was capable of plucking the gathered motes of light and moving them where they desired. It was an incredible effect which drew gasps from the entire crowd (and no doubt the home T.V. audience as well).

The festivities continued with a display of ancient and modern China, and the lcd screen rolled out and continued to roll from left to right as if it were a continuously unwinding scroll, the backdrop of which constantly shifting and changing as history played out. On this backdrop, dancers painted a scene of Mountains and Water, hundreds of dancers with oars depicted China's sailing and exploration history, and at one invigorating point, synchronized dancers in bright green costumes stepped off the lcd-lit scroll and burst into their own luminescence, covered in apple sized white globes of light as they made brightly-lit shapes on the floor, including a flying dove with flapping wings.

These dancers lights would flicker on and off as they danced, and then they combined in the center, in two rows one on the other's shoulders to form a replica of the very Birds Nest Stadium in which they were performing. At this point their bodylights flickered jubilantly before they gathered into the center, lights off, and as they peeled away from the group to the edge of the stadium, their lights would come on again, creating a growing starburst of bright whiteness.

There was so much more that it cannot be contained here, including 2008 synchronized Tai Chi masters, at first performing through hazy light-projected panels, and then exploding into concentric circles of motion and vibrance that spanned the entire floor of the stadium, the march of elegant gowns, the delivery of the Chinese flag by children of every ethnicity in the country handed on to a crisp, synchronized Chinese Color Guard the flight of a single child aboard a dragon kite high above the "City of Kites", the wire-held dancers who ran around a giant backlit sphere which showed among other images, the Earth as seen from space, and an amazing display of coordination and organization as a field of tube-like boxes rose and fell to show rippling waves and to spell out Harmony, the theme of the Beijing Games. This display appeared to be, (and seemingly MUST have been), done by machines, but was in fact 2008 men and women rising and falling in mind-bogglingly precise synchronization.

The final act after the nations had all filed into the stadium included the last torch bearer being hoisted to the top of the stadium on wires, and appearing to run against the vertical wall at the top of the open structure as the magnificent lcd screen unrolled before him, behind him depicting previous video footage of the torch journey from Athens. At last, he arrived at a rail, which, when touched with the Olympic flame, cascaded fire to and up the spiraling torch, finally bursting into radiant flame for the next 16 days.

All in all, the majesty and scope of the Beijing opening ceremonies were spectacular, and for fans of light in particular, the display put on by the Chinese people was not only breathtaking, but may never be exceeded.

Night Time LED Cycling Rig

To better enjoy our nighttime rides, giving us some safe and cool color effects, I was going to build LED rigs in tubes to attach to bikes, kind of like neon effects for cars, but cooler because they're on bikes.

I'm still experimenting with the best construction/effect at the lowest cost so I'll get back to you on it.

Plan A Glow Party

Another article about glow party ideas, with a link to a good glow product store

By GlowHouse Ltd.

Are you in mood to throw a "night party" to your friends and relative? Are you looking to make your party a gala event? Are you thinking to make your party smash hit?
Yeah!

Just plan a glow party with glow sticks and flashing novelties! Mark me! Your party is gonna "big hit."

A glow theme party is the party desired by everyone from the young to old people. A glowing party is basically a night party usually starting in evening dusk hours and runs up to midnight or even up to wee hours. The glow parties are normally organized out in open at night. Every partygoer loves colors, lights and excitement, and glow sticks and glow novelties will fill your party with lots of unspeakable funs and festivities.

Glow sticks and glow novelties will make your party much more exciting. Particularly great fun for young girls and boys, the glowing colors in your party will make your guests' hearts glow.

You can really offer jolly good time to your guests by using glow sticks and glow novelties in your party. You can give them glow sticks to play with while they are chatting, singing karaoke and having a good time. You can make your party really really vibrant giving your guests glow jewelry such as glow necklaces, glow earrings, glow bracelets etc. You can also organize several fun games, such as singing, dancing or in playing trivia pursuit using glow sticks. A game of tag in the dark will be more exciting, and a game of hide and seek will become more lively with glow novelties.

You can also use glow glasses, glow mouth pieces, and even glow straws to make their faces glow at night.

Glow sticks and glow novelties will take your guests to the world of colors and lights. Glow sticks, glow jewelry, and glow novelties will open the gates of gaiety, fun and excitement for your guests. The party will not just be a fun for children and teens, but adults will also enjoy it.
About the Author

The GlowHouse Ltd. owns the website glow-sticks.org, online store and a comprehensive guide on glow sticks offering tons of info and tips on buying glow products, flashing products, and glow jewelry. For more info, visit, Glow-sticks.org

Stuck On Birthday Party Decoration Ideas-Try These 3

An excerpt from an article on different types of parties, I just grabbed the glowy part, but you can click the link at the bottom to read the whole article.

By Sarah H

Seems like every birthday party décor has been done before; the wild west, an enchanted forest, Disney world in the back yard and every Barney, Power Ranger and Fred Flintstone was invited. So kids expect to walk into a birthday party and see colorful balloons, streamers and people trying to do their best impression of cartoon characters. So you want to try something new this year, but you're stuck on birthday party decoration ideas. Well, why don't you try these three on for size!

Glow parties are catching the eyes of some very vigilant party planners prowling around for the next unique birthday party decoration idea. So what exactly is a 'glow party'? Well it's a party where everything from the streamers to the napkins to the cake, glows! Glow sticks lying around, glow-in-the-dark moons and stars hanging from walls and ceilings, glowing lights everywhere and glowing candles on a glowing cake all make for an extraordinary birthday party! Kids and adults alike will be utterly impressed and amazed at the sight of the decorations...literally! And the best part is that the party can be held in the day! All you need to do is turn out the lights and instantly you will have a room full of decorations that will take your breath away!

Find more great gift giving tips and ideas at Gifts and Toys a website offering tips, advice and resources on topics such as choosing baptism gifts, birthday gifts and even maternity gifts.

Article Source: Sarah H.
Article Available at EzineArticles.com

Glow Sticks Party Products Is A Unique Idea

I found this article about Glow Party planning and ideas - Anyone who can add some spice to your party is worth contacting.

By Gail Leino

At this day and age a lot of things have been changing and the ways in which the parties are conducted is changing as well. These days there are a lot of new gadgets that are being used such as glow party products and believe me the glow party products have brought a complete revolution as to how the parties are being decorated. The glow party products are also used in the fundraising campaigns, which is really a remarkable idea.

The different glow party products that are available includes glow sticks, glow necklaces, glow bracelets, twilight umbrella, glow shot glasses, glow straws and cocktail stirrers, glow cups, glow glasses, glow bunny ears, glow earrings, glow martini cups, etc. There are also umbrellas that glow in the dark. I think that these products have really brought a great change in the way the decoration is being done at the parties. If you are planning to have a party, just think about decorating the room with the glow party products, I believe it is going to grab a huge attention from a lot of visitors.

Another very interesting approach of using the glow party products is when you ask your boyfriend or girlfriend for a dinner at home, you can put on the glow lights on the sides, which will just give a very diffuse effect of light in the environment where it would not be a total dark and it would not be a lot of illumination and would make the environment pretty romantic.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Glow Sticks and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Adorable glow sticks in several colors and sizes to light up your party.

Article Source: Gail Leino
Article available at EzineArticles.com