We now know that Bernie and Slavica are set for divorce, but that's about the only news out there at the moment. Nevertheless, we still have plenty to discuss:
- Apparently the FOTA will be discussing qualifying at their upcoming meeting, and upon such news, Kathi came up with a great question: Don't they have better things to be talking about? But also, is their lap by lap suggestion any good?
- Andy has written an open letter to Slavica asking for her to tweak things a little when she's in charge of F1. What would you like her to improve?
- Your top ten drivers for 2008 are still wanted. Put your thinking caps on and get a list in the comments. I've created a spreadsheet to make an average and will be updating as we get more in.
- When will Bernie announce the Mars GP?
Don't forget that you can discuss anything you like in these daily threads, you're not limited to what I've listed above. Let us know what you're doing for the weekend, and if you've anything exciting planned. I'll see you in the comments.
Haven't we asked this one before? All FOTA were ever going to do was discuss solutions to problems that don't exist. All of these talks seem to be distractions from the real issues facing the sport.
I'll admit the current qualifying system isn't perfect, but I'm happy enough with it for now. It's certainly not one of our main concerns as fans.
Well, that's the point. With so many things going on, why has this suddenly resurfaced?
So should we be expecting a Croatian Grand Prix?
Ahhh, Christine:
I already gave you my top ten back at 1:13 am, GMT, November 21st, 2008, AD.
Ah, sorry. Thanks Jordan :)
You should be, poor Button just doubled his score!
I wasn't being entirely serious.
AD. Hehehe. :)
Anyhoo, what's the plans for this weekend? Will we have any podcasts, or are you guys on break? :)
Well, she broke my stone tablet when I picked (scribbed would be a better word) "BOVDAIS MAXMIVS" to win the 4 horse chariot race, MMVIII BC .......
She had her heart set on guy named "Judah Ben-Hur" back then....
yup. methinks debrief sunday afternoon. followed by panel at something o'clock, which will probably be determined by who, if anyone is around.
we're kinda flexible / disorganised like that.
:D
Hahaha! Funny stuff.
At least life isn't so hectic now. :)
Oh, any plans for any future Sidepodquizzes? :)
Was he French by any chance?
No, he was Gaul. :P .
Christine posted a request for volunteers on the wiki a couple of days ago.
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Sidepodquiz
I just got moderated for mentioning that there is a section in the wiki looking for volunteers for the sidepodquiz
Found it.
looking at the wiki: http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Future+Hosts
christine's created x2 seasons (and it looks like you be hosting the first one of s2). i think that makes this week's the penultimate show of this season (that sounds weird, but hey). after that, i should imagine more squizzes should be forthcoming.
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Sidepodquiz
^^ that page appeared recently too, but like i can keep up.
you got there before me!
Don't ever say squizzes again.
Nite everyone. I have to head to "work" tomorrow.
i have no idea how you keep up with the updates, but apparently the page now contains those who've already accepted the challenge, in the order what they said "yes".
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Sidepodquiz
sorry.
see ya j. :)
It's called an RSS feed.
right. yeah, sorry.
i get it now. me + wiki's maybe not made for each other.
I click on the what's new button and read everything that has been aded since I last checked.
Night Jordan
thank you, edited! :)
squizzes has a nice ring to it. :P
Sadly Mark Webber has been 'seriously injured' after being hit by a car whilst competing in his multi-sport charity event. He's been airlifted to hospital.
http://www.f1break.com/2008/11/22/breaking-news-mark-webber-airlifted-to-hospital
Yeah. Seems he's got a broken leg... Thank *insert deity* he's ok... But will he be fit enough to race in March? I would have thought so...
Edit:
ABC radio reports that Webber has suffered multiple fractures to his arms and legs. Head-on collision with an SUV...
Damn right. The initial reports that came through were very worrying indeed.
It doesn't seem to be clear at the moment. In the UK, the BBC have been reporting that he suffered multiple fractures to his arms and legs as well. But I heard ABC's Alistair Nicholson say that injury is confined to a broken leg
The BBC have been repeating that he is a major doubt for the start of next season, although they seem to believe that his injuries are more serious than just a broken leg.
>ABC (Australia) radio later reported that Webber had suffered multiple fractures to his arms and legs. (Yahoo news)
photo and story (ABC)
below are some edits from the linked story
Rescuers say Webber has a broken leg, but is in a stable condition.
"Basically Mark was riding down the Fortescue Road and he's had an accident running into a car coming the other way and basically broken his lower leg," he said.
"Mark's been involved in a minor accident, he's fine," she said.(the media manager)
Webber Challenge Organiser, Geoff Donohue, says Webber is in good spirits but will stay in hospital for about three days.
"They'll be inserting a rod this afternoon to hold that [leg] in position - and that's about all I know at the moment - that he will have the best rehabilitation, so it's a little early," he said.
The incident could see Webber out of action for at least six weeks.
Webber update: latest news from australia (8am GMT Saturday)
he has broken leg, and is in a stable condition. to all those reading the posts from the top down, you can relax - he's doing okay :) Expected to be out for 6 weeks, but more information after the pin goes into his leg I guess.
Morning all.
Shocked to see this if I am honest, really hope it is just a broken leg cos it could be bad for the start of the 09 season.
Must thank his lucky stars its only a few weeks after the end of the season, not a few weeks before.
I wonder if it was DC driving the car...
...
*Shakes head
He has broken his right-leg which suffered several fractures and requires a pin. He'll be in hospital for three days before being able to leave.
Might be a strange coincidence, but Webber is the patron of an Australian charity that is trying to promote awareness for cyclists on the road. I can't remember off the top of my head, but an Australian athlete was killed in a cycling accident a few years ago, that coupled with the well above average number of cyclists killed down-under, led him to spearheading the campaign.
Hope he has a speedy recovery.
Amy Gillett was the athlete mentioned above...
Trust MW to change all that. Poor bugger. The video and pics I have seen have him trussed up being loaded onto a chopper. Precautionary, but still not a good look.
big news of the day. f1fanatic have sold out:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/11/22/here-is-the-news/
my thoughts here:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/11/22/here-is-the-news/#comment-226122
i guess the spam checker was ahead of its time :)
You gave me a scare there! Seriously, I thought Keith sold the whole site to someone else! But yeah, letting in GMM? Very disappointing. But hang on, why would you say Keith sold out to GMM? Does GMM pay him to put their content on his site?
Man, I just saw the ITV news, and it said Mark's accident was him colliding head on with another car while on his mountain bike in the race! I knew the accident was bad, but had no idea it was anything like that!
As a note: To be fair to Keith, he said:
So if GMM DOES prove to be crap (which it probably will), Keith will still toss it out the window. :)
sorry, i meant sellout as in:
"One who has betrayed one's principles."
how can he not know how bad they are?
the site's gone from a must read blog to a second-rate news clone overnight.
It's sad to hear that Mark Webber got injured. Hope he recovers soon. :(
I'm thinking, it must have been around a tight bend cos they would have saw each other instanly if it was on a straight.
Oooh. When you put it that way, that makes it sound worse.
I'll give Keith the benefit of the doubt for now. If I were a betting man, I'd say F1F will dump GMM sooner rather than later.
Whats the difference from that to using an RSS feed from somewhere like autosport?
You mean why did he pick GMM over Autosport? Autosport's stories belong to Autosport. GMM, on the other hand, sells their stories to other sites - do I understand this right, me?
oh gosh, that sounds nasty. :( Poor Webber. I hope he gets well soon.
I've never heard of GMM before (sounds like a good thing for me then ;)), so it finds stories and then sells it to sites so they can put it up?
Is that what your saying?
that's the deal yeah. they badgered us about joining their network when we just starting out. but most of the stories turn out to be complete nonsense.
Oh, I see. So they could be saying Di Grassi has joined Honda when it is actually Senna?
yeah, more info here:
http://gmmf1.net/index.php?action=show&content=about
the pitch is utter tosh though.
Don't worry, Lou. Let's remember: Michael Schumacher suffered the same injury in 1999. Not only did he make a full recovery, he won 5 straight titles for the next 5 years! Knowing Webber's passion for physical fitness, it shouldn't be anything he can't fight back from.
Oooh. This could make for an interesting anecdote in Sidepodcast history - when that episode does come out. ;)
Wow. It is utter tosh. :O
Thats a pitch, looked more like a lie to me.
I mean, it says exclusive and it practically has the same news stories as the rss feed on both autosport and F1Live
exactly that. i think it was them who earlier this year suggested that dc would go to renault, piquet to str and bourdais to red bull.
some crazy merry-go-round that couldn't of happened in a million years and it ends up syndicated around the web in minutes.
Dear oh dear.
Well, it's exclusive in the sense that their stories are utter tosh and no one else will print them.
On another topic, Justin.tv ran into a bit of trouble last Wednesday. Apparently, a Florida teenager broadcasted taking his own life through the website. Apparently, piracy isn't the only problem they're battling right now.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/21/florida-teen-live-streams_n_145499.html
I have a comment in moderation, BTW. Slightly off-topic, so you can choose to pull it up or not, as you see fit.
:D
not sure where we stand on that one, but i've published it. hope it doesn't upset anyone.
Yes, I heard that story on the news. Quite shocking really.
It really wouldn't. Goes something like:
"GMM want us to syndicate their stories."
"Haha."
Indeed. I guess we just have to remember that for every new media that gives everyone a chance to be heard on the Net, while it cause a tremendous amount of good, there will be times that bad things will happen in ways we never thought of before.
Well, surely you read their stories first before laughing them off? :P
We knew of them already, but okay. Revised anecdote:
"GMM want us to syndicate their stories."
Checks site. "Haha."
Still don't think it's gonna make any history podcast :)
Hahaha! Alright, if you so insist. :P
spacewalk in a few hours tonight - 6:45pm GMT.
Video of schumacher opening/visiting a gokart museum -i think it's where he started his career it's in italian :)
A1gp is on in malaysia on Sunday - so it will be in the (early) morning in Europe. it might be worth watching given the lack of anything F1 these days.
think lou said she was going to watch it. but it's not worth getting up that early for is it?
lol well i was going to watch the quali today but forgot.. despite my identi.ca dent. lol but since i really don't know if i like A1 GP yet i am not getting up at 3am for a 25min sprint race ;) and then again at 7:00am lol i'll only do silly things like that for f1 :P
I might be online for the second race if anyone is around. I think I can watch it legally online through a cable station in this country. if only they'd do this for F1 :)
now where's this spacewalk...
we can start ya a live commenting thread if you're up for a challenge :D
lou just agreed to it, she's going to run a live commenting thread and everything...
whole season apparently ;)
Now you're just making stuff up.
Thanks Lou. Glad you agreed to it :) And by "agreed" I now understand how all these other ideas get blamed/volunteered on people. It all makes sense now...
Might watch it. Depends if I can be bothered to get up at 7am when I don't have a match till 2 and it is meant to be snowing.
I'll pass.
damnit, i've been rumbled.
ahaha what the... good luck getting me up at 3:00am tomorrow 'me' :P
i now know how Steven feels :P
Off topic for a second, I was in my local warehouse store, or something like that, called The Range, and in the sweet section there was something I never knew existed - a 4.5kg Toblerone! Seriously, it was probably as big as a table leg! :D Each piece would probably be about the same as a normal whole bar of chocolate. Still, I want one, even if it is £46! :D
Check it out! :D
Just tidied up that link Scott, it was a bit nuts!
That is some hefty chocolate though. Would you really want that? Where would you start?
Hell yeah! Who wouldn't want chocolate that big! :D I guess you'd just use the Jeremy Clarkson method when breaking off a piece - "I'll get a hammer..."
:D
Lactose intolerant people :) That thing would do some serious damage. Now I want chocolate and it's too cold to go find a shop open at this hour. We had snow today :)
i want snow.
We had snow today in Norwich :D
Oh gawd, my football match is meant to be played in either torrential downpour or torrential snow-pour
Is it Mark in the new header? Very topical. :P
I'm almost on ground level here but the mountains have been getting it a lot for a few weeks. It's never enough here to build a snowman :( Last year I saw a little girl building one though - it was 5 centimetres high.
mr. scarab has a header for all occasions.
he's like bono, only with less words.
tis nice :) as Dom (the new top commenter) says, it's very topical.
me too. It doesn't snow that often in the SE though... if it does it doesn't normally settle :(
AWWWWW that's adorable!
he is? good lord. go dom!
I think she's trying to start a fight in being observant! :)
It's been a few days. Scott's been a little busy, ya see? ;)
no, i had just noticed. lol
see i'm not observant :)
i think there's another few to come. we'll have to see who's first next weekend.
Google spreadsheet? :P
Love the new header, but for the love of god, get rid of the horrible grey text.
Damn it, if you find, on my wiki page, I've been keeping track of, erm, me since the 11th.
They are now 3 hours into a planned 7 hour spacewalk and everything is going well. They started 45 minutes early as they managed to beat the schedule for all the prep work again. I would bet on them finishing early as well unless they get so far ahead of the timeline that they bring forward some tasks from EVA4.
sidepodcast fan in China?
<blockquote>Two foreign visitors who saw the incident alerted keepers who rushed to the student's rescue and calmed the panda.</blockquote>
How do you calm an angry panda?
If you think that's bad, you should see what happens when you try and hug real life bibendum. ;)
That's begging for a 'guide to' on the wiki.
Either that or another sidepodbook. Panda calming for dummies.
ahem. should i bring up those videos that they show pandas?
Meteor lights up over Canada. I wonder if it was the toolbag from the space shuttle? :)
Panda art.
If the area under the path of the 'meteor' is covered with grease stains then that's what it was. :D
Don't you think there's a chance you might be getting just a bit carried away with this?
It's a trial of a news source. I haven't cut down on original content. I wanted to expand the breadth of the site. I filter out the content I don't want on the site. I offered and have provided a news-free feed.
If you don't like it, fine. But I can't understand the vehemence and personal nature of some of your criticism.
I don't want to answer for 'me', keith, but let me give you my two cents on this.
If I were running, say, a newspaper, I'd like my sources to be reliable. True, they may not always have integrity, but I'd make sure of their reliability. Without reliability, I lose my reliability to my readers as well.
GMM has had a patchy record of this, at best. Even Pitpass does better than GMM in this regard, and they're a bit off-the-mark at times as well. I understand you want to expand to news, but weren't there other reliable options to look at other than GMM?
depends on your point of view i guess. i've been an f1f reader for about 18 months. back when we first discovered it christine and i used to have a weekly blogging competition to see who might get an article featured on "f1 in the blogs" come saturday morning.
the site was a welcome relief from mainstream media. it was a site for f1 fans to interact with other f1 fans, and it worked because the content was written by an f1 fan.
the value f1f offered was the content which you and other fans contributed. it made it personal. dilute that, using syndicated headlines from elsewhere and what have you got? in my opinion, a second rate news site.
you've said you'll distinguish between GMM and original content, but i don't see it? at the moment i have to open a story, scroll to the bottom and look for a string of text written in small italic typeface.
also, you do quite a bit of internal linking to your own posts. what happens when you start doing the same to GMM stories?
as i already commented on your site, maybe you should have made the stories "opt-in"? and offered up a second feed for people who were interested.
maybe i held f1f in too high a regard, maybe you haven't sold out. it's your site to do with it what you will. but to me, i subscribed to read your thoughts and you've made it almost impossible to do that.
agreed journeyer. if i want to read f1 news, i'll go a website where the writers actually have a paddock pass, and don't hide behind an anonymous brand.