Isn’t it interesting that the smallest things are what remind you of how far away from home you are?
The odd choices in the grocery stores, the strange shows on television and the news anchors you don’t know if you should trust?
Need I say anymore?
The slightly different social expectations, like choosing to drive instead of to walk?
Even the time the sun sets. It is all…new, and, well, different.
That is exciting, and also slightly uncomfortable.
But I am beginning to think only the uncomfortable forces you to grow and see how far you can stretch.
Isn’t ironic that we think of life lessons as hackneyed phrases and disregard only to appreciate their significance when we experience it directly.
It’s like we sometimes think we are the only ones who have ever experienced such difficulties and trials, and forget there is an entire history of humanity that has gone before us, generations of billions of people who also saw themselves at the center of their own worlds…
It is natural I guess, as we see the world through our own eyes, to think of only our experiences, but we should step back every once in a while to examine our own insignificance. Scary, perhaps.
Trust in the Digital Age: This has been something on my mind for a while, and it is making me hesitate quite often before sharing thoughts, photos and experiences over the net. I find myself thinking “oh, what will the be seen like in 20 years? What if it was taken out of context? Can someone possibly use this against me?”
Apple controls the memory on our iPhones. Google keeps tabs on what we search for, and whom we write to, when we use Gmail. We unknowingly pledge allegiance to the companies we do business with.
“Now we have to trust all these entities,” Mr. Schneier warned. “Google has great customer service. Problem is, you’re not the customer.”
…“You should be mindful,” … “that the Internet never forgets.”
I love this little photography project, recreating photos from the past: Back to the Future
For all my mates at uni…How to Procrastinate Better! I like this one, but I will probably finish reading it tomorrow… :)
The truth is that most procrastinators are structured procrastinators. This means that although they may be putting off something deemed important, their way of not doing the important thing is to do something else. Like reading instead of completing their expense report before it's due. Nevertheless, such people feel bad about being procrastinators and often annoy others. That is where I think I have something helpful to say.
Hope you all have a great week, and Happy Eid to all my Muslim Brothers and Sisters out there! Hope you enjoyed feasting! =)
I haven’t had time to think this through, but I wanted to add to highlight the conversation, especially in light of reading a number of things on trust lately.
But that is precisely the point: the valuable service performed by Mr Assange at WikiLeaks is a different issue from the serious accusations facing him in Sweden. Conflating the two may provide a rhetorical rush, as it did in Knightsbridge on Sunday; but over the longer term it badly damages the reputation of WikiLeaks and does Mr Assange's case no practical good.
I think if Assange truly did what he did to those women that is awful, and any man regardless of stature should be punished for such acts. However, I don’t have trouble believing that he has made very powerful enemies because of his work, which then leads me to wondering about the motivations behind allegations. It is not my place to judge, but I do wonder…
It is an easy way to discredit a man and to cause enough fuss that his work becomes tarnished with the same brush. Yes, the editorial says they are two different issues, but at the same time, WikiLeaks’sbrand is so tied into the ‘brand’ of Julian Assange that I don’t think it could escape the spill.
Which would be convenient for a number of people, to say the least.
Interesting times…
Whatever you think about Assange, I think what he did was cause a little chaos, and a little chaos is always refreshing. For me,it was about making governments aware that they should be accountable to the people who elected them. That is the aim, the why. The execution, well, that is another matter entirely, and totally up to interpretation.
We all know where leaving things to interpretation gets us…
1. White terrorists are called “gunmen.” What does that even mean? A person with a gun? Wouldn’t that be, like, everyone in the US? Other terrorists are called, like, “terrorists.”
2. White terrorists are “troubled loners.” Other terrorists are always suspected of being part of a global plot, even when they are obviously troubled loners.
3. Doing a study on the danger of white terrorists at the Department of Homeland Security will get you sidelined by angry white Congressmen.Doing studies on other kinds of terrorists is a guaranteed promotion.
4. The family of a white terrorist is interviewed, weeping as they wonder where he went wrong. The families of other terrorists are almost never interviewed.
5. White terrorists are part of a “fringe.” Other terrorists are apparently mainstream.
6. White terrorists are random events, like tornadoes. Other terrorists are long-running conspiracies.
7. White terrorists are never called “white.” But other terrorists are given ethnic affiliations.
8. Nobody thinks white terrorists are typical of white people. But other terrorists are considered paragons of their societies.
9. White terrorists are alcoholics, addicts or mentally ill. Other terrorists are apparently clean-living and perfectly sane.
10. There is nothing you can do about white terrorists. Gun control won’t stop them. No policy you could make, no government program, could possibly have an impact on them. But hundreds of billions of dollars must be spent on police and on the Department of Defense, and on TSA, which must virtually strip search 60 million people a year, to deal with other terrorists.
Did you know National Tradies Day is on the 21st of September? Well, now you do!
Lee Holdsworth of Irwin Racing is highlighting this auspicious occasion with new livery to honour the role of Tradies (Tradesmen) as part of the national celebration to honour the “Hands that Build Australia”.
“Like everyone else, I’ve seen some of the great work tradies do every day, in fact most of my closest mates are tradesmen,” says Holdsworth.
“Plus in the motor racing industry we like to surround ourselves with skilled tradespeople to ensure the best results.”
Tradesmiths are an often underappreciated group, and it is great to see their role being highlighted by the driver and team. Without our tradies, nothing would ever get made!
The team even redesigned their emblem, highlighting the ‘real’ working hands.
“IRWIN is committed to making National Tradesmen Day a major event and it’s great we can use the V8 Supercar as a “vehicle” to help publicise it,” said Laura Turnbull, Marketing Director – IRWIN Tools Asia Pacific.
“Everyone is looking forward to National Tradesmen Day and we will continue to drive the message both on and off the race track.”
You will be able to see the awesome new livery on the IRWIN Tools Stone Brothers Falcon at Sydney Motorsport Park on 25-26 August and at the Dick Smith Sandown 500 on 14-16 September.
The challenge for teams to secure naming rights partners in 2013 continues, with Orrcon Steel joining Vodafone and Trading post in reducing their sponsorship of prominent V8 teams next year. Check out the initial post here…
A move that is said not to have anything to do with performance (as they are doing pretty well!) Orrcon Steel is reducing its support for Ford Performance Racing and Mark Winterbottom’s #5 car in the V8 Supercars Championship citing maturity of their program.
"Orrcon Steel has enjoyed a successful relationship with FPR and Mark Winterbottom and that is why we are staying on with the team, albeit in a reduced capacity from next season," said the company's Managing Director Leon Andrewartha.
"The team is enjoying its best ever season so our decision is in no way related to their performance."
"As a company we need to focus our efforts on our core business and after 11 years in the series we feel our program has reached its maturity."
Orrcon Steel has been the naming rights sponsor of the #5 car since 2007 and has supported Larkham Motorsport and WPS Racing in the past.
This is the third in a series of naming rights sponsors reducing their sponsorship after Trading Post dropped Will Davison’s #6 car. Team Vodafone will also be remained next year, as we welcome Redbull to the fray…
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In other (slightly related) news though, Casey Stoner has staunchly denied rumours that he will be racing in the V8 series in 2013. Seems like the World MotoGP Champion just wants to spend time with his family…
"Am I going to race V8s next year? No, I'm going to stay home and watch my little girl grow up for a while," Stoner said. "I want to enjoy myself and be free. Number one, I will enjoy my family and not have to stress about the next race."
He will be missed, but I am sure his daughter will appreciate his reprioritising. Good on the lad for making a difficult decision, but I am sure we haven’t seen the last of him yet.
As you know, there is a lot on the net. Every week, I’ll bring you a round up of the interesting things I have come across on this insane, invaluable web.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.”
— Fred Rogers
Coke does great marketing… and asks you to see the world a little differently?
It frightens me sometimes how much we depend on media conglomerates for our knowledge of the world. This article on Foreign Policy caught my eye, claiming the two big arab news stations, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia’s bias towards the Syrian rebels was damaging their credibility. Now I am not inclined to believe it completely as FP seems to be a more conservative leaning institution with perhaps, something to gain from discrediting alternative views. It does raise the age old question though, of who do you trust with news…and how, in situations like Syria, do you make sure your information is accurate and correct when journalists aren’t able to access all the information on the ground? Do the usual journo rules apply?
Or take affirmations, those cheery slogans intended to lift the user’s mood by repeating them: “I am a lovable person!” “My life is filled with joy!” Psychologists at the University of Waterloo concluded that such statements make people with low self-esteem feel worse — not least because telling yourself you’re lovable is liable to provoke the grouchy internal counterargument that, really, you’re not.
The woman has won eight Olympic medals. Eight. She’s a champion of epic proportions and has just qualified for her fourth Games. And yet everyone is sitting around saying she doesn’t ‘look’ like a champion swimmer? Surely the point should be that she swims like a champion swimmer.
“The Chinese team came to the Olympics like a professional gambler arriving for a casual weekend of mah-jong, then trying to go home with everyone’s money.”
…
Four years after China whipped itself into a lather to host the most boffo Olympics imaginable, China seems, these days, a bit startled to discover that anyone is bothering to try hosting the Games again. Even so, the opening ceremony won its share of Chinese fans who, unsurprisingly, watched the affair with one eye on themselves.
Long read: Living with Voices…an intriguing read that reminds us how little we know about the amazing organ we depend on so much: the brain.
Hans used to be overwhelmed by the voices. He heard them for hours, yelling at him, cursing him, telling him he should be dragged off into the forest and tortured and left to die. The most difficult things to grasp about the voices people with psychotic illness hear are how loud and insistent they are, and how hard it is to function in a world where no one else can hear them. It’s not like wearing an iPod. It’s like being surrounded by a gang of bullies. You feel horrible, crazy, because the voices are real to no one else, yet also strangely special, and they wrap you like a cocoon. Hans found it impossible to concentrate on everyday things. He sat in his room and hid. But then the voices went away for good.
Easily one of my favourite videos. Humbling…the view from the International Space Station at night. Puts our insignificance into perspective…
The difficulties for Olympians who aren’t able to garner sponsorship support because their name isn’t big enough or they don’t fit the beauty ideal: An American female weightlifter shares her story.
This is Now project is a visual composition which uses real-time updates from the ever popular Instagram application based on users geo-tag locations. The tool streams photos instantly as soon as they are uploaded on Instagram and captures a cities movement, in a fluid story.
What a weekend for Craig Lowndes at the Coates Hill Ipswich 300!
The Team Vodafone driver took his fifth consecutive win at Queensland Raceway this afternoon, in a definitive and honestly one could say, annihilating performance (other suitable adjectives include conclusive, dominating…you get the picture). Check out my initial post at Richard’s F1 here!
Race 17 began with FPR on pole and Winterbottom lead for the first few laps, however Lowndes quickly took the lead late during turn six in a deep braking manoeuvre and led comfortably for the rest of the 65 laps. In fact, the biggest issue Lowndes had towards the end of the race was traffic! Life is good for a race driver when all you have to deal with is traffic…of the cars you are lapping!
Winterbottom held onto the second spot though and cruised in 2 seconds after Lowndes, while Whincup was a little further back, 14 seconds behind. Will Davison, Fabian Coulthard, Russell Ingall, Shane van Gisbergen, Tim Slade, Michael Caruso and Steve Owen made up the rest of the top 10.
Jacques Villeneuve again found the 24th position, after contact with David Wall on the opening lap sent him seeing daisies, spinning more than a few hundred degrees on the grass. It was unfortunate for the former F1 driver, who was looking to improve a little more significantly on his Townsville appearance.
The top two teams ran a similar strategy, both pitting in laps 9 and 38.
Reynolds also struggled early on with a puncture which set him back to finish with the wooden spoon, while Rick Kelly also ended up at the wrong end of the grid table after he had to pit a third time towards the end of the race.
There were only two cars that didn’t finish the race; Webb and Holdsworth both struggled with mechanical issues and in fact led to a fire in the IRWIN car.
It was an interesting race with a great crowd, a few snags to see and some decent overtaking at the beginning, and what it does mean is that TeamVodafone now has won six races, after FPR’s seven race streak at the beginning of the year. Didn’t hurt to see a few burnouts either, now that TeamVoda didn’t have to worry about conserving the engine…
What will Sydney hold? Do you think TeamVodafone will keep dominating? Do any of the other teams have it in them to challenge the mighty top two? The Championship moves to NSW and Sydney Motorsport Park later this month. Stay tuned!
2012 V8 Supercars Coates Hire Ipswich 300 – Race 2 Result (65 laps):
Bouncing back from engine problems in practice this morning, Craig Lowndes has scored pole position for Race 16 at the Coates Hire Ispwich 300 with a record breaking lap. Check out the initial post of Richard’s F1 here!
An engine change allowed Lowndes to take his fourth pole of the season after sitting out the final practice. Whincup was less than two tenths behind his team mate for a TeamVodafone front line and FPR took out the second row; Winterbottom and Davison in third and fourth respectively. Coulthard, Van Gisbergen, Reynolds, Ingall, Caruso and Holdsworth made up the rest of the top ten.
David Reynolds had done quite well and sat at the top of the grid until the final green tyre runs, but like IRWIN Ford, weren’t able to hold onto pole position. Lowndes’s time came in the dying minutes of qualifying, and Winterbottom completed his last lap after the chequered flag.
Villeneuve is giving himself a little bit of a challenge in his bid to do better this race, but he avoided the bottom spot by pipping David Wall by a few thousandths (31 thousandths, to be exact!) of a second.
Race 16 will take place at Queensland Raceway in a couple of hours time, 16:05 EST.
“The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you are alive, and die only when you are dead. To love, to be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of the life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.” ― Arundhati Roy
Can someone tell me how it is August already? Subhanallah…
Some tips on writing…”Rustle up some dysentery; it’s worth it for the fever dreams alone.”
Setting up the company was a lot cheaper than I expected. A&P charged $900 for a basic Belizean incorporation and another $85 for a corporate seal to emboss legal documents. For $650 more, A&P offered to open a bank account to stash my fledgling operation’s money in Singapore — a country, the Web site also noted, that “cannot gather information on foreigners’ bank accounts, bank-deposit interest and investment gains under domestic tax law.” And for another $690, it offered to assign a “nominee” who would be listed as the official manager and owner of my business but would report to me under a secret power-of-attorney contract. Then an A&P associate asked me to fill out the incorporation information online, just so she wouldn’t type in anything incorrectly. The whole thing took about 10 minutes.
Amazingly neither A&P nor I broke any law in Canada, Belize, Singapore or the United States.
I bought my university bag from this awesome online store Scaramanga… and was not disappointed. Check out their new range.
For all the people who are puzzled by my seeming happiness, I'll be glad to let them know my "secret." I'm not in denial, I'm not on antidepressants, and I don't live in a fantasy world. I have a wonderful husband and I am pursuing a career I've dreamed of since I was nine years old. I have a beautiful son, friends, and a working stove. I am not paraplegic. I have parents who, through luck and fate, had me here in the United States, and not in North Korea. I live in a time where my awful vision can be corrected with glasses. I am a college graduate. I am never hungry unless I choose to be.
Do I have enough? Resoundingly: yes. And I ask you to take a moment: I suspect you might, too.
We don’t lift weights in order to look hot, especially for the likes of men like that. What makes them think that we even WANT them to find us attractive? If you do, thanks very much, we’re flattered. But if you don’t, why do you really need to voice this opinion in the first place, and what makes you think we actually give a toss that you, personally, do not find us attractive? What do you want us to do? Shall we stop weightlifting, amend our diet in order to completely get rid of our ‘manly’ muscles, and become housewives in the sheer hope that one day you will look more favourably upon us and we might actually have a shot with you?! Cause you are clearly the kindest, most attractive type of man to grace the earth with your presence
I love a story of a migrant embracing their new land, working amazingly hard and doing inspiring things (many times without even meaning to). Check out this guy: first Asian American Gold Medalist, Sammy Lee…
As a twelve-year-old in 1932, Lee dreamed of becoming a diver, but at the time Latinos, Asians, and African-Americans were only allowed to use Fresno’s Brookside Pool on Wednesdays, on what was called “international day”: the day before the pool was scheduled to be drained and refilled with clean water. Because Lee needed a place to practice and could not regularly use the public pool, his coach dug a pit in his backyard and filled it with sand. Lee practiced by jumping into the pit.
The boxer in me loved this piece…about the thrill of the fight. (I promise though, I love peace!)
The “Prep School Negro”…the trailer for a documentary about African Americans who ‘escape’ the ghetto and go to a private prep school and the struggles they deal with trying to balance their lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome back from a little V8 break to the eighth round of the series, the Coates Hire Ipswich 300!
In keeping with the Sunshine State vibe, we travel down the coast to South East Queensland and will spend the weekend at Queensland Raceway, the lovely Paperclip circuit and – at the time of writing – blisteringly cold temperatures!
1:10.1637, Jamie Whincup (Holden Commodore VE II) – 2011
Event Schedule:
Free Practice Session 1
Fri 13:00-13:30
Free Practice Session 2
Fri 14:10-14:30
Free Practice Session 3
Fri 14:45-1505
Free Practice Session 4
Sat 10:10-10:40
Free Practice Session 5
Sun 10:05-10:35
Race 1 Qualifying
Sat 13:25-13:45
Race 1 (45 laps, 140km)
Sat 16:05-17:15
Race 2 Qualifying
Sun 13:00-13:20
Race 2 (65 laps, 200km)
Sun 15:35-17:15
2011 Winners:
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 1
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 2
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 3
Drive a few clicks west of Brisbane into Ipswich (if you’re feeling adventurous) and you will come across the lovely Queensland Raceway.
If we are to be honest, it probably isn’t the most loved track of the season, dubbed the ‘Paperclip’ because of its relatively simple six turn design and lack of elevation. Furthermore, the changing temperatures cause all manner of difficulties for the teams as the grip levels change throughout the day. The track does have a new surface though, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out, especially in terms of tire wear.
It must be said: though it is fairly simple, there is usually relatively entertaining racing. Turns 1, 3, 4 and 6 (most of the turns!) provide pretty good overtaking opportunities and a great spectacle. The 3.12 km track averages about 162 km/hr speeds, with a top speed of about 255km/hr. Not too shabby. Good spectator views are also a bonus.
11 of the 29 cars in the series do call this track home, so there is a small home crowd advantage…to almost a third of the cars. Welcome to the ‘swich!
Interesting fact? Queensland Raceway shares a precinct with the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip, home to the infamous Winternats!
Rewinding to 2011
2011 was a clean sweep for Craig Lowndes, who took all three races quite easily in his Holden Commodore VE2 for TeamVodafone. Tim Slade joined Craig on the podium in second place in the first race on Saturday and on Sunday. Tim Slade was pipped out of second during Saturday’s Race 17 however by Jamie Whincup (who had taken the third spot in the previous race).
Race 16 & 17 saw a return to the format of two 22 lap sprint races with a 15 minute pit lane service in between the two races.
Check out the videos below for a few more highlights of the Saturday and Sunday races.
Facts, Stats & Predictions
Well looking from a championship point of view, it will be interesting to see how the break affects the performance of the two heavyweights this season, FPR and Triple 8. Between them, they have won the 15 races of the season so far… will anyone on the grid be able to challenge that?
The other big piece of news would be the return of former F1 World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve to the circuit with Kelly Racing, replacing the injured Greg Murphy in the #51 Pepsi Max Crew Holden Commodore. He will definitely be looking to improve on his Townsville performance.
Jacques left Townsville with a DNF and a 24th place, however he should definitely be more comfortable with the car during this round considering the month off and seat time. He is joined by three other drivers who will make their first starts in the series, Alex Premat (Fujitsu Racing GRM), David Wall (Wilson Security Racing) and Taz Douglas (Team iSelect). We wish all the fellas the best of luck!
If you are looking for some heritage, look no further than the trio of Craig Lowndes, Russell Ingall and Garth Tander who have competed in every single V8 Supercar Race ever held at Queensland Raceway! In fact Ingall has stood on the podium 18 times in the 29 races on the Ipswich track. Respect!
The teams also have some great history, with Stone Brothers picking up 13 podium finishes since the V8s formally raced on the track, and their rivals Triple 8 picking up 12. That being said, Triple 8 look in pretty good form for this weekend and their four previous consecutive wins only help that prediction. FPR will have to bring their all to the track if they want to see the highest spots on the podium.
In all, it looks set to be an action-packed weekend – make sure you keep visiting RichardsF1.com for all of the latest news and analysis from Ipswich!
Summing up this year’s Formula Student, project manager Fiona Pawley said: “This year’s competition has been truly impressive, with many of the cars displaying world class engineering that wouldn’t be out of place in a Formula One paddock. These young engineers will mature into the motorsport team bosses and industry leaders of the future.”
Learn a little bit about what affects Pirelli Tires and their performance (layman's terms)
TOONED! Episode 3. Loving the new McLaren cartoon…”And here we have, just a few of the spare Ks from Mika Hakkinen's name” LOL.
Ever wondered what is like from the F1 driver’s point of view? Wonder no longer…welcome to SPA!
A beautiful video for all motorsport lovers…
I want to be ...a F1 Driver
Interestingly in this video, Senna mentions his family’s unhappiness at his choosing motorsport as a career…The episode looks at the lives of a few drivers (current and up and coming), how they got there and the difficulties getting there.
Need I say anymore?
lleneuve to the circuit with Kelly Racing, replacing the injured Greg Murphy in the #51 Pepsi Max Crew Holden Commodore. He will definitely be looking to improve on his Townsville performance.