Today was looking to be pretty low on F1 related fun, until we discovered that Fantasy Racers was up and running for 2009. There was suddenly a flurry of action as we tried to think up some new team names, decide that our old names will do, create the Sidepodcast league, and get all signed up. Either way, you can read all about it here. Elsewhere today:
- Sidepodcast Diaries is back! There'll be a blog post along soon to re-introduce it properly, but if you feel like checking it out before I get round to that, then head on over to the Wiki where I've set up its own little Diaries home.
- Schumacher's words from yesterday caused a discussion in the comments over drivers moving teams. Is it easier to judge a driver if he's been through a few teams? Or is loyalty something to be commended? Check through some of the comments yesterday, and join in the debate today.
- The BATRacer game still has spaces available, if you're interested. Scott has written a brilliant guide if you're a newbie to the site - like myself and Mr C - but if you've never played before or are an expert, head on over and sign up. The password is sidepodcast.
That'll do for today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some actual F1 news, as things were very slow yesterday. However, the comments were still excellent, so keep up the good work, everyone, and I'll see you there.
First!Expecting F1 news on a Sunday? I wouldn't count on it. :D
on the facebook group andrew has suggested a sidepodbook group. some kind of sharing of f1 reading recommendations between ourselves. not really thought about how to implement something that (is it a wiki thing, a facebook thing, not sure?), but would that be of any interest?
i don't have a huge amount of free time to read or recommend, but it might be something that catches others imaginations?
Sounds good. My vote is for a Wiki thing because I don't do FaceBook. (Selfish? - Who? Me?)
it almost feels like it needs some kind of digg voting thing. but we don't have anything along those lines.
Facebook doesn't load on my computer, so I'd need it to be on the wiki or some other alternative for me to be involved in it.
Same here. :)
Well that settles it - if both Alia and I want it on the Wiki, what choice do you have? :-)
Of course, everybody loves a good poll... right?
can the wiki do polls? my wiki expert is sleeping.
Sleep is for those in a different time zone!
If a Sidepodcast commenter (SPCC?) tells you a book is read-worthy, then it is. Full Stop!
My book recommendations would be "Life At The Limit" and "Beyond The Limit" by Professor Sid Watkins.
ahh. in that case i'll create a wiki page. andrew's was:
"The Art of Racing in the Rain"
A bit of RTFM gives this:
http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/page/Vizu+Polls
So it looks like you need to set up the poll elsewhere - Vizu and then link to it on one of the Wiki pages. Simple.
DC's book is pretty good... it's one of the only f1 books i've read though.
okay, so here's the thing. have created x2 wiki pages:
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Sidepodbook+Group
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Working+the+Wheel%3A+Martin+Brundle%2C+Maurice+Hamilton
now what happens if someone else read that book, but didn't like it?
Jackie Stewart's autobiography 'Winning Is Not Enough' was a pretty good read but it did tail off near the end.
erm... they don't like it... people disagree with film and book reviews all the time ;)
Best autobiography I've ever read. Bar none. The bonus DVD was brilliant as well.
ok. but where do they say they don't like it? say you hated it, and you wanted to tell me i was utterly wrong, where does your review go?
I've read quite a lot of F1 books. I'll have to go through them later when I've had some sleep.
Yup, VERY good book. :)
We can have a comments sort of thing; or they can write a dissenting review. :)
Wow. I just went upstairs and retrieved my copy of 'Working the Wheel' from beside the bed. Lucky I checked the doohicky before creating a Wiki entry. I guess great minds really do think alike (and fools rarely differ!)
Unfortunately I don't have an all regions DVD player so I haven't seen the DVD yet.
ok, but i'm not convinced. mind you i'm often wrong. if anyone fancies writing a book review to share amongst others:
http://sidepodcast.wetpaint.com/page/Sidepodbook+Group
feel free to jump in there though, i bet you could do a better job than me.
maybe put a section at the bottom of the page for others opinions or comments. people can state there their rating for the book and if they agree etc.
For anyone who hasn't read this book his 'other' son Mark made a DVD of videos which comes with the book. You can view some of the videos at www.viewvibe.com
i'm out of my wiki-depth here :)
Hey, it's not just a wiki thing. :D After all, Amazon use a very similar system.
I was just thinking a title/ heading... where people who were signed up for the wiki could just put their opinions... like just editing the page, nothing complicated. ;)
Um, you can get someone else to do it, we can all edit the pages - it's a Wiki :)
help ;)
sidepodbook.com? A post for each book/magazine/DVD and we leave comments?
Is that a hint? I must go to bed now...
ooh, that's another approach.
I've noticed my first two proper posts on my blog seem a bit long. Is that a bad thing at all?
didn't seem long to me. about right i'd say.
cool beans
Don't ask me why I'm up this early, but...
Look at me and Ryan in our public game!
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/holy
("Holy" refers to part of an exclamation one might shout when being greatly surprised by results such as these :-P)
How the hell did I get 8th in a Super Aguri?
James Allen has put up a new blog talking about how this week will make or break Donington for 2010.
http://allenonf1.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/why-donington-might-well-work/
I guess on Thursday we'll find out just what they can do.
Impossible is nothing in BATracer ;)
Ah, now I'm feeling the after effects of waiting for a four hour delayed flight in a shed.
Mornin'
Ooh, bugger. What stage is the voting at now?
Well, we got through the intial nominations. :)
interesting insight about the debenture scheme. didn't realise IMG were footing the bill.
doesn't say how he thinks they'll solve the airport problem, or the parking problem though.
Posted the first of what will be my RLB roleplays for the rest of the season on my blog. :)
Just looked at our BATRacer league. Toyota must be the least liked team in Formula 1? Surely.
And that surprises you because...? :)
Toyota has always been the least popular F1 team ever since it started. Heck, within Japan, even Honda beats them by a wide margin.
I didn't think they were that bad.
Toyota has always had a weak link with the F1 fans. Maybe it's because they seemed too corporate; too anonymous. Teams like Ferrari, McLaren, Williams have the racing heritage. Renault and Red Bull are liked for their laid-back approach. Toro Rosso, Force India, and Super Aguri were liked for their underdog status. Even Honda has a strong following because they've always been open with their fans.
I don't think any of those descriptors I've used fit Toyota.
Toyota help advertise the Trulli Train.
I dunno whether that's good or bad, but it's something... :P
Or by the way you've said it, BMW.
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=1095451&ch=5127641&cl=11367790&src=ukyvideo
First day Dakar video
They started off as underdogs after taking over Sauber. People like how they've fought against the odds, of doing so well so quickly.
I would've also said they have likeable drivers (Kubica especially) which helps.
Good point. This may be where Toyota can hit it big - if Glock well and truly performs next year. For some reason, not even Trulli could help Toyota's image substantially.
You also have to look at Toyota's history. Kicked out of the WRC for fitting grossly illegal devices to their engines. Went to Le Mans with a car that never really delivered on its potential and then arrived in F1 boasting that they would spend whatever it took to win. One of the top Toyota guys seemed to take exception to be asked if they could put up the same kind of budget as Ferrari. he replied that Toyota had enough cash in the bank to buy FIAT never mind Ferrari. If you are going to make statements like that you have to deliver. It's a bit like Adrian Reynard's comment on the original BAR car. Every formula Reynard had ever entered they won the first race and why should they not do that in F1.
Very good points, Steven Roy. And these definitely apply to us regular motorsport watchers. We can even add their 2003-spec Spygate to that list.
But to the typical/casual fan, this doesn't apply as much. They tend to make decisions on who to support based on who captures their emotions and/or interest. And Toyota has never been able to capture either.
If you look at all the people Toyota have employed in the positions that the public might see few of them seem to have any kind of personality and those that had didn't last long. McNish and Salo the original drivers were both popular characters who always spoke to the media and are both still highly rated. They managed one year of testing and one of racing before they were dropped. Mike Gascoyne was fired despite the fact that the team was performing better than it ever had because of the stupid Japanese loss of face nonesense. What is the sense in one person not being seen to loose face within a company or team if the action required to prevent that adversely affects the performance of the team. In effect the whole team lost face to save one or two incompetent managers from doing so.
It is hard for anyone to get enthusiastic about a team like that.
can bmw take the fight to the top two?
http://f1chronicles.com/2009/01/04/will-bmw-sauber-break-the-mclaren-ferrari-duel/
i commented but it's in moderation. i'm thinking the testing ban may hurt bmw a lot this year. they put put in a heck of a lot of mileage at silverstone the past two tests i attended. more it seemed than anyone else.
yay, pie charts:
http://www.f1wolf.com/2009/01/where-did-f1wolf-readers-come-from-in-2008.html
:)
Yes
Oh a link.
Yes
Brrrrr! Apparently it's going to be about -5?C tomorrow night
Drivers beware there may be frozen snow on the roads in the morning
Well that's not how it appeared when I was writing it :D
-5 degrees celcius!
It was minus two when I went out yesterday. Today I stayed in :)
Me too, don't remember those temps for a while during daylight hours
Max temperature is about -2 tommorow, minumum is abou -4/5
warning gmm link:
http://www.motorauthority.com/f1/f1-crisis-home-made-says-berger_8368.html
however, they're quoting from sonntagsblick, so probably legit.
berger says:
"Formula one has moved onto thin ice, the organisers of the traditional tracks can't afford it any more. The high costs mean that it can't any more be covered by the normal sponsors."
What's sonntagsblick?
http://www.blick.ch/sonntag/
Some foreign news site
Swiss newspaper
http://www.sonntagsblick.ch/
erm.. well Sonntag means Sunday in german.. that's as much as i know... :)
what everyone else said :)
Well I was gonna say Austrian
i think this is the original article:
http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/die-formel-1-bewegt-sich-auf-duennem-eis-108780
Close. The '.ch' gives it away though :D
Well obviously my specialist subject on mastermind will not be 'International Internet Codes'
:)
badly translated:
"Formula 1 live at this level only so long as the manufacturers make a friendly face. But since the cat bites in its own tail."
also at the bottom, it appears to say lauda is getting married again.
gmm? Is that a reference to the motor authority website or something wider?
gmm aggregate formula 1 internet news and then pimp their database to as many web sites as will take them.
problem is when people pay for a news feed, the expect to get a return. therefore gmm have a habit of quoting any old source regardless of how preposterous the story is, just to fill a quota.
Ok, thanks for that and the warning :)
Alianora's friend has joined her at Force India in out BATracer game.
Now, here's the dilemma - should we go ahead and start without Toyota or wait for someone like Alex to take it?
probably wouldn't hurt to see if the man surfaces later today. he did say sunday didn't he?
thanks to alia's friend too :)
Hey guys,
I need an experienced batracers help again, for my public game this time. Race starts at 6am or so, so I want to get my race strategy sorted.
I am planning on two stops, using hard, hard and soft tyres in each run respectively.
How can I make sure the computer uses my soft tyres in the last run? So far, I have checked boxes "Use this tyre" for hard and soft slicks.
Also, do I disable intermediates and wets?
Cheers!
Oh, I think I'm experiencing some trouble now, it won't let me make any changes at the moment. Every time I hit "save" I return to the log-in screen. Hope this isn't a big issue.
1) I don't that's possible to run softs in the last stint I'm afraid. I wouldn't recommend it anyway if it did. Go with 2 stops spread out evenly and always use the hard tyres in the race in F1.
2) Don't disable intermediates and wets as the weather could change and if you set it so you don't use those compounds, you've had it.
Corrected :)
You don't think or don't know? :)
Also, we need to set a start date and time, since the game will take another 12 hours before
Don't think. In fact I'm pretty sure it can't be done.
Same happend to me. Tis okay now.
You're in charge.
OK, let's wait it out tonight and see if Alex surfaces. If not, then we go tomorrow afternoon at 12pm.
thanks scott
So how do you find out who gets their data from gmm?
Always wondered why F1-live had more news than most
Hello everyone I'm back in front of a computer... Hope all is well with the BATracing!
I guess things like Source: GMM give it away a little
:D
Evening all,
I'm back from my skiing holiday in Austria and I'm happy to report that we had a great time and nobody broke any bones! The place was fantastic, I managed to actually ski and we had great weather. For those of you who are interested, you can look at some pics here :-)
Also, I saw a guy who looked just like Michael Schumacher but I wasn't sure if it was him - he had pierced ears and wasn't wearing anything red so I assumed it wasn't him (I couldn't get near him anyway :-( )
Anyways, Happy New Year to you all and I hope I didn't miss too much. As Scott mentioned last night, I have joined BATracer and signed up for Fantasy Racers so I'm all good to go for 2009.
Hi Gavin! Welcome back :)
Yay :)
Hey Alex :)
that's exactly what you're looking for. you'll find loads of sites using them, basically read and then immediately check all sources :)
Cheers ;-) It's nice to see some good discussion here even when there isn't much F1 news.
Is anyone following the 'Dakar' Rally or the A1GP?
on cue!
Also in total blatant plug mode if you'd like to take part in this year's SofaF1.com championship then I would really love it. All you need to do is Christine's favourite hobby for 2009 predictions. Once per race weekend (before qualifying starts) you have to predict the top eight finishers of the race and who's on pole.
And at the beginning of the season you have to predict the driver with most poles and the top eight in the championship.
Anyway, if anyone would like to pre-register their interest then that would be cool: http://www.sofaf1.com/2009/01/2009-sofa-f1-championship.html
There is an actual cup at stake!
found some dakar streaming yesterday, but only as it was coming to an end. steven found a highlights video earlier today. will check again in a bit.
*cries*
hahah :)
so, while christine's out of the room, should i sign her up to alex's championship?
Christine I think you have to do it now as me is taking part. He can't win something like that without you trying to beat him ;)
YES!
Me, you will also be very pleased to hear that I have never seen BATracer before now when I just signed up to it!
shhhhhhh ;)
Looks like Donington have started rolling out the red tape:
Donington on track - Planning green light expected
(For those wondering what an Environmental Impact Assessment is) An EIA just states the obvious really - that if a large scale event happens there will be negative effects to the environment in some ways. In this case there will be 'some areas affected by greater noise levels'.
But seeing as it's next to an Airport and in the middle of the countryside, that's just stating the obvious of course :-D
But in most places around the world an EIA is required by the local governing body before planning permission is granted. I have had some experience in assisting applications for planning permissions for large activities, and I can tell you if the right people object in the right way, it can make life very difficult - even for a large corporation making an application :-(
We will see how it affects Donington's application...
alex, you are my hero. we can have our own competition within a competition :)
That was the most un Christine thing I've ever seen written!
It was Austria! Haha :)
Was brilliant weather where I was too, right up until I started taking photos...
bugger.
You could have at least used capitals ;)
You're on!
james allen is confident... erm, but i agree with you.
apparently some locals have already objected.
hahaha! :D
i never was any good at forging signatures.
Does she have to put the capitals in when she proof-reads your posts? :P
What have you done?
I'm not sure how it works in the UK ... but in NZ, if one person objects it can throw a big project into the gutter. It can be a very imbalanced and drawn out process, which is why I was surprised Bernie gave them the 2010 British GP with not even any planning permission...
We know you love predictions really. :P
Nothing that wasn't spotted by the forgery police :D
Sadly it is a binding contract based on the IP Address! ;)
So I have signed up to BATracer. I believe I am in Toyota. But I haven't read Scott's intro or anything yet. Which I probably should have done before I selected my characteristics - hey ho.
Should I be doing anything right now or can I make dinner?
Don't ask sidepodquestions, because you'll still have to work out the answer.
The wiki answers all.
at some point you'll need to do your practice runs ;) but i'd read scott's intro/guide before that. :)
I love this global warming
Alianora’s friend has joined her at Force India in out BATracer game. {Scott Woodwiss - 47 comments ago}
I have to confess that wasn't the person I was targeting - but it's good to have a team-mate, even if it's only letting Kool Tools players on the BATRacer site at the moment. Maybe Myyrylainen might take the other Toyota seat. I can hope...
I think Climate Change might really be a better name. Because it certainly doesn't seem warmer right now!
So do I. -1 and snowing in Denmark today...
Mind you, it got down to -9 in Lofer :-D
Was a nice toasty -11 while i was waiting around in Salzburg for a few hours yesterday.
How long before someone is the Carribean says its a roasting hot 8 degrees?
I am planning on two stops, using hard, hard and soft tyres in each run respectively.
How can I make sure the computer uses my soft tyres in the last run? So far, I have checked boxes “Use this tyre” for hard and soft slicks. {Alenyaa - 46 comments ago}
You can't do it that way round, but if you were doing hard, soft, soft it would be possible. If you de-check "Use this tyre" for the compound used on the start, you can make BATRacer change compounds on the first stop (whether this is a planned stop or not). Afterwards you would use the compound you had checked for the other stint(s).
I second me on leaving intermediates and wets checked. You'll only use those if it really is wet weather anyway.
Is that a request for predictions? :P
We have had roads held up for decades. There is a new road near where I live that was finished about 3 or 4 years ago. It was first proposed in the 70s.
By the way, those of you going karting may like to peruse Teamworks' race tips, particularly their PDF document with a page of circuit-specific hints. At the very least, Christine will need the latter so that she knows what all the corners are called when she's commentating.
and don't press save until you want to start a run as it may cost you a few laps
You mean we are not re-naming the corners after something insane
By the way, following the suggestion from Gavin Brown that one objector could derail the planning process over there, I suspect the same might be the case in the UK. One of the councillors involved has declared the airport-closure part of Gillet's plan "bonkers". And that is a direct quote.
You mean we are not re-naming the corners after something insane {Steven Roy - 2 comments ago}
Only if Christine has an objection to names like "River Corner" and "Sweepers". You have to admit they are more original than names like "Turn 1" and "Turn 2".
I read the pdf on how to drive the circuit. Trouble is until I have drven at least 10 laps of a track instructions like this don't help at all as I can't picture the track or even remember the corner sequence.
I think the guy who wrote those instruction is massively optimistic if he thinks people are going to be sliding in indoor karts.
Ted Kravitz's 'young talent' to look out for in 2009 is... Sebastian Vettel.
Please please PLEASE Newey design a decent, consistent car!
Well, that's even more worrying :-( The worst thing that can happen is for Gillet and co. to think they have the council's backing, only for one dissenting voice to throw the whole process off!
My favourite bit of that article?
"Ted Kravitz is an F1 analyst for BBC"
:)
I've just realised that my selection for characteristics is "one of the most popular" I went for Speed Demon and Pole Sitter King without reading Scott's guide. The only reason for this was that as I was in Toyota I thought it would be the best way to try and create a Trulli Train that would be appropriate!
For anyone who missed it the first time James Martin's Mille Miglia adventure has just started on BBC2
Is that a repeat? I saw it the other day, it was OK but that guy is a bit of a c**k off screen apparently, and I think it comes across on his shows....
(SPOILER)
Sort of glad he broke down!
(says to self)
Yes, of course it was a repeat Lynch?!?!! S.Roy just said......
Mr & Mrs Christine... I am ahead of you in practice...
Soz.
He did seem to be a bit of an arrogant tool didn't he?
"Don't go above 3500rpm because it's a new engine." So what does he do? Destroys the engine in 200 miles by revving too high!
you're no longer my hero :(
Whereas by all reports Clarkson is much nicer offscreen than on. He is apparently disarmingly charming.
I am really sorry :(
You are in the Super Aguri I think that's cheating.
Really random question for y'all....
i'm looking for a book about american politics, a dummies guide type thing. very basics guide to it all, you get the idea. anyone know of any good'ns they've read?
Well you could read America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by the guys who do the Daily Show. It's not really a comprehensive guide to be fair but it is funny. :)
Also you may be interested in The American Future: A History by Simon Schama. It's still not a comprehensive guide though it is a serious book.
Or you could watch the West Wing.
Can you tell I'm a democrat?
dad bought the box set because we love it so much lol. we're watching all of them, we're in series 3 now.
To be honest if you watch the Daily Show every day (E4 in the UK) and watch the West wing then you'll get a lot of the hang of American politics pretty quickly. Because you'll see things in action.
There probably is a bluffers guide. But I would just look things up as they come up in those two shows. Simply looking up the people in the west wing and learning who their counterparts were in Bush's administration and will be in Obama's will give you a good grounding.
One of the best TV dramas ever IMHO
Shame Studio 60... got cancelled after one season
Yeah, welcome to the party Ted!
p.s. Lewis Hamilton is set for big things
I couldn't agree with you more...
Fantastic TV...
Consistently great...
They have been re-running all the series' late on Saturday...
Unfortunately, it looks like Aaron Sorkin has gone back to writing for the big screen
Not too sure I like the sound of Untitled Facebook Project
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288404/
Oh my...
:/
His co-driver told him 3.5k maximum and he replied "no, 4 and a half thousand". He was upset with her because she was writing all over the dashboard with a marker pen - with good reason.
I'm convinced that his belligerent on-screen persona is simply an act designed to provoke the maximum outrage and reaction.
Jezza was recently upset by some "yoofs" when he was in Milton Keynes. He'd popped outside the Xscape building for a quick cigarette and was apparently surprised by the response he got from the locals - they weren't very nice to him.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3007290.ece
On a slightly related topic, I am currently reading Richard Hammond's latest book "As you do" which chronicles his experiences in the Arctic, Botswana and meeting Evel Knievel. So far, it's excellent reading.
I particularly like the game of iPod roulette - you gather a group with an iPod each then an independent person calls out a letter and a number. You then have to play the corresponding track based on artist name or nth song starting with the chosen letter.
What I meant was that she had a good reason to write on the dashboard.
Wasn't that a £1/4m car though?
brake cleaner is amazing though, even better than white spirit and petrol
LOL @ "Clarkson has described Milton Keynes as a “happy-slapping town centre”"
It was - but better to do that than to have the driver get it wrong and make it totally worthless.
More like €650k for the car then another £200k to get it ready for the run.
The marker pen would have cleaned off the metal though, he was just being a twit (please note I would like to say something else there, think James May getting something wrong ;))
Thankfully that's completely inaccurate unless you are Jeremy Clarkson. :D
He is prone to Daily Mail-esque hyperbole
Indeed - look what happened :D
Clarkson writes for the Murdoch papers - The Sun and The Sunday Times.
What comes after Hyperbole?
I don't know, but the adjectival term is "hyperbolic".
I think we're getting close, but alas this is a family show
Twonk?
Not hyperbolical? Or is that referring to the statement rather than the person?
Would that be the plural of hyperbolic? :D
:D
Another RLB roleplay of mine up on the blog.
I love the 'Brundle - The Film' poster on Frop.io :)
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/brundle
By the way, anyone have the link to the Reliant Robin/Space Shuttle flying game
(Though I may regret asking that later)
You can find it at topgear.com
Ooh, remember seeing that a while back. That cast is awesome!
Nooo, nooo, I have things to do!
Gah, just one go.
Andy, are you doing are BATracer game too, or would you like to rather? There's one more spot left at Toyota alongside Giggles. ;)
http://www.topgear.com/uk/games
Thanks Lou
& :D @ Dom
I'm considering possibly going to Goodwood this year.
How effin' great is this game!
lol i went last year, and am defiantly going this year :D an amazing day out. i'm hoping to go for more than one day too, cause it really is massive.
Guys! Check this out - remember those World Series by Renault days I've been to the past couple of years? Well they're doing another race at Silverstone and I'm pretty sure they'll do free tickets again since they've been very popular. But that's not the best thing. This year, the UK event isn't on the same weekend as a Grand Prix! That means you guys can come if you want! :D
The event is on July 4th-5th, right in between the British and German GPs. Another SPC meet-up @ Silverstone? :D
Not as good as it was when I had the top score here :(
I've already said no, not really my thing.
That sounds good, I'd be up for that
Just went to the Silverstone section on the World Series website... then the Renault logo appeared and I nearly had an accident as my speakers were up very high :-(
So 500 isn't that good then :D
Struggling to maintain vertical travel at the mo but I'll get there... once I stop laughing
Sign up anyway and forget about it. At least that way we can actually start the game! ;-)
You can see our scores on Drop.io The trick is to keep the throttles open (at the top of the gauge) and then let them drop to the green area.
there must be someone who is watching the comments who fancies a go :)
Well it certainly won't be me.
But it's so funny watching it bounce on landing, reminds me of the Yetilympics and Penguin Throw
I'm not entirely sure why but I've just spent the last hour turning Sean Connery into the Joker on photoshop...
I dunno why it felt relevant to say that either... need F1 news. :(
A score of zero is good :) It is possible to land the Reliant Robin without it exploding - this nets you a bonus.
We need to see that now you've mentioned it :)
I'll upload it now then. Give us a sec, my laptops going mental all of a sudden...
More usless rumours.
Honda are set to be bought by the BBC, to ensure that BBC gets publicised everywhere. The new drivers are set to be a Mr. T. Stig and a D. Winton. Winton has this to say about competing in Formula 1.
"Bring on the wall"
The BBC warned Winton about the consequenses.
-
Sorry, had to be done.
Haha! To quote futurama...
"You've raised my expectations and dashed them quite expertly, sir. Bravo"
Also, http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q127/Lukehmuse/shoker.jpg
:)
hahaha brilliant! looks a little like my head master actually... well, kinda... but my head teacher doesn't wear make up :)
LOL at Connery Joker
All reet, night all. Back to the daily grind of school for me.
Ciao
that's the way to do it. assuming she doesn't aim to bet her own benchmark two comments at a time of course ;)
doh. see ya r.g.
Night R.G.
Fortunately i have until Wednesday before i go back to school :)
bad news. i was organised to watch the dakar feed this evening, and it's died:
http://www.justin.tv/sportzone4
just like a-ha, i'm hunting high and low.
dodgy quality:
http://www.justin.tv/widgets/jtv_player.swf?channel=yojopo3
Just spotted Dakar highlights on British Eurosport
Right I am so upset at being forced to miss Autosport International. And I feel that I have done so many good works in the last few weeks that I think it's time to arrange the trip to Goodwood Festival of Speed for Katherine and myself. If we're both going then it's sure to cause the maximum amount of trouble :)
But first I probably should go to bed. Night all!
see ya ;)
cheers!
Will you be attending the festival of speed '09?
good question. we haven't missed one since we discovered it. so it's more than likely. however, it depends on the f1 teams.
last year a 3 or 4 didn't turn up. with cutbacks all around, and the disbandment of test teams. who knows if show cars will be maintained?
also, they were to stupid to listen to steven about his earplugs idea. in which case, do they deserve our money?
in short, watch this space :)
p.s. i'm not wearing an undersized panda suit, so don't ask!
Damn. I hadn't thought of that. Grrr.
Yeah, I've heard that no before :D
I am seriously thinking of contacting Lord March and mentioning it to him. I think they might want you to perform in some way :)
i can do the conga?
Free attendance in exchange for providing entertainment? :)
Not sure if that'd be entertaining or confusing to non-sidepodpeeps, though...
We could probably find you one tha fits ;)
damnit!
I'm sure you'd fit in the sailor one.
That sentence probably requires a link...
Night all :-)
Ahh, there it is.
ooooh yes.
no.
night gavin.
I haven't given up on that one yet. I was thinking of going to the Festival of Speed and trying to ambush some big names to get them to push the idea.
I didn't realise Pandas suffered from Camel Toe :D
Erm...
http://popwatch.ew.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/14/jackblack_l.jpg
D'ya think that guy is in control of those pandas, or does he not know they're behind him?
Why does that panda have a horn?
It adds to the spectacle.
Cos without it he may be ignored?
good to hear and a good plan too.
I have been moderated for publicizing panda hypnotism.
Earplugs idea?
I reckon they should have gone a step further and stuck some antlers on there.
scary, very scary.
Where did that quote come from?
unmoderated dom, you'll have to refresh to see it.
I've been looking through some of the top gear outakes/unseen footage and i stumbled across this unseen part of the interview James did with Mika Hakkinen. Thought you guys might want to take a look, it's not much, but interesting all the same.
lol that might need a link... sorry
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/finn-again#/uk/videos-by-category?VideoCategory=Popular
wow. interesting that he slowed so much to say that. has no-one ever asked him that question before? seemed like he wanted to talk about it.
Christine's gonna love that pic, pandas everywhere
Has she seen the Kung Fu Panda short on the DVD?
nope. if only we had time to watch films :)
Kung Fu Panda - Secrets of the Furious Five
You must watch Kung Fu Panda!
(Though WALL*E is better)
ummm. it's a time thing. we'll try, but probs not any time soon.
Good link Lou, Hospital News Uncut is quite funny but a bit longer
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/hospital-news-uncut
At the Festival last year I saw someone take a baby from a push chair and hold it next to a Ferrari V12 F1 engine that was being warmed up. After that I noticed how few people had ear protection and how few had thought about it. A few weeks before I had been to the BMW Pit Lane Park in Manchester and they handed out ear plugs to adults on arrival and ear defenders to all children. When the F1 engine was being fired up they insisted that all children under a year old were removed from the premises until the engine was shut off again.
I mentioned all this here and it turne out that 'me' is a tinnitus sufferer so we decided to try to get Goodwood to include ear protection in the bags they hand out on entry. I got a reply back a few days later saying thatthey wouldn't be doing it.
I still think that all motorsports venues should issue free ear protection. If it is a club event with small saloons and F1 Fords etc fair enough but anywhere running full race engines should protect their customers especially those that are too young to help themselves.
There's probably a good health & safety executive investigation to be had there somewhere.
Reminds me of Concorde engine ground runs with Ear Plugs and Defenders. Your chest cavity vibrates!
it surprises me actually. I'm not sure what i would have done without my ear plugs at goodwood on several occasions while watching some of the older f1 car's run up the hill.
The H&S measure for 'must supply' ear protection is involuntary exposure over the maximum for 15 or more minutes in an hour. Which is totally inadequate, frankly...
The orange foam versions that you can sometimes find in some of the Bigger Boots stores are pretty good - reduce dB accross the range, rather than just at top and bottom, so you still get an even sound. Failing that I'd suggest Canford Audio (hoping that I've remembered the right place that we used to get them from, erk!) as a source of buffered ear plugs.
Chichester EHOs have been 'after' Goodwood for years, sadly there is nothing to 'hang' it on as they tend to run right up against what is allowed under cover, and the law doesn't exist for open air sites unless you are being paid to work...
(tinitus is a bit**, mine isn't too bad thankfully, and I've learnt to ignore it over the years...)
couldn't agree more. steven's absolutely on the right lines with his plans for this year. all the drivers should take the hill climb at five miles an hour, unless protection is provided.
even better would be to use the almost silent tesla roadster and run a campaign along the lines of - "every car could sound like this car if you're not careful".
am v.pleased about that. you may find comments in this original thread of interest, if you've not already come across it:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2008/07/07/can-you-hear-what-i-hear/#comments
Oh goodness, that brings back memories, and not good ones at that.
why? you started a very important debate, on matters which affect everybody here.
The thing is I love the noise of racing engines and if I can feel the vibrations in my chest even better but I don't see any reason to become deaf or have a serious hearing problem. The idea of silent cars just does not appeal to me.
Yeah, but in the course of that debate we fell out for a brief time and that's what I remember from it. :(
i wouldn't watch a tesla race. but you can bet every penny in your pocket, that's exactly what max one day wants formula 1 embrace.
barely, and it all worked out well in the end. i'm glad it happened if that makes you feel any better?
I guess so. Still a touchy subject since I'm still concious of my hearing too.
It's an important subject. Working in aviation for the past 17 years I've been pretty good about wearing protection... just not good enough. I have moments at home when noise levels are low and I get ringing for a few minutes, probably early signs of tinnitus. Background noise has been a part of my environment, luckily now I'm am sheltered somewhat in an office within that environment so I'm in a better position than I used to be. Many of my colleagues have tinnitus and/or very poor hearing
On a lighter note, I managed to qualify 5th for the Indy 500 in the RLB IndyCar Series :D. That is, if anyone's interested :P
On an even lighter note, my best Rocket Robin score so far is 3893 60
i managed to get a score close to Steven's earlier... but can't seem to do it again now.
My tinnitus is so bad that I can't go to concerts, movies or sporting events without ear plugs even family gatherings can be tricky and it's only getting worse so I imagine I'll probably be deaf in a few years. My best score in Rocket Robin is 4150.30 but I blew up on impact.
very, very sorry to hear that aitch. i have a similar problem in crowded rooms (autosport international can be quite a challenge).
mind if i ask if it was f1 that initially did the damage? don't feel you have to answer though.
i have a feeling my role in this community is to do particularly badly at online gaming, in order to make you guys feel better about yourselves. i just can't do this rocket one.
If you reduce the dB to a safe level, or near silence, your body will still feel the vibrations just the same (you may even feel them more). :-) The vibration is the key to the experience anyway :-D
Interesting post/thread... my issues also stem from music (oops), in my case because I got 'stupid' after years of being darn good (I was clued to acoutic ear plugs by an early boyf. and spent a large chunk of my cash on some when I started playing and recording in earnest..) and went to a gig at the Mauretania without taking them with me, in spite of wearing them religiously when working (bangsheadonwall at stupidity of youth). When the ringing didn't wear off again I knew I'd done something stupid! Working festivals later on, ear protectors were just what you did, and what you put your children in... and when pregnant I wasn't allowed in the pit at all.
Tesla racing... ummmmmm. No. I think that (and this is an ardent greenie speaking, F1 and rallying are my 'vices' if you like) I'd rather that there was less racing and/or proper development of alternative fuels first...(but then, that is a whole n'other thing rofl...)
when I went to my first F1 race I kind of did not think about ear plugs. those days in 2004 the engines were still V10, I had great seat near the U turn with two grandstands facing each other amplifying the already horrible noise :-) I only watched without earplugs 1 hour of free practice but my ears ached for few days. ached badly ... can imagine what a noise can do to hearing if such a punishment last longer than one hour
I have had this as long as I can remember going back to when was about 5 years old so that's almost 40 years that I've it. Listening to loud music and very loud concerts didn't help either especially AC/DC back in '83, damn cannons.
I'll join you in the 'useless at computer games' corner if you like (doesn't help that DP is scarily competative, even though he would never, um, quite admit to that)... spatial things or tactics... OK at. I tend to prefer the sort of game that comes with paper, pencils, imagination and lots of interesting shaped dice... not that I've found anyone to play with round here yet (they all seem to be 15 years older and american, or 15 years younger...)
what about the office drive one?
nope.
I try to take better care of my ears now. Like for instance, I try not to listen to music or videos on YouTube when wearing my new Sony headphones with noise reduction at full volume, more like half or 3/4. Also, I'll make sure to buy some ear defenders from somewhere, maybe Boots (that is the right place for the orange foam one isn't it LPG?) so that in future when visiting places like Silverstone, Goodwood and the Live Action Arena at Autosport Show, I've got something to keep my ears safe. Sure, I've probably done a little bit of damage to them already but I really don't want to go deaf or anything like that. Gotta do what you can now in order to prevent the worst from happening, eh? :)
the Amphibious Challenge?
I found that very boring. They could have made that so much better. i still think there is a market for real life Peel racing
I'm hopeless at that.
haven't seen it? i look now.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/games/amphibious-challenge
was it a covered grandstand, because those are even worse!
i find it easier with a mouse... but it's really hard.
I go so far and then the stability goes to pot in two seconds. The Toybota is the best of the three but am stil hopeless.
sheesh, that is a long time.
...they fired actual cannons?
Rocket Robin still the best once you get a good technique
Same here. You get it all lined up and then it goes all funny when you've hardly done anything!
If anyone is looking for ear protection I would recommend Arco. They are a major supplier to industry and they have people in their stores who are trained to advise you. They have stores all over the UK as can be seen here http://www.arco.co.uk/branchloc
what's a good score on that then?
I wil try it again and see what I can do
It keeps your best score. Mine is 177.0
1344
sorry.
134.4
Hust managed a 204.4
ahh speaking of the live action arena at autosport, on a similar theme when i went to top gear live i was very happy to see that they made sure everyone took a pair of ear plugs that they were supplying. they gave them to you when they checked your ticket on the way in, so there was no way for you not to have a pair, even if you chose not to wear them.
More Mustard Chicken Pasta? :D
:D
see, i exist to make you feel better.
I think all the seagulls and fish landed on the right spots at the right time and balanced things out.
perfect. i hope autosport are doing the same.
I don't remember earplugs at the live action arena before.
You bet me in fantasy racers last year (i'll be aiming to beat you this year btw ;) ), and who knows how well you will do at BATracer ;) you were good at the bmw pitstop game if i remember rightly?
I've managed 930 on the Amphibious Challenge.
arco looks good - the top 3M ones on the ear plug page are the ones that you'll find in big boots :-) but the arco price is *much* better.
About halfway down is a moulded vented plug that I've used in the past as well, and they are also very good, as are the yellow neon ones that they sell in packs of 25 pairs for £6 (although if I remember correctly they are volume blockers, but not particularly good at preserving tone and pitch with it).
i haven't been to autosport international before, so i wouldn't know. i assumed that the live action arena is a little similar to top gear live, which is where i suddenly remembered about them handing out ear plugs to everyone.
Now just acheived 1204
how do you do that? the most i get is 100... i'm not too good at this game.
I just managed 253.7 in the damper van. You have to be really rough with it and chuck it from side to side
It is very loud and they have all sorts of noisy things running indoors. Last year they had dragsters which shook the whole place.
Just kept my finger steady on the control pad on my laptop (or what ever the proper name is for it) and managed to offset the rolling.
ooh, i might have been :)
sounds like top gear live then ;) only i'm guessing without the top gear guys and car football.
Now just managed 1781.
The highest score on the amphibious thing is 5566.99. How is that remotely possible?
Sounds about right. About ten years ago Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell hosted it and did a whole James Bond thing. They were brilliant. I have no idea who is hosting this year.
It's usually Louise Goodman and John Hindhaugh (you know, the comedy geordie bloke from Radio Le Mans :D)
okay, that was my ninth visit to autosport.com today, each time i have been hoping there would be some f1 news... i've not been liking the off season this weekend...
We'll see if that rumoured Honda resuced deal gets announced in the next couple of days. That could make it worthwile
I don't know if it qualifies as F1 news but Blundell thinks Lewis is so good it is scary
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/172960-0/blundell__hamilton_so_good_it_is_scary!.html
Despite rating Lewis so highly Mark is staying in Lady Snowcat's good books by tipping Kimi for the title.
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/172954-0/blundell_tips_raikkonen_to_take_title.html
I'm trying to silently laugh to Geordie Star Wars on YouTube. Bloody hilarous :D
7 parts!
it's borderline, but i guess it's kinda on the fringes of f1 :D
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/wrc/news/172970-0/dakar__day_2_-_sainz_takes_charge.html
Sainz in the lead after day to of the Sakar in a VW sponsored by some Austrian energy drink.
thank you for the links Steven. I'm looking forward to the launches coming up soon, cause that's something ;) also does anyone know when the next test is? i never seem to know when they are on.
the good lady usually keeps this up-to-date:
http://www.f1minute.com/f1-calendar/
i had never noticed that before :oops: Thanks for pointing it out :)
The next A1GP race is on 25th January. It is in New Zealand though so maybe not the best time of day.
Nice idea, was just going to say F1 Fanatic says January 20th-22nd at the Algarve
I think Kimi will out perform Massa this year who will struggle to adapt to the new aero just as he struggled initially with the lack of traction control
Anyway, I'm off to get some sleep. speak to you al later, night x
see ya lou.
'night Lou
Me too, night everyone :)
bye.
night Scott.
This made me laugh:
"Honda Sold, Toyota Next" http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Gravel_Trap&id=44860
:D
Right, am free now.
Oh bugger, it's 3am...
I get that a lot too :D
w00t! The BATracer game has begun!
I'm excited because this is the first BATracer game I've played with a car that can challenge for the title. I'm not normally a Ferrari fan, but in this case....
Best of luck to you all, I'll try not to hate you when you pass me in a Super Aguri. :)
hats off to dave for joining the fun. the man is quite clearly a superstar in sidepodcast's eyes :)
i'll hold you to that. what happens next then, is it qualifying yet?
Qualifying will be in less than 12 hours - you'll see the time remaining on the site... go to 'Office/Your desk'. So you should make sure you've worked on your car setup (which I see you've done) and locked in your quali strategy.
Once those are done, talk yourself up in the driver comments to build up some healthy competition. :)
Don't worry about Driving Style for quali, it only applies in races.
appreciate it. will do qually strategy now.
And no worries, you don't have to be online when qualy starts. It's all calculations in a matter of seconds.
After qualy, you get another 5 runs (warm up) to finetune your car.
Me...?
Have you slept already?
no, no. in a bit.
Oh dear... Such sacrifice for the greater good that is sidepodcast :)
I'll switch to the next daily thread now, so you won't have to keep your eye on this one anymore :)
Not hyperbolical? Or is that referring to the statement rather than the person? {Bassano Clapper}
The adjective would refer to the statement, unless you are suggesting that Mr Gillet might be an exaggeration of himself ;)
Also, it is "hyperbolic", for the same obscure linguistic reason that "ironical" is not a word but "ironic" is.