Picture this: You're at work late, there's not a television in sight and you're a die-hard curling fan. It's the first year the sport is in competition, and you just have to find out what's going on.
Thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can get curling--or biathlon, luge, skating, snowboarding, skiing, hockey, bobsled--results in real time. You can also get loads of other information TV won't give you: bios on the athletes of your choice, full schedules of when events are being televised, Olympic history, Nagano history, even a countdown to the 2000 Games. On top of all that, there's interactive features that extend beyond your standard remote control options like mute or channel up.
Here's a sampling:
* Let the Games Begin: Everything you could ever want to know about the XVIII Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, is at http://www.nagano.olympic.org/. The official site, from the Olympic organizing committee, has a countdown to the Games, which start Saturday in Nagano but on Friday for us; news in Japanese, English and French; athlete bios; daily pictures from Nagano; Java game schedules; information on participating countries; camera updates every 15 minutes from the top of the ski jump; and a trivia game. In addition, the VRML Dynamic Seating Viewer allows users to choose a seat at any of five stadiums. Once the competition gets underway, real-time results will be posted. The site's Kids Plaza has more activities, stories and pictures.
* Speaking of Kids . . . : The Nagano '98 Kids Info Center is an offering from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the center, which provides information in English, pint-size fans can learn about the Games, sports, science and eco-friendly technologies at the Games. They can also earn about how other kids are getting involved in the Olympics and take a virtual trip through Japan on the way to Nagano to find information on culture and events. The Kids Info Center is at http://www.mofa.go.jp/nagano/
* The Eye on the Internet: You'll be watching the games on CBS, but those in the know (and now that includes you) are already tipped off to info on the CBS Web site (http://www.winterolympics.com). In addition to the standard news, features, history and bios, the site has forums, chats, an arcade, a medal count, videos and schedules. There's also a place where you can find out which Olympic athletes are from your hometown, a Shockwave primer on bobsledding, and the top 10 Winter Olympics athletes of all time.
