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Posts tagged with "Brundle"

Say hello to my little friend... ...Meme

December 31, 2010
Filed under: Uncategorized by Alianora_La_Canta — 0 Comments

Date: November 19 2009

Currently: Reading F1 Racing (October 2009 edition)

Mood: Contemplative !:l

 

Warning! Long entry alert!

 

Nothing I saw in F1 today particularly inspired me, so I'm doing this 100-item meme I spotted in Laraine Creech's Facebook notes.

 

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET It?

I don't think I have got any scars.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?

One wall of wallpaper and three of bright yellow paint*. On the paint, there are nine bookshelves piled high with books, a big poster featuring a map of the Silverstone circuit dating from 2002 and a framed photograph of me and my two best friends from secondary school/sixth form.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOU SLEEP?

I don't snore or grind my teeth, but apparently I'm nearly as talkative during some parts of my sleep cycle as I am when I'm awake. Fortunately few people are in a position to find out first-hand.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Pop, rock, metal and selected tunes in other genres.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?

6:30pm. Apparently I took most of the day to turn up - I wasn't exactly in a rush to make an appearance in the world.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?

To finish this blog entry in an interesting way!

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?

I don't really understand this question...

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?

Difficult one. Among actual possessions, probably my PDA. But I try not to get too attached to particular items because everything is transient.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

1 metre, 72 centimetres.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?

Not unless the space is stuffed full of people. If it's stuffed full of inanimate or slow-moving objects (or the space just wasn't very big in the first place), I'm fine because I know where the remaining space will be.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?

No.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?

My ex-supervisor, who thought that persistently shouting bad names at someone with sensitive ears was a good idea. Eventually, my ears (and brain) protested too loudly for resisting to work.

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?

I'm not sure.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have absolutely no preference.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING AT?

I have enough trouble seeing myself proposing in the first place...

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?

If I must have one, energy drink - I dislike the taste of the former and find the latter too sugary-tasting for anything except swimming galas (and even then I usually dilute it).

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?

Hawaiian (pineapple and ham).

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Ice cream.

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?

Blue. It is such an expressive colour...

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?

I've had goldfish in the pond before, but I left the job of eating them to the local heron.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?

When I was very small (I think I was four, but I might have been three), my great-grandparents gave me a knitted grey rabbit. It meant a lot to me because it was a tangible symbol of their love for me.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?

No. Never had one.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?

If I am, I don't know about it.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?

Bon Marché. They seem to be one of the few brands that do clothing that feel practical and fit without looking ugly.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:

26

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES

Either.

32. FAVORITE QUOTE?

"Million-to-one chances occur nine times out of ten" - Terry Pratchett, "Guards! Guards!"

33. FAVORITE PLACE(s)?

My local library (and every other library I've ever visited), Sheffield College, Silverstone

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?

I've never been in the USA in the first place, but I've been to Switzerland, Belgium and France as well as the UK (where I live). The first two for swimming galas and the latter on a school trip.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?


I am a creature of habit who can be somewhat inflexible, struggle with interpreting the world at times... ...and also is rather messy!

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?

Quite a few people. I've had autographs from Eddie Jordan, Matt Neal, David Coulthard, Allan McNish, Martin and Alex Brundle.

37. FIRST JOB?

Assistant librarian in a local-ish library.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?

Only on Sims 2!

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE?

No, but I think a significant minority have got a soulmate. The concept exists but some people are equally (or nearly-equally) compatible with multiple people and others aren't really compatible with anyone.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?

Looking through the F1 news on the internet, re-reading F1 Racing October 2009 in the process.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?

No. Nearest I've had is having my head glued back together five weeks ago (what a way to fill a Sunday morning...)

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?

My writing.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?

No.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?

A book (I'm not picky...)

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES?

I don't know if I want kids at the moment, largely because I wouldn't have a clue how to bring them up if I had any. I have lots of potential names, but as yet no faces to attach them to...

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My real middle names were also my mum's and grandma's middle names, but my first name wasn't named for anyone (apart from a religious figure - ironic since my parents aren't religious). My psuedonym's first name is from a book called "Dragonsbane" by Patricia C. Wrede - the character originally bearing that first name was a princess.

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have no idea.

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKE(D) ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL**?

Learning stuff.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?

Cheap supermarket shampoo, in the "anti-grease" category. "Anti-chlorine" and/or "anti-dandruff" are bonus features. I use a separate conditioner, which is typically the fanciest one in the local pound shop.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

I do - it's legible and fairly stylish in cursive format and cute in separated-letter format. Block capitals come out slightly strange, but never mind...

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Gammon.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?

Lots - disorganisation being perhaps my worst.

53. JEALOUS PERSON?

No.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

If I was someone else, being friends with myself would still be an automatic impulse, wouldn't it? Would make for an interesting philosophical question.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?

No. I have the aesthetic sense of a house brick.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?

Depends a lot on the circumstances...

58.WOULD YOU RATHER GAIN 58 POUNDS OR LOSE 58 Pounds?

Lose 58 pounds (but I wouldn't want to lose more than that).

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?

A red stuffed stegasaurus with a yellow tongue slightly sticking out and no eyes called Grinny. It's still my favourite toy.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?

34.

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?

Barney was after my time. I watched lots of Sesame Street as a little kid though.

63. Do you use sarcasm?

Not very often, which catches people out a lot when I do deploy it.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?

Macaroni and cheese, though mashed potatoes are also nice.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY?

I don't.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?

My psuedonym's nicknames are "Alia" and "Ali". The former is my formal nickname while the latter is preferred by internetters with tired fingers.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?

Telempathy.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?

Formula 1 :)

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?

Explain to them the error of their ways, roll the eyes if they don't get it, then vacate the area (unless they're doing something that needs stopping, in which case you stop it).

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Strawberry.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?

I have all the ones I was born with connected to my body at this moment and do not anticipate repositioning any of them in the near future.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?

The one I'm typing on, and at the moment my PDA (a mobile phone that pretends to be a computer) is in here being charged as well.

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?

Blogging (wikiing?) and catching up with my internet friends.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER?

In a cheap house somewhere quiet but well-connected.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Only the people who want to.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

At this exact moment? Kelly Clarkson - a live version of "Beautiful Disaster".

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?

Orange-and-lemon squash.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Someone from a local JobCentre referring a client to the organisation I'm placed at (which provides assistance to unemployed people),

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?

That they're there (usually).

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Reading, swimming, various forms of computing and listening to music.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?

Prejudice.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR?

Autumn. Somehow it seems to be the gentlest season, F1 increases in tempo and lots of new stuff starts in my personal life (for example, it's the start of academic years).

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?

Fairtrade orange-flavoured, spice-infused dark chocolate.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?

Yes. Twice. The first one between nursery and sixth form and the second one during my university years.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?

Dark brown.

86. EYE COLOR?

The same shade of brown.

87. SHOE SIZE?

Size 7-9, depending on the make.

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Subway.

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?

BB's in Sheffield (the Italian restaurant, not the coffee shop)

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?

I do, and I've eaten it a few times.

91. WATCH TV TODAY?

15 minutes of news, about an hour of music channels, plus most of Golden Balls (it happened to be on when I was visiting Grandma). Unusually high amount for me.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?

This changes every year. This year it was September 3 (with June 21 and January 10 being a close second and third), last year it was 21 June, the year before it was 12 June...

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?

I play the guitar, keyboard and recorder - none of them particularly well, but I can get a tune out of each of them. I prefer singing though.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?

If I were American, I'd vote Democrat. As it is, I vote Labour in general elections because my constituency happens to have a brilliant MP right now who deserves support (among other things for not agreeing with his party on certain key topics) and Liberal Democrat otherwise.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?

Neither, unless it's a really unexpected special occasion or you've warned me first. In which case either is fine.

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?

Relationships. I don't see the point of one night stands.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

A packet of fruit Polos on Tuesday from the train station.

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSE WIFE?

No. I have absolutely no talent in that direction.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?

That should be a plural. I am reading "Making Time" by Steve Taylor downstairs, F1 Racing (October 2009 edition) and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J. K. Rowling upstairs and "Nightwings" by Robert Silverberg when I'm out. I usually have at least three books on the go simultaneously, due to my bookworm-like nature.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE?

Easy. I don't have one and don't want one right now.

 

* - Believe it or not, this paint scheme was decided the year before I became a supporter of the extremely yellow-coloured Jordan team.

 

** - Sixth form is the nearest British equivalent to high school.

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As Media Collide (Part 1)

November 26, 2010
Filed under: Uncategorized by Alianora_La_Canta — 0 Comments

Date: October 26 2007

 

[ Mood: Sword Fight ]
[ Reading F1 Racing (August 2007 edition) Currently: Reading F1 Racing (August 2007 edition) ]
Warning! Long post alert!

This has been a good week for me in terms of learning about how the other side lives. Several events inspired this post, but it would be fair to state that this is the comment I was originally going to put in BlogF1's entry on improving coverage. However, I decided that a comment that threatened to be longer than the original post is not perhaps the best of ideas.

The Internet has become a hot topic in the F1 world, what with a YouTube video playing a key role at the Japanese GP, Ron Dennis bemoaning the internet phenomenon and me discovering some interesting different ways to watch F1. The latter meant I had three perspectives on the Brazillian GP (or parts of it, at any rate).

I saw Speed TV's coverage of Brazil qualifying this year (long story involving an internet connection and some possibly-illegal behaviour), since ITV wouldn't broadcast live. While some aspects were really irritating (the whole thing was delayed 15 minutes to make way for NASCAR truck qualifying, and they missed loads of Q1 and Q3 due to ads), I envied the Americans their sane and balanced commentary line-up. David Hobbs seems very fair-minded, and although Peter Windsor has some biases, he seems to keep them much more restrained than James Allen.

In addition, I accidentally stumbled on some Spanish commentary some time later. It was on YouTube, and had I known it was a commentary involving copyrighted material, I would have given it a miss. (Well, I am a librarian trained in copyright issues, and if I don't obey the law on this, who will?) The copyright, however, is a separate issue and merits its own post - here's one F1Fanatic made earlier.

I have no idea how the Spaniards put up with their coverage, because the commentators seem to have the habit of talking over one another whenever anything exciting happens. While this may convey the excitement of F1 well, I cannot say that it increased my understanding of what the commentators thought very much. If anyone receiving the Spanish version of F1 races is reading this, please could they enlighten me?

ITV (who I watched for their usual coverage) do have serious bias problems, and is clearly aimed at part-time fans. This increases ratings at the expense of commitment - and you need commitment to stick with F1 any length of time. Thankfully, we have Martin Brundle, but I have taken to watching the music channels for the first half-hour of ITV's hour-long build-up to avoid the outbreaks of Lewisteria the other people on ITV have got. I also stop watching the races as soon as the podium ceremony is done, unless a driver I support other than Hamilton has made it to the podium, for the same reason. Consequentially, I haven't watched any post-race press conferences this year.

There are other problems with the way the media are interacting with the sport and each other.

Most races are currently directed by Bernie's organisation. I sometimes suspect they hired all the Austrian GP camera directors, because the same problems of bias and looking at fresh air are evident in the shots as they were in the coverage of the Austrian rounds before FOM got greedy. If only they'd asked one of the better countries to take over the camera work, we'd have a much better result.

The internet coverage is abysmal. I can't get formula1.com to work on my computer most of the time, so I can't comment on the live timing. What I can say is that on the rare occasion I have been able to get onto the site, the usability for people like me has been virtually non-existent. The FIA's site is not much of an improvement, and is in fact less usable and reliable than in its previous iteration.

While Ollie at BlogF1 may feel inferior on this sort of matter, he shouldn't - his blog is highly accessible and would score well on any internet usability test. Truth is, so are most other F1 blogs, and the majority of forums and other sites on the topic. If all us amateurs can get it right, why can't the FOM and FIA with all their technical firepower backing them up reach the same levels of usability and functionality? The worrying thing is that the FOM and FIA don't even care - their apparent apathy on matters not directly concerning power and money spreads even there, even though their power and money would be increased with usable sites.

The solution for the internet is three-fold:

1) Let people put clips on YouTube and similar free non-downloadable sites, so long as they were short (I believe YouTube's limit is 10 minutes a clip, and I think this is sensible to allow step 2) to work).

2) Have a central place where full races can be watched on a pay-per-race system (perhaps £3-5 per race). These basic races would have just the FOM-recorded video and sound, and would go from the 5-minute mark before races to the end of the race, plus podium and full post-race press conference. For an extra fee (£1, perhaps), the user could access the commentary from the professional provider of their choice, including all pre- and post-race content (this would be identical to whatever that channel broadcast, except without ads and with any content the broadcaster would like that would only work on the Net). The £1 supplement would go entirely to the broadcaster whose content was being viewed. This would set up competition between the broadcasters (all stations like extra money!), would reduce bias considerably (to get more viewers) and garner extra money for FOM (the FOM loves extra money!)

3) The third-party internet world needs to be embraced. Since the protaganists have, for the most part, proved completely unable to understand or cater for the requirements of the obsessive internet-based F1 fan. The likes of itv-f1.com would benefit from acknowledging these sites, perhaps by adding links to more detailed sources at the end of their news items (ITV itself is generally slow on the uptake as well as low on detail). Also, the good sites should be elevated in status, to the point where they are considered the equal of any traditional credentialed source.

The FIA's idea of posting regulations to the internet is good, but it is rather lazy in its uploading of said rules (new 2008 and 2009 Technical Regulations were announced yesterday and still haven't been posted!). Plain-language explanations would not only benefit us - given the problems various teams have had in the last couple of years, it would surely improve the running of the sport as well. But that's another story.
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Renault and Long-Term Driver Strategy

November 26, 2010
Filed under: Uncategorized by Alianora_La_Canta — 0 Comments

Date: 29 April 2007


[ Mood: Huh? ]
[ Currently: Reading Survival Strategies for People on the Autistic Spectrum ]
<Article>

Warning! Long entry alert!

Renault's predicament has been surprising in its magnitude, if not necessarily in its occurence. It is currently fighting over minor points in races and sometimes scrabbling to get twelth in qualifying. And as Martin Brundle said in 2002, "Flavio [Briatore] doesn't really do twelfth, does he?"

It would be fair to say that this entry got inspired by Formula 1 Latest's blog entry on Renault. However, my response is too long to put in their comments box, so I thought it was fairer to put it here where people who like long monologues can enjoy it better.

Before the season started, the people who thought Renault were going to be in trouble mostly appeared to believe that the main reason was the drivers. Fernando Alonso has done a sterling job for Renault in the last two years, and continues to do a good job for McLaren. He was never going to be an easy act to follow, particularly bearing in mind that many doubted Giancarlo Fisichella was up to the task, and that Heikki Kovalainen was a rookie (even great drivers need some time to become world-beaters.

In fact, Flavio Briatore has really got himself into a pickle over his drivers this year. The plan was so obvious and so likely to work - keep on Fisichella to show Kovalainen the ropes and maintain continuity (he has a proven track record of both, and with all the personnel reshuffles and the tyre swap, a dip in form was likely even if Alonso was still there). Groom Kovalainen to be the team leader for 2008 (bearing in mind that Flavio thinks/thought he is/was the next Alonso) and put Nelson Piquet Jr. in as Heikki's second in 2008 (as the Alonso-after-next). This would produce a lovely conveyor belt of superstars to pay Flavio money and bring Renault long-term glory.

Two things have put spanners in the works. Fisi has done better than Flavio expected relative to Heikki. I'm sure Flavio thought they'd nearly equal each other by Bahrain, but Heikki's currently too busy working on his driving-mediocre-cars technique to worry about his catching-the-team-leader technique. Also, Heikki hasn't been able to display the level of team leadership required for him to take the No. 1 role for 2008.

This combination is especially awkward as Flavio still doesn't appear to have quite forgiven Fisi for the last two years and Nelson probably has a Heikki-like (and fairly common) clause that he be given the car should either of the current racers not be available.

As a result, the whole discussion of who may replace Fisi as team leader may be rather premature. Until Kovalainen demonstrates some team leadership skills or a point is reached when both Fisi and Heikki can be dismissed at the same time, Flavio cannot remove Fisi without giving himself the rather weak Heikki-Nelson line-up. If I were Flavio, I would be pleased that I could have a Fisi-Heikki pairing and get back to overseeing car improvements. Flavio probably wouldn't be so happy...

If Nelson's manager has been silly enough not to negotiate himself the reserve driver clause, then Webber is the most likely target. Button is probably so restrained by contractual bounds that even his and Flavio's combined will to change teams would not prevail against the CRB (though it might net Flavio some cash to try, as well as add pressure to Webber's salary negotiation). Bear in mind that he signed a 5-year Honda extension only at the end of 2004, so Button is stuck there until the end of 2009.

The Ferrari and McLaren drivers can be safely ignored - all four are (as far as I can tell) contracted beyond 2007, and only Alonso is anything other than delighted at the prospect. Even he is probably only temporarily irritated by the Hamilton hype and won't flounce off-stage like his predecessor Juan Pablo Montoya did.

Mark, on the other hand, is probably on a normal contract and could be bought out if necessary. He will also be keen not to repeat his mistake of disregarding Flavio's instructions twice in succession. Adrian Newey would be a factor against the move, but is Mark's loyalty to his chief designer stronger than his loyalty to his manager? So if it's not Fisi-Heikki next year, I think it will be Mark-Nelson. The former is more likely, however - though it will be gritted teeth on Flavio's part, it would be the more successful arrangement.

As for the cause of Renault's problems, I think what's wrong at Renault is the tyre compatibility. Renault have had the rearmost weight distribution since 2001, and switching to Bridgestone tyres caused a problem. This was because Bridgestones require a more forward weight distribution whilst maintaining broadly the same aerodynamics as 2006 (note Super Aguri's supremacy over Honda). The weight distribution had a lot of effects. Also remember Renault's budget is relatively small, which makes tackling two different research tracks at once difficult.

As a consequence, there ended up being compromises on both the distribution and the aero, which have proved a very bad combination. No amount of good driving can completely compensate for a mediocre car. In essence, Fisi's performance relative to Heikki is because Fisi is better at dealing with mediocre cars (he's been in this situation before - 2001-2003, anyone?), but that's not going to win Renault championships; car improvements are. And the car improvements necessary are too numerous for Renault to deal with. Which is why Renault are hovering around lower points-paying positions right now.

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