2012

I want the 2012 Olympics to not suck more than anyone--after all, I live here now, and I work for the IT company that supports them! Unfortunately, the city itself is not cooperating. Of course they have the usual issues of being over budget and behind schedule, which were exacerbated by the financial meltdown, but these were self-inflicted:

-- First, the official logo cost US $800,000 and looks like a perverted Simpsons character. -- Second, in case you missed it (or deliberately blocked it from your mind) the 2008 handover could not have been more embarrassing: London came in a bus and did a ridiculous dance (because London is known internationally for its dance). The sight of mayor Boris Johnson -- the only mayor in the world more ridiculous than California's -- oafishly waving an oversized flag is forever burned into my retinas. -- Third, Anish Kapoor, a fantastic artist and sculptor, was tasked with designing a tower next to the Olympic stadium.  That it serves no functional purpose is bad; that it has no use after the Olympics is worse; that it looks like a Möbius strip on acid is just too much. (Fly-by video here.) -- And now they've announced the official mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, cyclops aliens made from steel. If you hate life, you can watch their full video here. Hopefully it's viewable outside of the UK. Actually, I hope it's not.