Yup, we're really going to enjoy the Olympics

[Nerfherder]

I think it's more likley that the General giving the brief has more knowledge of snipers from movies than from reality.

Yeah, if I were a betting man, I'd pick ignorance over any kind of coordinated media plan, too...

[PWD]

Oh, man, I giggle when I read this and think of a sniper in a helicopter trying to shoot the pilot of a airplane when both aren't current parks stationary on the ground.

Come on... snipers in helicopters? That's security theater, not reality.

If the heli-snipers don't work, they have Bruce Willis all lined up to jump-crash a car into them.

[Nerfherder]

If the heli-snipers don't work, they have Bruce WillisMr Bean with a mop all lined up to jump-crash a car into them.

FIFGB

[7 Macaw]

Or maybe these stories are being publicised to distract from the real work being done to ensure security - probably a lot of un-sexy legwork.

It did occur to me that given the availability of man-portable launchers, the actual number of missiles in play may be rather larger than just those at the fixed sites announced.

The helicopter snipers - I do wonder if that is what they're really for.

There's a couple of days of exercises in progress at the moment. I saw a couple of Chinooks flying low over the Olympic Park earlier this afternoon while I was in a supermarket car park.

[7 Macaw]

If the heli-snipers don't work, they have Bruce Willis all lined up to jump-crash a car into them.

What IS Jason Statham doing during the Olympics?

[Ovinomancer]

Goddamn it, you limey bastards. Just when Mistwell made this thread about Americans, as is fitting and proper, you manage to distract me by talking about British things again.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

What IS Jason Statham doing during the Olympics?

Not sure. He may be plotting an assassination attempt against a doping tester, or he may be driving some hot female athlete to the arena. He's probably cranky as well.

[Morrus]

Not sure. He may be plotting an assassination attempt against a doping tester, or he may be driving some hot female athlete to the arena. He's probably cranky as well.

Probably arguing with Daniel Craig, who's part of the opening ceremony as Bond.

[Janos]

Not sure. He may be plotting an assassination attempt against a doping tester, or he may be driving some hot female athlete to the arena. He's probably cranky as well.

He's only cranky because he someone has to put a wind-up key in and twist every 30 minutes or he'll die.

[7 Macaw]

Well, they got the whole military thing off to a good start by making a creditable attempt to ram the Navy's largest vessel into the Thames Barrier. Check the wing mirrors are still there!

HMS Ocean is doing a fair old speed as it goes through there. I'm assuming there is some good reason for this, given that they slow down almost immediately they are through. You'd expect it to be easier to maneuvre at a lower speed, so why so fast?

[Calamari Face]

You have to keep the boat above its stall speed or you get flow separation at the control surfaces and lose control authority.

Spoiler:

[Ovinomancer]

Well, they got the whole military thing off to a good start by making a creditable attempt to ram the Navy's largest vessel into the Thames Barrier. Check the wing mirrors are still there!

HMS Ocean is doing a fair old speed as it goes through there. I'm assuming there is some good reason for this, given that they slow down almost immediately they are through. You'd expect it to be easier to maneuvre at a lower speed, so why so fast?

The slowdown was the same slowdown effected by the driver who almost sideswipes you because they're texting and who is now scared shitless so they slow down abruptly, causing even more traffic disruption. Matter of fact, the initial speed is likely due to the same cause -- the tugboat pilots were probably texting or playing Angry Birds Space.

[7 Macaw]

I drove past the Lexington Building twice today whilst taking my son to his grandparents for the weekend. Supposedly there was going to be some sort of exercise going on, so I had meant to check if anythign was visible. Unfortunately, on the way down I was distracted by the middle aged black woman with enormous hair who kept drifting her Nissan Micra in and out of lane and braking unexpectedly, and failed to look over at the water tower. On the way back, though, I thought I might have seen a couple of people standing up there. Exciting, eh?

[Davek]

I drove past the Lexington Building twice today whilst taking my son to his grandparents for the weekend. Supposedly there was going to be some sort of exercise going on, so I had meant to check if anythign was visible. Unfortunately, on the way down I was distracted by the middle aged black woman with enormous hair who kept drifting her Nissan Micra in and out of lane and braking unexpectedly, and failed to look over at the water tower. On the way back, though, I thought I might have seen a couple of people standing up there. Exciting, eh?

The target is always the last to know ...