Testing continues in Barcelona, and we're really starting to see a pattern in the times, even if we can't trust that Brawn GP are topping the timesheets and McLaren are at the bottom. Whatever they're doing, at least they are consistent. Elsewhere:
- Briatore is kicking up a bit of a fuss about the rear diffusers again. Williams and Toyota found a clever design loophole that the other teams had missed, Mosley said it was smart but not illegal and now Flav isn't happy. Really, though, isn't he just miffed that he didn't think of it?
- Ron Dennis has told us that the poor McLaren form in testing is nothing to worry about, which I don't think we were anyway. He said that testing is a discipline and the times are not relevant to what will happen in Australia.
- Dank shared the news that the Mark Webber Challenge won't be held in 2009, due to economic troubles. It doesn't seem all that positive that the event will be back at all, which would be a shame, because it certainly brought publicity and money to the charities involved.
That'll do it for now. I hate Thursdays, remember, but don't worry about that, I'll still see you in the comments.
well there's a lovely thought to kick the day off with.
anyone fancy a sneak peek at today's autosport magazine? good:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/autosport-magazine-sneak-peek-1-png
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/autosport-magazine-sneak-peek-2-png
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/autosport-magazine-sneak-peek-3-png
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/autosport-magazine-sneak-peek-4-png
ok, they're a bit small, but what do we think?
It looks the same?
BAT racers results in for Imola. I'm gutted.
yeah, it doesn't it?
they've seemingly put a lot of effort into the photography, which is a good thing. is it enough to save the mag though?
what happened?
Led the race from pole. Made my way up the field after my first pit stop. I was going to take the led on lap 32 but was knocked out of the race by McGregor' Williams.
oh. ummm, i can see how that could be annoying.
From P11 on the starting grid to P2!!!
Oh yes, learning how to setup the car has paid off!!
I'm way too competitive.
:)
It's a Mclaren with a Porsche engine, in short it's lame
First race i've actually finished in the points.....
impressive. where did everyone else finish?
Not in 1986! Prost won 2 titles with that!
1 Grogan (Ferrari)
+0.000
Hard
2 Clare (McLaren)
+1 +30.061 +30.061
Hard
3 Matthews (Ferrari)
+1 +15.346 +45.407
Hard
4 Smith (Benetton)
+1 +2.407 +47.814
Dry Enduro
5 MacGregor (Williams)
+1 +17.257 +65.071
Hard
6 Gault (Minardi)
+1 +1 laps +2 laps
Dry Enduro
Retirements
7 Surendar (Lotus)
-5 Lap 60
accident
8 Lee (AGS)
Lap 39
collision
9 Brunell (Benetton)
Lap 32
collision
10 Woodwiss (Williams)
Lap 29
accident
11 La Canta (Minardi)
Lap 28
collision
12 Glover (McLaren)
Lap 19
steering
13 Roy (Lotus)
Lap 9
collision
14 Van Spaandonck (Ligier)
Lap 9
collision
What a great day. Utd beat Inter, I didn't come last in the quiz and now I've won the BAT race. Sorry Dan you were doing really well.
I've blatantly being setting it up wrong! only found the engineers notes on the 3rd race in..hmmmmmmm
here's an interesting point just picked up from craig scarborough's post on autosport:
"With just this week's Barcelona test before most teams pack up their equipment for the FOM flights to Australia, there is little time left to test new parts."
"Some teams are planning another test, thus having to make their own transport arrangements to Australia..."
sounds like a brilliant cost saving plan to me. don't get on the plane with everyone else, take everything on individual flights!
more here (subs req.): http://www.autosport.com/features/article.php/id/2030
How'd you get those already?
I'm looking forward to seeing if they've improved or murdered it. It has actually been getting better over the last 12 months, after that really dire period they went through.
they're on the autosport homepage, top right. i just screengrabbed them.
;)
Oh that's a nice little tool. It even makes page turney noises. Bit pointless but I like that.
To be honest they did the layout redesign six or twelve months or so ago, when the huge headlines appeared and the photos got bigger.
This looks more a branding execise.
possibly true.
i don't read it, primarily because i can't share any snippets of it online. i found it frustrating to read it and not be able to copy/paste a quote here and there.
I was attacked and punted off. 1986 started so well.
I like reading it over lunch at work but I'm weeks behind, partly because I gravitate towards the website for latest news instead, partly because my lunch is a lot shorter while I'm doing this college course.. (having to make up hrs)...
I only get it when I have to work in Manchester or Leeds to keep me entertained on the train.
Plus I already have a subscription to another magazine and they're not cheap.
motorsport related, or other?
nope, Edge magazine, I'm a big games geek. I'm also a freelance games journalist though so I can get away with it.
perfect :)
I don't know why, but when I read that I heard you saying it in an oddly sinister tone......
me? nooo. i meant it was perfect excuse to subscribe.§
i have no idea what that character represents?
Ah, that's ok then. For a moment I thought you had some video game based plan for world domination.
When this course is over in June I'll have more time during lunch to catch up with mags, news... comments... :-)
And more spare time with no homework..
:D
:D
is it the international symbol for sinisterness?
And you probably can't Google it.
what are you studying (apologies, i swear you've mentioned it already, but i've zero recollection)?
damnit!
sadly not :(
AAT Accounting Technician, which is a bit below a proper Accountant.
I can't remember if I mentioned it already, I don't think I did. I have a terrible memory though.
Oh I think I mentioned the course the other day, but not what it was.
am still reading the same article i linked to earlier. i kinda want to quote every line from it, but here's some speculation of interest:
"Curiously, Ferrari have chosen to run the fake camera pods in both the optional locations (one on the nose and one low down on the roll hoop) at every test. While these pods are neutral in aerodynamic profile their positioning may actually help the car's aerodynamics if they can be placed in strategic point in the airflow around it."
not sure if i've ever heard of a team keen to run those things?
Ah - surely you offset this against income tax as 'research' though??
is it enjoyable? christine does something with numbers, but i get the impression podcasting is more fun!
Probably much ado about nothing. Maybe they're just ensuring that the camera pods won't mess up the car's aero, given the new rules?
It's enjoyable when you can do it and it all balances!
could well be. have you seen any other cars running them? just trawling through some testing pictures now.
But this is the 3rd and final year which is more written stuff, concepts, etc. Somewhat harder and less interesting than before.
(why do I keep hitting Post Comment and *then* think of something else to add?)
Strange. They may be neutral but they are bound to act as flow conditioners. I wonder how long before some team offers to run 22 camera pods. Williams could run one vertically on each side of their cockpit.
Well in theory I've cheated the taxman out of some money for writing I've done for American websites so I guess it all evens out :D
fair enough. roll on june then.
:)
I thought it was only me that did that. Normally I spot spelling mistakes then as well.
i wouldn't complain!
Maybe that is where McLaren has gone wrong
Particularly the ones on the nosecone. Since that area is so restricted now, maybe they are using anything they can get.
the article seems to suggest all is dandy at mclaren and they're working on the details.
Seriously? That seems to contradict what all the other journalists (including pitlane expert James Allen) have been saying.
talking of nosecones, apparently renault have raised theirs slightly, sacrificing downforce for more drivability (do i sound like i know what i'm talking about)?
"All is well at McLaren" isn't such an exciting headline though is it.
I am convinced you are an expert.
w/c 15 June I have 4 x 3.5hr exams on 4 consecutive mornings. If I appear here that week you have my advance permission to ban me until the Friday.
Le Mans is on the 13/14 June. I guess I won't be doing Radio Le Mans + timing into the small hours this year then!
Right, bedtime, catch up with you tomorrow.
Compared to we're doomed it is
It is after a few weeks of "all is bad".
True, but then we're assuming that all is indeed well. I'm becoming more and more convinced it's not...
i don't want to quote it all, but:
"It would be unwise to discount McLaren's pace, as the team devoted some time to testing in preparation for the 2010 regulations... the time would not have been spent if McLaren were in crisis with their new car."
"The wing was used in conjunction with the smaller middle diffuser section, suggesting McLaren are not seeking rear downforce but focusing on a heavily front biased aero split, this allowing the team to work towards better aerodynamic efficiency with their car."
at the moment, i'm siding with craig over james.
True, true! :)
my plan works :)
We will be live commenting the 24 hours but attendance is not compulsory
written on the calendar, sir.
This is very true!
goodnight pat.
Craig is the technical expert so he should be able to 'read' the car better than James who is presumably going on what he has been told and what he can deduce.
only other thing of note really, is the surprise that bmw haven't really done much with their aero package since the '09 car's debut last year.
for the record i think autosport are doing this article a huge disservice by not offering decent illustrations or semi-related pictures of the points in question.
am having to keep a couple of tabs open, just to look at pics of the bits being discussed, and i'm getting those pics out of the autosport gallery!
The amount of time they've been working on it though, you'd expect them to get it right over anyone else!
They have the info and the pics but not the intelligence to put the two together. Unbelievable.
agreed. that front doesn't half look boxy though.
Bear in mind the top teams have three different design teams running on different projects at the same time. McLaren are already 3 months into their 2010 car and started their 2009 car 18 months before it was launched.
BMW must have a new front wing. They can't only have one made of angle iron. I guess they have something so good they don't want to show us it yet.
Yeah, I saw a presentation by McLaren at Huddersfield Uni last year and they had a massive chart showing how all the teams overlap.
Thinking about it, I don't think I have seen so many charts and graphs in such a short space of time.
:D
they're going to save it until friday in melbourne? they must have a huge amount of faith in cfd to do that.
So they started their 09 car in 07? When were the new rules finalized?
I think they started it before the rules were finalised.
McLaren and Ferrari will have a team working on the 2009 car and a separate team starting on the 2010 car as soon as they stopped development of the 2008 car. They also have a third team looking at new technologies. As soon as development of the 2009 car is finished that team moves to start laying out the 2011 car.
see, what you've done there, is request a fact...
i was fine with idle speculation, but no, someone has to go and raise the bar :)
i must sleep. night all.
If we do facts do we become a news site?
Good night.
;)
The way I understood it from the McLaren presentation I saw is that the team working on the 2009 car last year in Woking (well, at least a portion of them) will now spend the year going to all the races as the mechanics. Last years mechanics will stay home this year to work on the 2010 car. The third team always stay in Woking and either work on new tech independent of the car development, or help the other two teams as is necessary.
good night
I don't think the mechanics change but the engineers do.
That probably sounds about right. I know some contingent of the crew alternate years going to races but makes sense to keep the same mechanics.
Being from Tasmania, the Mark Webber Challenge was how I met Webber. It's a shame I won't get to do that anymore (and I missed him last year due to the whole leg thing!). Now I'll have to find a way into the paddock :/
Battery that 'charges in seconds' - BBC News
This could be VERY useful for KERS - I wonder which teams will adopt it first?
I agree with Journeyer...
Brilliant story in the Times reported on 5 Live that a certain guy called Michael jumped in a people carrier and ran round to have a good look at the Merc when Lewis went off...
Apparently he was first at the scene and was having a good look whilst Lewis (who wouldn't take his helmet off) crossed his arms and fumed....
Joe Saward Visits the McLaren exhibit at the Science Museum
I'm really looking forward to this...
"It will help to dispel the myth that F1 is a world of wasteful playboys, zipping around the world, molesting the local women and giving little back to the world at large."
What? Next he'll be telling me there is no Father Christmas. :-(
Misty conditions today in Barcelona
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/goj3ryup9-jpg
There is a chance it will be back for 2010, so don't give up just yet!
Did you take part in the challenge?
is there testing today then? i thought it was only a 3 day test?
*coughs* first four words of the post.
Kemble
Had a call from someboody this morning who had seen race trucks as he whizzed past Kemble. It looks like Ginetta Sportscars only, though the barrier was down this morning - which for Kemble means increased 'security' :-)
Rob Sinfield
sorry, only doohickey is working at school on this comp. i'd read it if i could :(
Ah, I see. Those school computers of yours seem to be basically a brick!!
they are useless... well useless for getting on f1 related websites and other such websites that may act as a distraction. they are great for everything else though. nice thin flat screens, nice keybourds, even nice air conditioned ict rooms, but nearly every site is blocked for students :(
Only doing installation laps, so times so far are:
.1º 17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 00:01'48''358
So shockingly, Honda seem to have bought back the team! Or maybe it is just a typo at http://directo.thef1.es/tests/
They've also already got Hamilton down as having done 45 laps, which suggests McLaren have sorted out the speed if they've squeezed all that lot in.
Taking some inspiration from the F1 exhibition at the Science Museum you should insist that you are doing research into the technological offshoots of Formula 1 and therefore wish to have access to all F1 sites in order to further your investigations.
right i must be off to do some actual work now. bye all.
W...ork?
*looks for dictionary...*
I would love it if McLaren turned up in Melbourne and broke the sound barrier.
Well after Hamilton's little off-track excursion yesterday, they're most likely going to break a crash barrier than anything :-)
:D
haha!
check out the difference in start line performance between the ferrari and the mclaren:
[via a comment here]
Speaking of the Science Museum, are we all still on for the 15th to go look at the F1 display there. If so have we arranged any times yet?
As mega as that video is, I'd be surprised if it was in any way accurate to actual performance. Heiki could have just made a bad start (which looking at last season is a distinct possibility!)
what i love, is all the people with their faces pressed up against the fence :)
15th seems to be almost a certainty. as for times... ummm, not a clue.
We'll be late, though.
oooh yes :)
Can't keep your sidepodcast disciples waiting too long!
Are for definite on the 15th April? I suspect many of us will be taking a days annual leave!
that, and the little "woo-hoo-hooo" at the end
Waiting for Me to put his makeup on then? ;)
Would be interesting to know if Ferrari were launching with KERS and McLaren were not (teams must be trying both if they're not planning to use KERS at some races).
Wouldn't make that much difference at that point.
KERS only activates over 16okph as it's traction limited under that
Do we know if KERS will be allowed to be used off the start line? If only a few teams are using it, that has danger written all over it.
question answered before i even asked it, impressive!
Someone has put together a .pdf off Button's times in testing yesterday. Pretty consistent and quick.
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/racesimbutton-pdf
Piccy from yesterday of Buemi in the STR4: http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/diapo-146-jpg
Just a slight hint of tyre degradation there! Both Red Bull cars seem to be suffering quite badly from it over long-stints.
So Brawn's pace is the real deal?
Dunno.
How much did the car weigh? Its easy to be quick if the car is 80kg underweight.
Good point - but most teams seem to think their pace is at least somewhat legit. After all, they don't have time to monkey around running underweight - there's little time left.
The speed difference isn't instant though (other than can be explained by the difference in when they begin to move). Either the Ferrari finds an extra burst just before getting level with the camera or the McLaren eases off.
Order for today so far:
Rosberg (Williams, 1:19.880, 29 laps), Barrichello (Brawn, +0.091, 32 laps), Vettel (Red Bull, +0.798, 16 laps), Kubica (BMW, +0.860, 55 laps), Massa (Ferrari, +0.933, 29 laps), Glock (Toyota, +1.048, 35 laps), Buemi (Toro Rosso, +1.454, 33 laps), Alonso (Renault, +1.519, 23 laps), Fisichella (Force India, +1.675, 33 laps), Hamilton (McLaren, +2.263, 9 laps)
So McLaren are the slowest AND have run the shortest. Methinks they are encountering some technical glitches this morning.
What is going on with them? They seem to have been slow all testing and it may just be sandbagging but I dunno, it just seems to be a bit suspicious now. I think it was Lee Mckenzie who twittered yesterday from Barcelona that the team were really unhappy with the aerodynamics and the wind tunnel results not correlating with the cars performance.
http://www.justin.tv/mc_kik
Current race: 1993 Japanese GP - Irvine's debut - watch him anger Senna! :)
I'm pretty certain this isn't sandbagging anymore. Even if you want to run slow, you'd still want to maximize track time, given the in-season ban in testing (which will hurt McLaren if they're indeed off the pace). So the only reason they're not running much now has to be related to some sort of problem.
I'll buy train tickets as soon as times are agreed, already renewed my student railcard :D really looking forward to the visit especially after seeing Joe Saward's stuff about his visit.
33% off though, i'd be stupid not to invest in that when travelling from south wales to london with train prices these days!
And look at this!
1. Rosberg (Williams)
...
8. Buemi (Toro Rosso, +1.454)
9. Alonso (Renault, +1.519)
10. Hamilton (McLaren, +1.837)
The 2 world champions are in the last 2 places. Somewhere, Kimi must be smiling. :P
The Ferrari is moving before the McLaren and the Ferrari is on the normal racing line while the McLaren is on the dirty side.
I think the issue here is HOW QUICKLY Ferrari got past. 300 meters is absurdly short, right? I would've expected the Ferrari to stay behind until at least the Turn 1 braking zone if McLaren were on their pace.
The worrying thing about that is that the 2009 aerodynamic changes are based on the OWG's work in the McLaren windtunnel and simulator. If it's true, what hope that they'll have the desired effect?
You have to remember though that we have seen one start. Any number of things could have gone wrong with the McLaren. If they did another 10 starts I'm sure we wouldn't get the same result every time.
Ah! That is a good question. Well, there are already people saying that overtaking won't be anywhere nearly as easy as they desired.
Good point. But I think it's a case of us looking for any positive signs from McLaren at this point - and we're not finding any.
Hamilton running now - he's now run a little over 15 laps.
But Kubica - 70 laps by lunch? Impressive stuff. Seems like their weekend simulation is right on target.
Bear in mind that there are a few thousand laps worth of F1 rubber on the racing line which is something that normally never happens at a race meeting because other classes run and put their rubber etc down. So the difference between being on the line and off it will be more magnified here.
Since the Ferrari is on the line and starts first I am not surprised it passed the McLaren as it did. We have seen cars that start in 2nd place end up 4th by the time they make the first corner before. Besides the teams only need data for the first couple of seconds after a start everyrhing else is unimportant.
Well this is interesting. Alonso has classed Brawn as one of the 'unreachable' teams:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73678
At least he's a bit more optimistic about his fortunes this year though which is good. I'm just a little surprised he feels that the pace of Brawn is legitemate when it could be running on a low fuel tank. But who knows, I obviously hope he's right :D
Button has run a full race distance with two pit stops though so it's looking less and less likely that the fast times are being 'manufactured'.
Right, i've got to go to work. Probably chat to you all later.
See ya
Funny how things work out, no? Just weeks before, many of us were thinking USGPE (then USF1) was more likely to come true than a Brawn-led MBO. And now, Brawn has been at the sharp end of the timesheets all week - and most teams are thinking it's legit!
I know, I'm just reading up again now to see the previous few days. Yetserdays times he finished fastest with the race simulation like you mentioned so as a Brawn fan this is extremely pleasing :)
If this does actually correspond into a really good car this season, I must admit it will have surprised me. I wasn't expecting Brawn to really pull off too much this year but based on how well they've been in testing even though it is testing... well you never know...
see ya chris.
Quick survey:
What has surprised you more?
1. Brawn's consistency at the top of the timesheets
2. McLaren's consistency at the bottom of the timesheets
BAT racers results in for Imola. I’m gutted. {Comment #3}
Have to admit that I would have been much happier if I had stayed on the road all race. Oh well, you win some and you lose some - and hopefully I'll win some when my debut Formula Trinity race gets going in about 20 minutes...
I'ma go with 2, because McLaren just don't seem to be getting over whatever problems are plaguing them. Must be the MBE on the end of lewis' name slowling them down.
Brawn have surprised me but I'm too happy to see them to at the top constantly to act surprised :P
Is the MBE tag still there today, BTW?
I think RG managed to score a point in the Sidepodcast race without actually doing any set-up, which is pretty impressive when you think about it...
Both equally. It is possible for McLaren to make a bad car but not to be last every day. It is possible for Honda to make a good car but not dominate every session.
I can't wait for Melbourne to find out where the truth lies.
Can a BMW with a front wing modeled on angle iron be any good?
Can anything as offensively ugly as the Renault nose be a good thing?
I haven't seen it mentioned yet but I assumed so, so maybe not.
The RLB series seems to have as long an off season as the real thing.
Good luck for the race.
“Some teams are planning another test, thus having to make their own transport arrangements to Australia…”
sounds like a brilliant cost saving plan to me. don’t get on the plane with everyone else, take everything on individual flights! {Comment #17}
Oh dear. This completely misses the point of the testing restrictions, but then again it's what will happen when the teams are prevented from using logical means of improving themselves - they'll use illogical means instead. Stopping them from developing altogether is like stopping the tide from coming in.
I need to borrow the RSPCRF1 TARDIS so that I can introduce Max Mosley to King Canute...
The irony is that this is the first year since 2005 that everyone could have used Bernie Air instead of making their own transport arrangements.
Indeed - but I wonder if the lack of in-season testing will hurt them, and by how much?
Well, this isn't Honda, this is Brawn - led by a guy who's been there and done that. :)
Sure - their car last year had so many winglets, it was impossible to make out the car! But it went quick anyway.
People used to think wings were hideous, but as it turned out, the only hideous thing about it was how it made everyone faster.
They arte testing all sorts of components as well.
High downforce wings, monaco spec components.... It's almost like they are just trying to get all the specs in before the testing ban.
It could be the car is just slow, but when was the last truly slow McLaren?
Honestly don't know what to think at the moment. There is an awful lot of changes happening to the car, but many are for other car specs. Also, if the car is really that slow - why did they spend a day testing the 2010 reg tyres?
1. Brawn’s consistency at the top of the timesheets
although i would twist the question slightly and ask... who's been sandbagging more:
1. honda, by pretending to exit the sport, then coming out with the fastest car and the biggest budget.
2. mclaren, by having a hand in defining the regulations, and then pretending to be out-innovated by toyota.
Not very long ago, actually... Remember the still-born MP4-18 and its 2004 sibling, the MP4-19? Both cars were atrocious - they needed a 19B just to get back on pace.
This reminds me of last year, when you were adament Super Aguri were going to win in Australia.
I'd say, unbelievably enough, Honda - mind you, Honda wasn't really running the team so much anymore by 08 - Ross was already establishing his control over the team.
i remember it well :)
How do you know they have the biggest budget? :-/
could be a hell of a slight of hand, if that's what they've done.
pretended to go bust, convinced everyone they've downed tools, and all the time they've been running 3 or 4 windtunnels and come out with the car of the year :)
fair point. allen speculated they have a massive budget. but others may be bigger.
But then, wouldn't it be awful for Honda? Since they pulled out, they don't get any credit - at all.
I know it's only testing, but the results over the past few days have heightened my anticipation for Melbourne massively.
I can't remember ever getting so excited about a forthcoming season - can't wait for Q1 in just over a fortnight! :-)
It was Honda who built it. It only became a Brawn a few days ago.
not friday fp1?
James Allen has a McLaren sandbagging poll - vote on Twitter!
there's no need for a poll. they are sandbagging :)
Same here :D
I would say p1 but damn work...
FP isn't where it counts though. To coin a Webber phrase: 'when the green flag drops, the bullsh*t stops' :-D
There's that 'work' word again?
Everyone seems obcessed with it! :D
I think they will. If the car is bad it will be a Brawn if it is good it will have Honda DNA
That is an old racing adage. The modern version seems to have become until the green light goes out pile on as much bull as you can
i don’t read it, primarily because i can’t share any snippets of it online.
I read Autosport occasionally, when there's an article in there that looks like it would be of special enduring interest to me (so, for example, I have last week's issue because of the Force India launch, and will get the F1 season preview issue, but will not get this week's because it doesn't have anything I'm likely to refer back to in there).
Two other considerations are that one week of Autosport costs me more than one month of F1 Racing (having an off-line magazine of record is good because knowledge gaps tend to stay fewer that way, but I do have a budget!) and I can't always get to a newsagent where I can think about the purchase before making it (I avoid impulse purchasing and there are weeks when I don't go near a newsagent anyway - F1 Racing comes via my local friendly postal worker).
I know!
it's such an evil word ;)
Somehow, Honda DNA doesn't sound as good as Minardi DNA.
Did this get mentioned yesterday?
James Allen twitted last night that:
"Toro Rosso head of comms tells me he calls the two Sebastiens by their surnames ! But he's ex public school. I vote tweedledum & tweedledee"
Ha! Told ya it's by their last name! But I love James' idea too. :D
I can't just stop calling him Le Seb after an entire year of doing so. Harumph.
What would you call Buemi then? He's no der Seb - he's Swiss! :D
Mr Potato Head
But my Le Seb was here first.
So you have Kermit and Mr. Potato Head then. Hmmm... not bad!
2. For definite. Brawn was to be expected if only because they were running light and putting in some headline grabbers. Maybe that pace is genuine, maybe not. I think the real challenge is whether they can keep up with the other teams over the season.
that should be his radio call.
"box, potatohead, box this lap"
That's Mr Potato Head to you :)
oh.
Honda/BrawnGP have been working on this car a lot longer than the other teams. They essentially gave up on 2008 after Spain, and focused all their efforts on this years car.
Well that is history rewritten all ready, Ferrari didn't win a race that year. :D
McLaren started their 2009 car 18 months before it was launched and are already 3 months into the 2010 car design. It doesn't seem to be doing much for them.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73669
Peugeot are not taking Sebring seriously. I think someone is going to be upset that they are holding Franck back.
i'm still not sold on the 3 team thing.
i get that it's happening, but i don't buy that mclaren put anywhere near as much effort into this years car as honda did back in july / august.
macca were bringing new parts to brazil and that must've taken up windtunnel time and all the rest.
They may not have been doing as much at that time but they started a long time before Honda so they had a lot of work done by the time Honda started serious work on this year's car.
The reason McLaren and Ferrari are so successful is because they have each had spells when year after year they delivered good cars.
we don't know when honda started work on the '09 car though?
we only know the day they committed 100% to the project (french gp, sunday). they too could have had 3 teams working on something. mr brawn, may even have instigated such a process.
Sebring is only used as a Le Mans test anyway these days...
My thoughts exactly. :)
True but we do know that they had serious issues with the data they were getting from their wind tunnel. I would bet a lot of the time they spent running 4 tunnels was trying to correlate the data from one to another to find out where they were going wrong with their own. Just because they were doing all that work does not mean it was all good R&D going towards the new car.
Yes but it is unusual for anyone to be so negative up front. It is almost like they are getting their excuses in early if the new Audi turns out to be really good.
§
i have no idea what that character represents? {}
Simoleons in the Sims series! {Comment #31}
Seriously, the symbol is the section sign, used to help lawyers and the like navigate through complicated documents. Occasionally also used to indicate a footnote when the page is already laden with other symbols indicating other footnotes on the same page.
Goodness, that symbol has a name?! :) Wow, Alia is the pantheon of knowledge, indeed.
Another driver who's hyping up Brawn's performances...This time it's Vettel:
"If it stays like this, Brawn GP will be all by themselves at the front in Melbourne,"
didn't we find out about the wind tunnel problems last off season? Obviously they would have known for a longer time than we did, so i don't think all of the work done with the 4 wind tunnels would have been correlation work.
If i remember rightly Honda were starting to concentrate on the '09 car long before Monaco. I think Ross said something about kers going well and them believing that they were ahead of other teams in development for the '09 car and kers. Suggesting that they were at least 50% working on the new car. That was about a month before France.
i'm really trying not to get my hopes up here... but that pleases me greatly ;) god, i wish testing wasn't like this, i'm getting really impatient. just over 14 days to go....
So they started their 09 car in 07? When were the new rules finalized? {Comment #83}
January 12th this year (as far as I know; there's still time for the FIA to change its mind again). But then if the teams waited for the FIA to make its mind up on the regulations for a given year, they'd never get anything done...
If we do facts do we become a news site? {Comment #85}
No, it becomes a blended site - it does a happy mixture of stuff. As long as you're honest about being a blended site, that's absolutely fine by me ;)
Normally when a team starts work in a new wind tunnel it takes 2 or 3 months to get any good data. Imagine trying to correlate 4 wind tunnels, CFD and reality. I think the odds are that two of the wind tunnels were only ever used to calibrate data and never did any development work.
I am sure they started work very early on the 2009 car but so had McLaren, Ferrari and who knows who else.
Speaking of the Science Museum, are we all still on for the 15th to go look at the F1 display there. {Comment #114}
Radio 4 did a bit on the Science Museum in the news this morning. A lovely way to wake up :)
I probably won't be able to go because I'm saving up for stuff. Hopefully this will include Silverstone, but that's contingent on me getting a job...
Don't know if this has been linked to already, but a video on the F1 display at the Science Museum on the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7937753.stm
agreed. but only two of those were fighting tooth and nail until the last lap of brazil.
look how early bmw diverted their attention to this year.
Just a slight hint of tyre degradation there! Both Red Bull cars seem to be suffering quite badly from it over long-stints. {Comment #129}
Adrian Sutil reported the same last week - I wonder how many other drivers will be thus afflicted? And will this ruin Jarno Trulli's resurgence (I remember him saying in an interview in F1 Racing in 2007 that he absolutely detested graining)?
cheers dank.
The RLB series seems to have as long an off season as the real thing.
Good luck for the race. {Comment #161}
To be fair, I joined before the end of the previous season, just in time to get settled in before driver sign-ups for next season began. Still, the length of the off-season is a bone of contention in certain sections of the RLB community (I don't mind, but some people think three weeks of complete off-season are too many).
The race itself wasn't so good for me - I somehow ended up with a lousy set-up and messed up a restart. So despite not crashing or having any technical problems, I started 12th and finished 13th.
creepy - was playing on 4 different screens all out of sync with each other...
F1 inspired wellies though :D Get Massa some of them?
soz. have replaced with a non-autoplaying version.
why have you got doohickey on 4 screens :)
I was really confused for about 2 and a half minutes. I have quite a few windows open doing different things and all of a sudden I can hear a presentation on Mclaren and the Science Museum. I didn't know videos could self start in the lclt. It took me ages to find out where the noise was coming from.
oh dear.
mine apologies!
Goodness, that symbol has a name?! Wow, Alia is the pantheon of knowledge, indeed. {Comment #207}
Had to learn that mark for a proofreading exam I took (and failed) a few years ago.
Still think of it as the "Simoleon" mark in my head, though...
On the plus side - the video worked nicely in the Desktop doo-dah :D
And of course we have the stupid gap between the two compounds which means one tyre is probably going to be so soft it will throw marbles everywhere.
errrrr - desktop doohicky and live commenting on 'the w word' machine
live commenting and doohicky using the desktop doohicky fiddles with to have 2 windows.
that verging on obsessive ;)
It does depend on which room I'm in at the time. My laptop received a couple of upgrades so is acting as a HTPC at the moment as that is in need to some attention.
Desktop doohicky on a 60" plasma. :D
:D
we might need a photo of that!
Just wait till Australia. ;)
60" plasma showing F1
24" monitor showing live timing and probably bbc streaming info *if it's as good as they say"
17" laptop screen with live commenting open *and a couple of other things...*
All I need now is a bar stool and I'll have my own prat perch. :D
What's your room - a command center?! :P
heheeh!
Near enough. On my w... machine now and in front of me is 3x24" Sony CRT screens *total screen resolution of 6912x1440* and a crappy little 17" LCD showing the status lights for the servers.
Right. Best get out of here - need to see a german about a car.
TTFN
W...? Just say Windows! :P Microsoft isn't all evil, you know... :D Your place is an absolute marvel. :)
...
...
...
they really are :)
I have no problems saying Windows. All my machines are running some varient of it.
As for the evil W word - work... I'm avoiding it at the moment. :D
Are not! :P
I'll take Microsoft business practices over Apples any day. ;) :P
ahh, i assumed windows too.
that makes the two of us, then. :P
But it IS a small w - yep, twas work, all right. :)
Just don't ask about the electricity bill... *wince*
Shuttle launch delayed again?
Oh well...
One day NASA will launch on the first scheduled date and no-one will see it because everyone knows they always miss it. They have launched shuttles over 100 times. You would think the system would have been de-bugged by now.
I can't wait for commercial spaceflight to start up to show NASA what they should have achieved with their budget.
But with the recession, I don't think that will happen anytime soon. If it didn't happen in the boomtime, it won't happen now.
Alonso stops on track - red flag.
This is where we find out it's being run by the same guys who run Virgin Trains. ;)
A lot of the infra structure is in place but the recession happened at a bad time. However a few companies have vehicles that are close to being ready and the New Meico spaceport is effectively operational so they should be able to start up quickly provided they don't go bust. I know Virgin Galactic have taken a small fortune in deposits so I guess anyone who has already paid is going to fly when they are given the chance.
He is the figure head. The guy doing the vehicles is Burt Rutan and he builds some amazing aircraft at Scaled Composites. The space ship they are doing like the one they built to win the X prize is air launched and the mother ship is ready.
Have a look at http://www.scaled.com/
SpaceShip One was a fanstastic beast.
Shame White Knight Two is proving to have a few issues...
Any rFactor experts on here at the mo? Just downloaded the demo and apart from mapping the controls really poorly, I can;t figure out how to get my xbox 360 controller to work properly. Just mapping them in the game just gives really bad feedback, the car just goes everywhere but I've read in a few places how people have managed to get perfect controls for the 360 controllers from places but with no real links or help to say where from...
I just can't use a keyboard for a pc racing game at all. So it'd be lovely if I could find a setup to put into the game ready for a 360 controller :(
I'll help you out later but it sounds like you need to map the sensitivites, controller rates and deadzones properly. Are you using a wheel or a controller? You might need the help aids turned on if you are using a controller as the game is designed to work best with a FFB wheel...
I'll try messing around with the rates and deadzones like you said to get it right. It;s a controller so obviously it's not the best thing for the game if it's designed for a wheel but its just horrible sensitive at the moment. But I'll emss about with it for now in the settings.
You can make it work with a keyboard if you want to, it just ain't as fun.
Save up for a good FFB wheel - trust me, it's worth EVERY penny!
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73683
New French GP circuit and Tilke isn't mentioned.
finally!
You mean there is someone else capable?
That remains to be seen.
By the way, Ollie has some voting going on at Blog F1:
http://blogf1.co.uk/2009/03/12/f12009-the-big-comparison/
Which teams will beat which?
nice idea. voted.
talking of which, in testing i think rubens just got the fastest time of the week:
1:19.196
sorry, jenson's yesterday was: 1:19.127
rubens just put in a: 1.19:103
at least according to planetf1 :)
On now on mc_kik: The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Whoops, wrong thread: Bourdais on track right now.
I know it is only testing. But if Rubens and the rest of Team Brawn win anything this year, it will be the ultimate example of the "Patrick Ewing Theory."
If they win a race or several races, I would love to be in the management offices of Honda to see the look on their faces.
they swapped drivers at lunchtime?
currently reporting on http://directo.thef1.es/tests/ - rubens now broken into the 1.18's:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/rubens-1-18-926-in-testing-png
Now they're just showing off.
:D
Just this afternoon, it seems - around 4 PM.
Their info does not tie up with http://www.f1today.nl/live-update/2009/03/12/circuit-de-catalunya/
They don't have the same number of drivers running. The Spanish site has the latest update but for example they have Lewis doing 9 laps less than the Dutch site. I am even more confused now.
by comparison, last year's fastest lap during the race at this circuit came from kimi:
1:21.670
the fastest lap in qually, came in Q1, again from kimi:
1:20.701
i don't think the circuit has been shortened, has it? i guess a lot of rubber has gone down these past couple of days.
How the heck am I supposed to write a preseason power poll when I cannot figure out what the hell is happening on the grid. There is no way that McLaren is last and Brawn is first.
Isn't it great that we really don't know how the grid will shake out in Melbourne.
I just got moderated. I thought I would get away with quoting a link and adding one of my own.
Blame it on the slicks. ;)
could well be, even nico's into the 19's.
oooh yes :)
:)
The Circuit de Catalunya Wikipedia page has been updated with Ruben's time already. Damn they're fast (Wiki editors & Brawn Gp) :D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_de_Catalunya
are you going to copy the power poll onto your own blog btw?
only i unsubbed from your previous abode some time ago. if not, you may have to plug the posts in the comments ;)
flippin' heck.
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/rondennis-jpeg
Eeehehehe.
It's not a lap record unless it happens in a race.
it is a race. a race to gain sponsorship.
He looks sooo happy to be there.
I haven't figured it out yet. I am actually going through my 90's music iPod to do another one of those "music that explains my thoughts on the upcomming season" posts.
Dodgy Babel Fish translation from http://directo.thef1.es/tests/
"The last test in Montmeló finalizes. The respective single-seaters are returning to their boxe."
I'm slightly perturbed by today's action (and a bit excited too!)
I smell the aroma of a caption competition in the works...
nice one.
what happens if they are actually the fastest team....does the world suck itself into a black hole....like when you type 'Google' into Google....:P
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/toyota-jpeg
At last! A photo of a 2009 car that I actually like!
Let's hope it doesn't turn out like when you type "french military victories" and hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button on google.
You have to consider that Barca might just fit the car brilliantly and they could be rubbish at other circuits, but...
(My but looks big in this post).
ahh, that would be because you cant see either wings lol
I did, insert shock here, my apologies for not logging on seriosly, will really try from now on in.
The words Tilke, isn't and mentioned aren't often said in the same sentance
Is there something wrong with Nico?
:(
No Tilke-Groan required then? ;-)
It's like seeing the grenade being thrown into your foxhole and it fails to go boom.
Not sure what to think now. I don't want to get my hopes up because I've done that before with this team, but it's hard not to.
I know they're out to impress but...
how comes no-one told me about this:
http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/voiceover.html
??
Because it's not a new feature apparently - the iPod Nano had it first...
Becuase it sounds totally useless as a mp3 player?
A single button for all but volume? Didn't this stuff die out in the 80's?
Because it's stupid?
oh :(
but...
"You’ll notice how smoothly and easily VoiceOver works. A lot of thought has gone into creating an iPod shuffle that not only talks, but says the right things."
an ipod with a conscience :)
Have you heard the sample?
:(
:(
Urgh... :/
fine. it's a rubbish product.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Macbook Wheel :-D
When you delete stuff from it does it say
"Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it." ;)
I just think you are better off spending an extra £50 on a screen and more memory.
Wow, they spent a whole load of time and money on that one gag!
Sidepodspace:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7940431.stm
More space junk floating about causing trouble.
But it's so worth it!
Also you should check out Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of S*** That Doesn't effing Work - WARNING - Very potty-mouthed but very funny!
and a different manufacturer. ;)
It's about time they fitted the shuttle with some kind of bin-lorry contraption.
Does anyone else wish the Space Shuttle was a bit more like Thunderbird 2?
Just make a shuttle with a large screen covered in fly paper.
OR:
Make a spaceship like the mothership off Spaceballs and use it to suck up all the junk into it's vacuum cleaner :-)
Or send up all the shuttles at once but tie them all to the ground and pull the planet into a cleaner bit of space. Maybe.
That's just ludicrous! ;-)
You're right, we'd need the Russians to send up some rockets to help out as well.
Where is everyone this evening? What are you all up to?
Eating way too many muffins
and keeping my site up to date (not me blog)
Making a steak and kidney pie. Shame I'm useless at pastry.
Listening to music and watching F1 intros. The first ITV ones were actually reallty good! Then it all went wrong with Moby...
Just about to make a stir-fry. I've hardly eaten all day, I'm bloody starving.
Man you guys are eating late!
...and that reminds me, I'm supposed to be writing an article as well. I've not been switched on today at all.
I'm watching last night's CL highlights (and this thread, of course ;-) )
You're all making me hungry. I'll have to go cook
Muffins are classics and can be eaten at any part of the day
Other half works in London - Have to cook this late for when she comes home.
Yes... I'm under the thumb... :D
I come home late too ... God I love what the missus cooks for me :-)
Talking of muffins, I was listening to the podcast this afternoon where Mr C did Blue Peter style muffins, live on air. I was giggling away to myself and people probably though yep she's gone mad.
Has anyone worked out what car they use for the BBC F1 adverts??
I'm thinking F3000 or something like that, but i don't know!
I think its some sort of South African Junior Series Car.
Someone's watching celebrities up a mountain as well then!
Its very F1 esq though, junior cars don't look like that
that was a long time ago :)
although i've not improved since.
Oooh, something intresting on tv
my bro climbed it the week before, so we want to know what he did!
I was trying to work out when I first started coming here and I remembered the team apple cake and chocolate cake sidepodpanels so I was working backwards :D cheered me up no end
Is he coming down the mountain with the celebs coming up and waving and going mental in the background of say, Chris Moyles?
My first and only panel appearance, sparked with controversy.
Until Sunday :)
i can tell you when you first commented, if that helps?
You haven't tried since!!
Perhaps, still no special question as of yet though, but I do have some questions I thought of during English today.
My workmate climbed it the week before, too!
I think it was October sometime .. just surprised me that it's been so long. Time flies when you are enjoying yourself
ummm, maybe not this sunday. we're still sans a mixing desk. major apologies. will keep you posted.
for the record. never buy anything from these guys: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/ they are so hopeless it's criminal :(
true, but i haven't improved then, have i?
That is still technically a plug...
Methinks it should be live pancake making next :P
So I have another week then, basically the show before the race then?
My Dad is doomed
ha!
at the moment yes. we have two alternatives. go and buy a new mixer or pray it arrives tomorrow / saturday.
i don't see either happening to be honest :(
you're selling your dad through dolphin?
I don't mind, that means I get to do all the prediction questions :D
I won't get a mic that way ;) He just buys a lot of stuff for his guitar from their, there is a store nearby.
By the way, get a headset - i think you get less feedback and the sound quality is better...
Maybe you can add clips from of loads of past shows and we could have a guess the episode game
Cheers for the tip mate. Probs what I was getting anyway but I don't know what I mean half the time.
ahh. well they were fine until i tried to get something replaced / repaired and now they are all shades of useless.
have gone to the people above them (the manufacturer's support team), and they laughed when i said who i'd bought it from.
:(
So who are you claiming the warranty with? Have the manufacturers just fobbed you off to Dolphin again?
no, manufactures use the uk arm of: http://numark.com/
they are very nice and very helpful, but seem to be limited by how much they can help until dolphin get off of their useless backsides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/yossidlr
Today's (and yesterday's)testing is up.
Damn, that Brawn car looks glued to the track.
In the vid of yesterdays testing (Part 2) there's a great sequence of shots of a few different cars braking for the first corner. Seems to me that the Brawn car manages to brake a lot later than the others. Can't read too much into the vid though...
thanks you sir.
i think this was your first comment jackie:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2008/10/25/alive-alive-o/#comment-133130
Dolphin are shocking, i've had numerous problems before ordering from them. I bought a guitar that never turned up, they took the money and it was out of stock. Had to wait ages to get it back.
These guys are much better:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/
Ooh thank you. I remember that :)
Of course
Dom Jolly Jackie and Ollie!
That's the problem ... the manufacturer blames the store and the store blames the manufacturer.
Look, when it comes down to it, the only way to get stuff done is to go down to the store, get angry, mention trading standards and 'consumer rights' tv programmes... the store will be so embarrassed and will just want to get rid of you that they'll fix the problem how you want.
It ain't pretty, but by God it works!
cheers, rcc.
i've gone so far as to say to dolphin - let me buy a new mixer from you, so that you can ship it to me now. then if it turns out the original one was broken, you can refund me. if it was something i did, i'll take the hit on the price of a new mixer.
that's more than fair if you ask me?
i don't have time to do that by sunday :(
One comment in and you were already part of a kids tv show. ;)
They'll never go for that as it would screw up their sales, stocktake and repair systems - way too difficult!
grr!
This bit worries me
"@Ollie, if you’re anything like us, your social life disappeared the minute you started a blog ;)" from Mrs C
hey... just thought i'd check and see if they're on twitter:
http://twitter.com/dolphinmusic
hmmmm
:D
What desk/mixer are you looking for?
There is always the ever reliable http://www.canford.co.uk/ although that might require slightly more work that plug and use :-)
Or occasionally Richer Sounds have things....
I blame Jolly :D
i just want the one we own to work!
http://www.alesis.com/io26
Wot?
I've worked in TV-store and I can tell you, IT ain't pretty in there! It was all disconnected DOS-based systems and was a pain in the Nick Fry to use properly!
*Insert Knob pun here*
Damn the new cars look good on track.
I watched a season review of last year and I couldn't help thinking how ugly they all were.
Um - and legally the *retailer* has to deal with it. They can't fob you off to the manufacturer (or the man. agent/nominated company) or you are deemed to have accepted 'fault'... if its a 'not of merchantable quality' thing (as in, broken in normal use within what would be considered a reasonable lifespan) they are supposed to collect at their cost or refund shipping to you for return and at the least offer a credit note... decent retailers (inc. online ones) refund on return if something is less than a year old and a quick exam shows up nothing fiddled with and then argue it out with their wholesaler themselves...
How things can change in just a few months! :)
Yes that is correct in most countries - the retailer sold it to you on behalf of the manufacturer for a markup and so has to deal with any problems etc...
they haven't refused to do any of the above. the problem is they won't do it with any sense of urgency.
three to four weeks seems to be an acceptable turn around time in their eyes. i'm trying my best to speed up the process, but they aint budging :(
completely. however, the manufacturer support people are very keen to help. and promise a quick turn around, if someone would just send them the damn mixer :D
I know! I was always the one saying how good the fins and bull horns looked. Can't stand them now!
Really??? That is shocking. In my experience the problems were usually because the service companies we sent the stuff to were heavily backlogged and took too long for the customers' liking!
I miss last years!
not in this case. having described the fault to both parties. dolphin are doing it by the book and numark are keen to replace, but can't actually deal with me direct.
there is a third option. by a new one from elsewhere and risk ebaying the repaired one upon its return.
Cannibalise it for parts? You can guarantee with the amount you guys use it that you'll need a spare part or two once it wears out...
hahaha. we can't afford x2 mixers :)
Get plugging the show your sidepodlove button?
Or force people into craaaaazy bets.
:D
that's a lot of sidepodlove there.
i didn't force anyone. i wasn't even here :)
btw Mr C, did you listen to the filmspotting thing then?
yes. it was subtle and it worked well. i've just got to convince christine that we should read out more lists of names.
I finally made a start on the latest MotorSport and found two stunning statements
First Jackie Stewart said that Lewis Hamilton could be the new Jim Clark. To the best of my knowledge Stewart has never compared anyone to Clark. The only other driver who I have ever heard compared to Clark was Johnny Herbert before his accident.
Eddie Jordan talking about his BBC job said that Bernie has agreed to do a piece with him at every race. Bernie media friendly? I guess EJ knows where a few bodies are buried.
hehe. Might work well.
So a perfectly accurate statement then. Hasn't tried - therefore - hasn't improved. :D
woah woah woah.... where did this gem suddenly come out of nowhere in Motorsport? Let's see how many races he keeps this up for. I say until Bahrain. :D
Erk... heck I get grief if I don't turn around orders or returns (when I'm open, lol) in 3-4 *days*.... 3-4 weeks is slower than sodding PCworld ever take on these things.
Hmmm - have you tried the 'send me a pdf to print off of your returns label and the covering letter for the manufacturers and I'll 'drop ship' it straight there?' tactic?
Do you think that they are figuring that they've lost your business anyway so they just don't care? In that case sod them and go straight to the manufacturer anyway.
(on the flip side - what are the symptoms of 'not working'? just wondering if its a fuse or similar and someone local to you could do the job quickly? Assuming you are in a city with a BBC/other stations are available studio, there are likely (very) to be peeps around to do such stuff reasonably cheaply (as in, less than the cost of shipping it somewhere).
ETA - just seen your further comment. Numark should be able to take a direct delivery from you for return direct to yourselves (there is provision for that in the sale of goods act without retailer no-fault issues) all dolphin should need to do is send them an email or fax or even *verbally* give a returns number etc... would a friendly soul at numark call dolphin?)
But thats four races in! Malaysia at least.
nope, but i will in the morning, ta.
every time we turn it on it has a random new fault, and the last fault has gone.
so, one week funny noises in the background, next sunday the volume for skype input doesn't do anything, next week it'll cut out sporadically. sometimes two channels get mixed up etc.
i have an endless list of annoyances, but they were bearable, because off/on worked everytime. now it no longers powers up from the power brick and intermittently cuts out when powered from the mac.
I was stepping it a bit too far...
Rubber mallet time! :D
saving that for dolphin.
My other half has just asked what it means....
Rubber mallets cause a reasonable amount of shock damage and leave no marks. ;)
I don't see the point in moving the crew into the Soyuz and not closing the hatch. That is just crazy.
oooooh.
Sounds like oranges in a sock.....
It would be good if every time they wanted to launch it they didn't have 6 weeks of delay after it reached the pad. Imagine Thunderbirds where someone needs to be rescued and gets a call saying Thunderbird 2 has a hydrogen leak. Give us four days and we will have another go at launching but we may have to delay that.
On a serious point. Very soon someone is going to have to take responsibility for clearing up all the junk that is floating around up there before someone dies.
Who knew Mel Brookes was so far ahead of the time technically?
How will they do that? Get a big magnet?
But it just might work and they could solve global warming at the same time.
I believe I already solved that problem. Lots of rockets and lots of rope. Simple.
Works extremely well on hard drives.
Ummm... apparently... ;)
Hard drives are surprisingly hard to break open.
On a completely different topic:
What do you guys think of genius for iTunes and should I be worried about any privacy concerns with it?
We need to add a page on the wiki for sidepodbets. Where we make predictions for things like this. I am setting the over under line for Eddie Jordan interviewing Bernie at 6.3 races.
It's done a good job for me, recommended several good alternatives to my music at times. Annoys some people though or so I've heard from friends.
is this the thing that guesses music that you'll like?
For a rock fan suggests Fluffy Pink Kittens?
Apple already know eveything about you anyway.
If I could answer that I would be rich. My guess is most of the junk is made of alloys that are not magnetic.
The only slight flaw with that apart from the energy and time need is we have to pull the planet through the debris.
:D
:D
spread betting on sidepodcast?
But that's the genius part.....
Ok, I'll come clean, there is no genius part. I'm not the rocket scientist I made myself out to be.
Could do some specials
Mr C to blame Steven Roy on next show - 21
Mr C to spark some controversy on next show - 2/1
Mr C to mess up on next show - 1/5000
What are the odds on him not messing up?
Very optimistic. :)
I think I'll keep my money. :)
Have you seen the names of my Fantasty Racers teams? ;)
1/10000
They can't top wigglywigglywigglywooshswoosh can they?
He threw three free throws
and
Eleven Benevolent Elephants
I remember that one being announced :)
a certain someone, has written a certain post, which is now available for perusal:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2009/03/12/jim-who/
;)
perusal....good wordage
get lost!
Is there a problem? :)
:(
Kimi quotes!
http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/11721/510/
Not sure I can single out a favourite from all of them. All pretty much along the lines of 'I'm not interested'. ;)
An absolutely brilliant read as always, Steven and it's great to hear about unsung hero's who have contributed so much to our sport:)
I'm constantly impressed by the quality of the writing by those who post or write articles on here, long may it continue..
Bloody hell it's like getting blood out of a stone with him. He must really hate the media!
Aww man, Facebook's changed it's layout AGAIN!
Genius. Truly genius.
Has anyone linked to Yossidr's latest testing video?
"The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you?"
"It protects my head"
No messing around with Kimi.
Was the pele quote in there?
yeah, but it couldn't hurt to embed it:
i havent seen the Brawn GP car working, but this is a beautiful video!! i love it :)
I've just found a video about how NASCAR is better then F1!! OMG it's so lame, it's some furry cartoon character called Digger facing off against his French F1 loving cousin. You got to see it to believe it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-DJqWxf0K8
Ah, actually, this is the best:
Kimi, have you ever got angry about anything, and jumped up and down and shouted?
Yeah, many times but of course you’re not happy if you retire or something but I guess it mostly happens more in normal life than in racing.
Can you give us examples?
No, not really.
What are the kind of things that make you angry in normal life, as you say?
If you keep asking questions like those.
Heh, thanks. :-)
(don't mind me, I'm just catching up)
It'll be hard to stay away! I'll leave it running and dip in and out.
Yeah, right...
:D :D
i said that about bathurst. never even heard of the damn race, but by 5am was contemplating skipping the start of the f1 gp.
Seriously? I officially hate NASCAR now!
The worst thing is FOX actually paid to make it!!! It's part of the race build up.
my god i'm shattered, that was one long concert. so i trust everyone is okay and has had a good evening? :)
That was made by Fox? wtf?
Clearly they want NASCAR to be taken seriously. Or not.
Mission successful.
Better get practicing. ;)
The don't actually come up with a reason why NASCAR is better though!! Just insult his cousin and then have him drive into a tree. I laughed my behind off so much
If something is as wimpy as cricket in terms of rain, you can't be taken seriously.
Damn that NASCAR, now I can't get bloomin 'NASCAR is the kiiing' out of me head. Grrr.
Cricket is a real mans sport damnit!
Alright when playing, watching is rather dull. Real Mans sport is Rugby (league, duh)
I hope that was a joke.....
Finally remember to do my BATracer practise.
I think I'm going to cry, but that could lead to something happening on the panel. Basically its not a joke, I love league and its at least better than union
Is it manly to do dry humping when you get tackled? If so, then yeah, League is very manly!
Oh sh
:( Your all evil
I couldn't agree with you less, but let's not fight.
How about we just agree that both are better than football? :)
WHAT?
Ok, not going to find a middle ground there!
:D
need a quick recap on what you've missed lou?
Anyway, I'd rather watch football than League any day :p
F1 is better than all of them
Oh you've got that right ;)
Here here.
http://forum.planet-f1.com/index.php?t=msg&th=73356&start=0&
Brilliant caption competition, I love the shot with the Ferrari mechanics about to hose down the McLaren pit crew
Lets never discuss anything other than formula 1 mate ;) It may be the only way I end up not going mad.
please.i'm not going to get through all the comments this evening, and i'm not even thinking about opening my feed reader :P
But NASCAR is the King? ;-)
Brawn was fastest and the astronauts in the ISS had to hide from a little piece of metal.
Nothing else happened.
did you hear 'bout rubens?
Luke text me and told me he was fastest, not sure if he ended the day fastest though.
yay! and erm... a piece of metal??
That has got to be my new 'are you serious' phrase
Agreed. Lets never fight again ;)
We're thinking about getting a really big magnet.
Pint?
of coke obviously before anyone says anything
erm... i suppose that could work. there must be lots of bits of metal in space... it didn't happen to be from their tool kit they lost last time did it? :P
It was just a tiny little piece of metal doing 20000 mph or something so they went into the Soyuz because it is a bit more solid and a smaller target but they didn't close the hatch.
Obviously :)
You're quite upset about the hatch thing, aren't you?
i've just watched the latest testing video. does anyone else think that when the toyota and force india are coming towards the camera they look like they are trying to eat it?... that could just be me though.
They think it is from a Delta rocket or some other rocket. No idea how they can tell that but they are rocket scientists.
didn't close the hatch? huh?
There is no point going in there if you don't close the hatch. The only reason for abandoning the ISS is in case the piece of metal punctures it and lets all the air out. Hiding in the Soyuz with the hatch open only stops them having the metal impaled in them but they are going to be dead in seconds any way so I don't see the point unless NASA's insurance has a get out clause for suffocation but not for being hit with a piece of NASA metal.
My thoughts exactly.
Eat the camera? Erm...
yeah i'm really tired... sorry.
Before I
goodnight all
night rg.
No need, I haven't seen the video yet.
Am going to now though! :P
Good night RG
night rg
night
Everything is better than football. And yet I do watch the odd game.
I watched a game only last night. It was purely as a social gathering though.
It was also as dull as a dull thing.
i've just noticed something on RealBrawn GP's facebook status -
"Real Brawn GP is pleased at the testing times, though the fast times are done on low fuel runs."
and then a little more info
"Short to mid length runs are looking great, but there's tyre degradation issues on the long runs that could case a problem in Melbourne."
no idea if this has already been mentioned. I don't remember having reading about tyres possibly being a problem for them in Aus though.
I thought they were going to be a problem for everyone, with the graining.
There were a few comments earlier about tyre wear but nothing about Brawn. There was a pic of a Red Bull or STR and the tyres were badly marked. The tread looked like it was three different colours.
Sutil yesterday was complaining about graining.
WHOOP! Evora may be moved up to November instead of January! :D
Now that the new-look Autosport is actually out and we can see it close-up, what's the consensus?
I like the features and pics, I can get used to the font.
I don't like the cluttered pages. I don't like that they plugged DC's new column and only mention on the last page that it actually debuts next week. I'm not keen on the logo and the letters are now too small and hidden at the back.
Other than that it's fine. :-)
bed time I think, night all
Good night Chris
i haven't bought it. was hoping you'd tell me :)
night buddy.
Still seems a very long way off.
I wil pick one up tomorrow
It is... I need a car next week too. Went and had a go in a 3 year old RX-8 - what a fantastic car. Also tried a BMW 335 M Sport Coupe - hated it.
sidepodspace
Every time NASA postpones the shuttle launch the blast off time gets earlier which is a good thing in this part of the world.
They are now quoting unday 7:43pm Eastern 11:43 UK as the definite/probable/possible/maybe launch time unless of course it gets delayed again.
You are just picking fun cars and playing with them.
Until I buy one. The RX-8 is leading the pack at the moment. Also available for 6-7k
A mate had one as his company car and he really enjoyed it.
Seems like a great car, handles well, goes well and looks superb. :D Love the red and black interior you can get.
Somewhat hard to find good ones locally though.
Same everywhere and you have to be sure the previous owner looked after it or you end up with a big bill.
I like the fact that you have to find one where the engine has been thrashed to get a great one. :D
My favourite bit has to be the front page:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS... LEWIS HAMILTON'S BOSSES
Er, that'll be Whitmarsh and Dennis you condescending gits?
Other than that, it's laid out a bit better and the fonts are easier to read. The letters etc at the back seems like a bad move, like they've been relegated there.
Oh and the Kubica interview. Now I dunno if you ever knew this, but guess what! Yes! He plays poker! No really!
oh goodness feel asleep a bit there.. suppose that's a sign that i should get some sleep. night all x
Good night Lou
Speaking of condescending. I switched the TV on to channel-hop and the first thing I saw was an advert for domestic cleaning products.
"So easy even an man can do it."
Grrrr. I won't be buying that one EVER.
This is where we find out it’s being run by the same guys who run Virgin Trains. {Comment #248}
The train I came home on tonight (not a Virgin one) was surprising because it arrived at least 12 minutes early - and left 3 minutes before it was supposed to. As a result I got home early.
This is unheard of for British trains!
Although it seems we can't spell.
an iPod shuffle that not only talks, but says the right things. {Comment #301}
It doesn't tell you to turn your volume down when listening to it through earphones, does it?
Or is this Apple's prototype for automating the PR officer function?
Man you guys are eating late! {Comment #323}
I had my tea at 9:15pm (after college). Luckily lunch was also a bit late or I'd have been really hungry...
Does... not... compute... *Fzzzzzzzzzt!*
Evening all, just popping my head in before I go to bed.
Few things
First, nice article from Steven once again.
iPod Shuffle - I think it is an interesting design.
Yes the new Nano has voice capability, but that is limited to spoken menus. The new shuffle talks over the music and will tell you what you are listening to, which Sois different. The voices are generated from the voice synthesizer engines built into OS X and Windows - what did you expect it to sound like - "you're listening to iPod Shuffle FM, with the time coming up to 11 minutes past 10, here's the new one from..."?
There are some drawbacks to the controls on the headphone cable, but finally there is an iPod that can be used by a blind person.
ISS and debris - If the station were hit by an object as small as the one they were hiding from, the air would take several minutes to escape, more than enough time to close and secure the hatch. I'm also guessing that if the hatch is closed then it is easier to inadvertantly press the button that undocks the Soyuz module from the station. That would be a pretty big 'oops'.
He must really hate the media! Comment #449}
Well... ...one of Kimi's quotes on that site is:
Says it all, really.
Two other favourites from there are:
Now that's what I call a practical bloke (even if the latter quote didn't really answer the question...)
Also if the Soyuz was hit they might need to get back aboard the station in a hurry.
Before they can close the hatch they have to power up the Soyuz and none of the articles mentioned whether that was done or not.
I would like to think that the occupants are sufficiently well trained not to press the big red button the says do not press on it but even if they did separate the Soyuz can easily be docked again.
The Soyuz is pretty solid. Either way if the hatch is open there is no real advantage being on side or the other.