La très célèbre compétition FOM 12.0 aura lieu le vendredi 12 février 2010 à partir de 18:00 et se terminera le dimanche 14 février à 18:00. Mes potes et moi vous donnons rendez-vous à l'une des lan parties incontournables de Belgique.
Pour ceux et celles qui ne sont pas familiers des lan parties, il s'agit en fait de fêtes regroupant des passionnés de jeux vidéos en réseau. Vous avez seulement besoin d'un PC et d'un câble UTP, l'équipement réseau et les serveurs étant pris en charge par l'équipe organisatrice. Une fois votre PC connecté au réseau, vous pourrez commencer à jour n'importe quel jeu contre n'importe quel participant.

L'édition 2010 aura lieu aux halles d'octobre, Schrovestraat 18, 9218 à Wieze en Belgique.
pour s'inscrire il faut acheter un billet en ligne à 30 Euros. Il est vivement recommandé de réserver vos places en ligne, car une fois à Wieze, il n'est pas certain qu'il restera des places dipso.

L'accès est web est comprise mais si vous voulez jouer à un jeu MMO en ligne, tel que World of Warcraft, je vous conseille de payer les 5Euros de bande passante en extra. Une fois sur place essayer de me contacter et de me défier, mes potes et moi (Brice Houdet).

N'hésitez pas à ramener votre PC, un écran, clavier, souris, casque, des multiprises, un câble UTP (min 20m), des drivers, CD d'installation, carte d'identité, plein de bouffe (junk food très apprécié), sac de couchage, et aussi quelques filles qui se font souvent rares lors de ces events.

Vous n'êtes pas autorisés à utiliser des enceintes, des tentes ni des soft piratés.

Le plus important du FOM 12.0 c'est bien évidemment les prix :

Plus de 2250 Euros de prix pour Call of Duty 4
Plus de 1500 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike: Source
et plus de 1250 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike 1.6

je vous préviens d'avance, le master de Counter Strike ce sera Brice Houdet !!! Rabattez-vous d'ores et déjà sur les autres jeux.

La très célèbre compétition FOM 12.0 aura lieu le vendredi 12 février 2010 à partir de 18:00 et se terminera le dimanche 14 février à 18:00. Mes potes et moi vous donnons rendez-vous à l'une des lan parties incontournables de Belgique.
Pour ceux et celles qui ne sont pas familiers des lan parties, il s'agit en fait de fêtes regroupant des passionnés de jeux vidéos en réseau. Vous avez seulement besoin d'un PC et d'un câble UTP, l'équipement réseau et les serveurs étant pris en charge par l'équipe organisatrice. Une fois votre PC connecté au réseau, vous pourrez commencer à jour n'importe quel jeu contre n'importe quel participant.

L'édition 2010 aura lieu aux halles d'octobre, Schrovestraat 18, 9218 à Wieze en Belgique.
pour s'inscrire il faut acheter un billet en ligne à 30 Euros. Il est vivement recommandé de réserver vos places en ligne, car une fois à Wieze, il n'est pas certain qu'il restera des places dipso.

L'accès est web est comprise mais si vous voulez jouer à un jeu MMO en ligne, tel que World of Warcraft, je vous conseille de payer les 5Euros de bande passante en extra. Une fois sur place essayer de me contacter et de me défier, mes potes et moi (Brice Houdet).

N'hésitez pas à ramener votre PC, un écran, clavier, souris, casque, des multiprises, un câble UTP (min 20m), des drivers, CD d'installation, carte d'identité, plein de bouffe (junk food très apprécié), sac de couchage, et aussi quelques filles qui se font souvent rares lors de ces events.

Vous n'êtes pas autorisés à utiliser des enceintes, des tentes ni des soft piratés.

Le plus important du FOM 12.0 c'est bien évidemment les prix :

Plus de 2250 Euros de prix pour Call of Duty 4
Plus de 1500 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike: Source
et plus de 1250 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike 1.6

je vous préviens d'avance, le master de Counter Strike ce sera Brice Houdet !!! Rabattez-vous d'ores et déjà sur les autres jeux.

La très célèbre compétition FOM 12.0 aura lieu le vendredi 12 février 2010 à partir de 18:00 et se terminera le dimanche 14 février à 18:00. Mes potes et moi vous donnons rendez-vous à l'une des lan parties incontournables de Belgique.
Pour ceux et celles qui ne sont pas familiers des lan parties, il s'agit en fait de fêtes regroupant des passionnés de jeux vidéos en réseau. Vous avez seulement besoin d'un PC et d'un câble UTP, l'équipement réseau et les serveurs étant pris en charge par l'équipe organisatrice. Une fois votre PC connecté au réseau, vous pourrez commencer à jour n'importe quel jeu contre n'importe quel participant.

L'édition 2010 aura lieu aux halles d'octobre, Schrovestraat 18, 9218 à Wieze en Belgique.
pour s'inscrire il faut acheter un billet en ligne à 30 Euros. Il est vivement recommandé de réserver vos places en ligne, car une fois à Wieze, il n'est pas certain qu'il restera des places dipso.

L'accès est web est comprise mais si vous voulez jouer à un jeu MMO en ligne, tel que World of Warcraft, je vous conseille de payer les 5Euros de bande passante en extra. Une fois sur place essayer de me contacter et de me défier, mes potes et moi (Brice Houdet).

N'hésitez pas à ramener votre PC, un écran, clavier, souris, casque, des multiprises, un câble UTP (min 20m), des drivers, CD d'installation, carte d'identité, plein de bouffe (junk food très apprécié), sac de couchage, et aussi quelques filles qui se font souvent rares lors de ces events.

Vous n'êtes pas autorisés à utiliser des enceintes, des tentes ni des soft piratés.

Le plus important du FOM 12.0 c'est bien évidemment les prix :

Plus de 2250 Euros de prix pour Call of Duty 4
Plus de 1500 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike: Source
et plus de 1250 Euros de prix pour Counter-Strike 1.6

je vous préviens d'avance, le master de Counter Strike ce sera Brice Houdet !!! Rabattez-vous d'ores et déjà sur les autres jeux.

Today, the FIA’s F1 Commission formally announced the new schedule for 2010 which includes the return of the Canadian Grand Prix and the first ever Korean Grand Prix. With next season’s grid expanding to 26 cars with the inclusion of four new teams, the F1 Commission also introduced a brand new points system for the 2010 season. The new schedule, points system and analysis after the jump.

2010 Schedule

1. March 14 – Sakhir, Bahrain
2. March 28 – Melbourne, Australia
3. April 4 – Sepang, Malaysia
4. April 18 – Shanghai, China
5. May 9 – Barcelona, Spain
6. May 16 – Monte Carlo, Monaco
7. May 30 – Istanbul, Turkey
8. June 13 – Montreal, Canada
9. June 27 – Valencia, Spain (European GP)
10. July 11 – Silverstone, England
11. July 25 – Hockenheim, Germany
12. August 1 – Hungaroring, Hungary
13. August 29 – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
14. September 12 – Monza, Italy
15. September 26 – Marina Bay, Singapore
16. October 10 – Suzuka, Japan
17. October 24 – Yeongam, South Korea
18. November 7 – Interlagos, Brazil
19. November 14 – Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

There are a few noteworthy changes between the provisional schedule and the final one released today. The provisional sked, released about two and a half months ago, had Brazil as the season finale and the Monaco Grand Prix on the same weekend as the Indy 500. In this revised schedule, Abu Dhabi is the final race of the season despite its general lacklustreness barring the final lap. Monaco was moved up a week to give teams enough time to travel between Monte Carlo and Istanbul. Interestingly, the Brazil and Abu Dhabi races are on back-to-back weekends despite the distance between the two venues being far greater than Monte Carlo to Turkey. That wasn’t well thought out.

2010 Points System

1. 25 Points
2. 20 Points
3. 15 Points
4. 10 Points
5. 8 Points
6. 6 Points
7. 5 Points
8. 3 Points
9. 2 Points
10. 1 Point

While at first glance the system increase the value of wins, there isn’t a real change in the relative value of a win over a podium finish. Only once you get below fourth place does the relative value of a win increase of the previous points system. This system also has an interesting inconsistency in the distribution of points. The difference between 5th and 6th is two points, between 6th and 7th is one point and between 7th and 8th is two points again. Just an odd intricacy of a points system that wasn’t well thought through.

In addition to these changes, the FIA has changed the way races will be officiated. They are appointing a permanent team of three stewards to each race with a fourth steward appointed by the national sporting authority. Most importantly, the stewards will be advised by former F1 drivers. The two main complaints about F1 officiating are that it’s inconsistent and the stewards have no idea what’s going on because they’ve never driven before. The changes announced today will fix both those issues.

The change to the officiating is the only change here that I can really get behind. The two changes made to the final schedule reek of commercial interests being put ahead of tradition and good racing. The points system doesn’t really do anything except give a slightly better chance for the new teams to score a lucky 10th place point. It all seems like change for the sake of change. The FIA does a fan survey every year in order to see how F1 fans feel about the current product and its direction. It looks as though they haven’t really paid attention to the fans and are just trying to appease us fans.

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of games, I hear myself saying, “Dude wtf?” I’ve done the impossible I have found myself lost, unable to understand what’s going on. (Yea, this is actually how my mind is at the moment, bear with me) I sit here at my desk and think back at the week, remembering how the days past and how I felt as they went by, here is what happened in the week so far with Zeddy.

Doc Report: Thursday I had my talk with doctor, we discussed the CT scan I had the week before, his words, were very heart warming, “Looks good.”, I have been in pain for weeks, I have had every night since my last operation sleeping in pain and without rest and relaxation for months. However I simple smiled, knowing full well that my lawyer is getting full wind of this, (Again, I’m abusing my “My lawyer is a beast” abilities.) I nodded and we talked further, when we finished he had said he was putting me on the operation list, which made me a happy little boy, 1-2 months he said.

Anyway, I was fine with it. It was when I left the room and looked at my clock that I had noticed something odd, I got there at 9:40 and he got me soon after at 9:41, we went into the room and talked, I left soon after, about 9:44, the doctor finished our talk BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSE TO BE THERE, I was suppose to be there at 9:45. Talk about a crafty doctor.

Wow-addiction: Now on to something worth talking about, Wow Addiction. I have been without wow for a few days now, (Almost a week, I can tell) and between playing FoM and trying other games and doing “other” stuff (Like watching anime), I have barely noticed that I could not play wow. Sure I get small urges to play, I mean that’s logical, I enjoyed playing it. Yet I sit here, without having wow for, *finds his account details*, oh only a few days now, 9th of December. That ladies and gents, is addiction. Being without something and time warping to make you think it has passed REALLY fast, when in truth, it has not. So I was addicted to World of Warcraft.

*Edit* I AM addicted to wow. I have two accounts, One has my level 20’s other, nothing, yet my other one has WotLK, (Mike’s old account he bought from me) and I could simply get that working, however, I fail of saving money, I was 1 euro short of being able to activate my game. That made me feel cold and dark, cause I then knew, my addiction was solid. DARNET.

FoM: Right, Another game I’ve been playing kinda actively is Face of Mankind, FoM for short. FoM has been one of the first games I ever beta tested on, back in 2005. I had a lot of fun playing it as well. They went bankrupt or something and couldn’t keep the game servers running when they went retail. However that are back and stronger then ever. New servers, new everything kinda. It’s a good game, and I suggest you all try it out if you enjoy MMOFPS’s.

SL: I dabbed in SL for about, 20 minutes, showed someone my home, then logged off. Honestly I’ve lost my will to SL, Might be due to the fact i’m busy on my FL, First life. I’m a lifer I know.

Family: Christmas is coming, new years as well, and I have no one to celebrate it with. I wish I had a family that was not always in SL. /wrist

Branson, from Virgin, with Bernie

The Motor Sport Business Forum that is taking place in Monaco this week brought some interesting answers – and even more questions – about the future of Formula One as a business. Gerard Lopez, the entrepreneur who is keen to buy the Renault Team, spoke freely about some of his ideas, shared by fellow friend Tony Fernandez, owner of the new Lotus Team. For both men, rather than being stuck in a crisis, F-1 is open to a brilliant future, and both see the present moment as an opportunity for starting a good business. And it is not difficult to see why.

F-1 is in the middle of an identity crisis. The old model of business controlled by Bernie Ecclestone seem to be losing its ground, as race promoters are no longer able to cope with the high taxes and demands by FOM. The new GPs lack in character and fans are been driven away from the sport “gate” after “gate”. People like Lopez, Fernandez and Richard Branson, from Virgin, see that time for changes has finally come.

As the FIA tries to find ways to improve the show and bring F-1 to the XXI century, these new heads play an essential role in the process. The sport needs to get environmentally friendly, needs to develop green technology that proves relevant to the industry, needs to make a point. But, above everything else, it needs to improve the show, and to do it both the FIA and FOM have to listen to the fans.

The fans base is shouting out loud for years that we don’t need an exquisite new track in the Canary Islands nor a GP in a tight circuit around Moscow city centre, but the old Hockenheim back in the calendar. Society has changed, people are demanding more and more to be heard, and any business who fails to do that is determined to die. It’s as clear as water.

But there is a chance that things will finally start to get better. As F-1 moves to reduce the costs of running a team, those new heads jumped in and they aren’t there just to make number and waste their money. They want to win, for sure, but more than that, they want to make money, they want to make profits.

A sustainable F-1 is no longer a matter of luxury, it’s essential for the future of the sport. The recent credit cruch, that drove away most of the manufacturers sent a clear message. Now it’s up to the ones in command to do something about it. Let the guys do what they know, don’t stand in their way, and you’ll see a new F-1 arising.

On the FIA’s side, I expect to see in the near future a set of proper rules that will lead the sport in the right direction, stimulating the development of biofuel, eco-friendly tyres, new energy sources, energy recycling etc. All at its time, but a proper plan has to be developed since now.

On the FOM’s side, I can’t honestly see a future while Bernie Ecclestone is still in charge. I just don’t see him treating the GP promoters as partners rather than slaves, and without a change in mentality, it will be tough for the sport to enter the XXI century.

F-1 needs to be self-sustainable, needs to move on. There’s something new about to happen, and we all need to make sure there is room for the new guys. If all we can do is shout it out loud, let’s do so. More than ever in history, we can be heard.

Have a great week, mates. Cheers.

Silverstone: another 17 years

The BRDC has revealed today that Silverstone has been granted the right to host the british GP for another 17 (!!) years. Probably much more that there’s still left for Bernie Ecclestone on this side of the world, but I have a simple question: what is the basis of this contract? Does the 7% anual increasing fee over the starting £12m still apply? If so, the British Club will have serious problems to keep up with the race, because I can’t see the GP generating that much profit.

On the other hand, the circuit will now host the MotoGP round from 2010 on, which means a little more revenues, but will it be enough to invest in both events? That also remais to be seen.

I’d rather wait until the exact terms of the new contract are revealed. Something isn’t looking good here and, giving the unusual long extension, maybe the ones who inked the document may not even be here when the bomb blows. Sounds very Bernie, indeed.

Have a nice week, mates. Cheers!

Bernie Ecclestone continua o seu braço de ferro anual com o BRDC e deu agora duas semanas aos responsáveis pelo circuito de Silverstone para assinarem um contrato de cinco anos com a FOM.

Segundo Ecclestone, “quando se realizar o próximo Conselho Mundial da FIA, no dia nove de Dezembro, temos de ter o calendário definitivo. Se eles não quiserem assinar, ficamos sem Grande Prémio na Grã-Bretanha em 2010.” Mas alguém ainda acredita nessa possibilidade?

[Fonte: autosport.aeiou.pt]

As equipes rejeitaram a proposta de Bernie Ecclestone, que consistia em dar a elas mais 10% do lucro comercial da F1 em troca de mais comprometimento na categoria

O êxodo das montadoras da F1 tem preocupado Bernie Ecclestone, tanto que o presidente da FOM (Formula One Management) propôs às equipes dar mais 10% da renda comercial da categoria a elas em troca de garantias de comprometimento com a F1 pelos próximos três anos. No entanto, a ideia foi rejeitada pelos times.

O jornal britânico “Financial Times” afirmou também que Ecclestone ofereceu aos times 50% de participação nos lucros da categoria, na condição de que todos assinassem um novo acordo, mas fora do Pacto da Concórdia, que tem validade até 2012. Esse acordo, no entanto, não impediria que as equipes deixassem a F1, como fez a Toyota.

“As montadoras não vão se comprometer”, disse o chefe-executivo da F1, acrescentando ainda que elas “não sabem o que vão fazer na próxima semana”.

(Fonte: esporte.ig.com.br)

A Globo parece ter solificado ainda mais a sua relação de confiança com o “Supremo” da FOM Bernie Ecclestone. A “Veja” desse final de semana tem a seguinte notinha na coluna do Felipe Fatury:

“No Brasil, a Fórmula 1 sempre esteve ligada ao húngaro naturalizado brasileiro Tamas Rohonyi. Amigo de Bernie Ecclestone, o inglês que administra a categoria, Rohonyi foi o principal responsável pela inclusão e manutenção do Brasil no campeonato.

Agora, está deixando a operação.

Em meados da década, ele vendeu 70% de sua International Promotions para a Globo. No início do ano, a Globo comprou o restante da empresa, que passou a ser dirigida pela executiva Cláudia Ito. A emissora confirma as mudanças societárias, mas Rohonyi, que passará a atuar como consultor da F-1, não.”

Ótimo… Para a Globo.

Formula One Management CEO Bernie Ecclestone is not known for being overly verbose, but when he expresses his opinions they tend to stick. And he clearly has an opinion on the new Abu Dhabi race venue, labeling it a ‘monumental’ achievement…

Q: Bernie, two and a half years ago when you signed the contract for an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this area was a desert. How impressed are you when you look around?
Bernie Ecclestone: I am overwhelmed and I think everybody felt the same when they saw this. It is monumental. When I came here in April a lot was not finished but I definitely knew that there would be race in the autumn, although it was hard to believe it at that time. But look around. Look what they’ve done. It’s almost a miracle come true thinking about where we started. As you said – it was a desert!

Q: Has Formula One racing come to the land of plenty?
BE: I don’t know anything about the land of plenty. We’ve come to a country where people are determined to achieve their goals. It’s that simple.

Q: Does Abu Dhabi support your efforts to bring Formula One racing to new countries and regions?
BE: Absolutely! I sometimes get criticized for taking Formula One to places with little or no motor racing heritage, but look what happens in countries with that much-trumpeted heritage!

Q: For a long time you’ve said you could imagine a 20-race calendar. Now that we have very little testing over the winter, more and more drivers seem to find that idea appealing…
BE: Yes, I always said that it is possible and obviously now there are more and more people falling for that idea. Nobody needs testing. It was always, in my opinion, that testing costs money while racing brings money. Or let them test on Monday after the race when everybody is at the track, the hotels are paid for and that huge logistical effort is eliminated.

Q: Coming back to this weekend’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, what do you expect is going to happen in the race?
BE: I never have any preference as to the winner, but I hope it will be an exciting race because this is what we owe to Abu Dhabi for what they’ve done for us.

Reference: F1.com

Formula One heads to the only new venue on the 2009 calendar this weekend for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Middle East. As with all new venues, teams are challenged with the unknown and the new as they organise travel, accommodation and food for their race team. Here to talk about the logistics of traveling to Abu Dhabi is Toyota’s team manager Jens Marquardt.

Q: What are the first steps you take when preparing for a new circuit in terms of logistics?
Jens Marquardt, Toyota (Team Manager): The first thing is to try to get as much information as possible beforehand, so either you approach the circuit directly or, more often than not, they are proactive in letting us know what their status is. With Suzuka for example, the changes were made to the pit facilities. So they sent us the drawings, information about their plans and an invitation to go there on a recce to take photos, ask questions, make requests and understand what the situation is on the ground. It is useful to give our input about what we require from electricity and network connections, all that sort of thing.

Q: If you could have three wishes for any new venue in terms of facilities, what would they be?
JM: The first would be enough space to work and store everything comfortably, especially thinking ahead to next year when there will be more teams. Another priority would be to have facilities as similar as possible from track to track so we don’t need to continually change or adapt our equipment. Finally, good transport infrastructure is essential because otherwise it can be a real inconvenience for the team.

Q: What about Abu Dhabi in particular?
JM: In the case of Abu Dhabi, it is a completely new venue so the situation is different to Suzuka because we had no existing information. We were invited to visit after the Bahrain Grand Prix and were shown what was available at that time and what was planned. They listened to our input and discussed issues like access as well as pit or office installations. Abu Dhabi is a slightly different case because Richard Cregan and Andy Beaven are working on the project so obviously we have great contact due to their time with Toyota. Also, those two guys have a lot of expertise from a team’s perspective so they know exactly what is required.

Q: How about logistics away from the track?
JM: After we look at the circuit itself, the next task is to understand the logistical situation in terms of what hotels exist, which airport is most suitable and how to transport people around when they are there. We look at whether there are any regulations covering foreigners driving hire cars and if it is more appropriate to use buses; we make a decision based on the most convenient, efficient and cost-effective solution. This is actually quite a lot of work in long-term preparation so it takes place between six months and a year in advance.

Q: How are the logistics in terms of getting people to the venue in Abu Dhabi?
JM: I would say everything looks good in terms of logistics in Abu Dhabi. Our hotel is located between the airport, the city and the track so we should have decent transportation in that respect and driving should be no problem. We had a small concern in terms of immigration and access to Yas Island, which normally requires a permit, but this has been sorted out with FOM (Formula One Management) and the government so it should be quite easy for the team.

Q: How do you decide which hotels to book?
JM: More or less it is a compromise between cost, location and comfort. We have some standards that we like to provide to the team and at the same time we have a certain budget that we allocate for every event so we need to find the best fit. For Abu Dhabi we went as far as looking at the possibility of staying in Dubai and commuting every day, in case the hotels proved more suitable, but in reality it was not really viable. The transfer time is long and there is the possibility for sand storms or accidents on the roads so in the end we chose a hotel in Abu Dhabi itself. Our philosophy is that we get better quality of work from people if they have appropriate accommodation at a suitable distance from the track. If you have a long day of work then spending another hour or so transferring to the hotel is quite a burden.

Q: Does the evening start time cause any complications or changes to routine?
JM: The good thing is it is the last race of the season so the delayed starting time is not really an issue logistically or in terms of pack-up, unlike the night race in Singapore which also affected the back-to-back Grand Prix in Japan. That was quite a logistic problem on Sunday because we had the late race and then still had to have our freight ready by the normal time, so around 4am on Monday morning. It was demanding on the guys to get it all arranged in time but in Abu Dhabi this won’t be a problem. It is the last race so there is no hurry to get the equipment to the next venue and our flights are on Monday night so there’s plenty of time.

Q: How did the cars get from Brazil to Abu Dhabi?
JM: The cars went direct from Brazil to Abu Dhabi via the FOM air freight. They arrived at the end of last week and were stored in Abu Dhabi before our guys got there to start work on Monday morning.

Q: What are your impressions generally of the Yas Marina Circuit?
JM: It is extreme. When I was down there in April to do a recce they were already working all the time available in a day, although obviously not at the hottest time because it is impossible. What we have seen of the updates since then is incredible; something I have never seen before with a Formula 1 track. The marina they are building, which the track runs around, the hotel with the bridge across – they have invested a lot in the whole venue and it is certainly something different. They have really made an effort for the teams to have everything exactly how we want it so hopefully for us it will be the easiest new event for a long time.

Reference Source: Toyota F1

Domingo, a Maior Banda de Rock desse planeta (Oh, my goodness, como eu sou competitivo…) terá um dos shows de sua Turnê — The 360° Tour  — transmitido via streaming pelo Youtube, de grátis e direto do Rose Bowl, em Pasadena, Califórnia.

Todos os ingressos já foram vendidos e será a primeira vez que um show dessa magnitude terá transmissão ao vivo via web.

Ok, eu já imagino o que você aí do outro lado anda pensando: “Mas o que raios isso tem a ver com a F1?”. Tudo e mais um pouquinho…

O Youtube provará para Bernie Ecclestone a viabilidade de sua robusta plataforma para transmitir super, hiper, mega eventos. Claro, as televisões jamais deixarão que o Youtube, que já anda garfando a audiência da TV ao redor do mundo, interfira nos acordos milionários estabelecidos com a FOM, mas Bernie deveria ficar atento ao que ocorrerá domingo no Rose Bowl — o que ensaiará uma oportunidade de negócios que, se vendido através de assinaturas de forma global, renderia milhões à FOM e também às equipes.

Chad Hurley, CEO do Youtube e parceiro da nova USAF1, certamente tem apetite para esse tipo de empreitada e, afinal, seria melhor oficializar um canal viável e rentável de transmissão do que ver o sinal da F1 ser pirateado via JustinTV a cada semana.

A 1h30 da madrugada de domingo para segunda, fique atento à Turnê que, segundo a revista Rollling Stone, está reinventando o Rock e que pode ser um embrião distante da invenção da transmissão global da F1.

According to a 2008 survey by Technorati, which runs a search engine for blogs, only 7.4 million out of the 133 million blogs the company tracks had been updated in the past 120 days. That translates to 95% of blogs being essentially abandoned, left to WOW (wallow on the web), where they become public remnants of a dream — or an ambition — unfulfilled.

I started blogging in 2006 which seems like a long time ago… then in 2007, prior to taking off on an extended motorcycle trip I started the Northwest Harley Blog.  The thinking at the time was that a mix of hobbies (motorcycle and photography) would be a natural fit and thus was born — rantings of a motorcycle enthusiast.

Many people start blogs with lofty aspirations — try to build an audience and leave their day job, land a book deal, get attention from traditional media or simply to share their so-called genius with the world. I did not! Some even assumed that once they started blogging, the world would beat a path to their digital door.  Getting started is easy, since all it takes to maintain a blog is a time commitment and inspiration. Some actually believe those TV advertisements about some mommy blogger making $4,000 a month?

As a “closet journalist” I like to provide a unique voice and work to accurately report and find unusual angles on stories related to motorcycle causes and the industry.  I also like to provide chronologies of my various ride and rally wanderings. After two+ years, or put another way — after 500 posts, 873 photo’s edited/uploaded, and several thousand moderated comments later I feel the blog is a successful hobby after obtaining on average 24,000 unique monthly views, but it’s also at a cross-roads.

The internet is different now.  It used to be about research, accuracy and quality entries.  The good bloggers had something to say about the big motorcycle issues of the day.  Now it’s about snippets from people who pump out dreck or large excerpts of other articles.  Original and high-quality content has become dumbed down.  Bloggers are required to spend more time ‘digg-n’, ‘tweeting’, ‘facebooking‘, ‘youtubing‘ and SEOing their posts than they do on the actual posts themselves. Even H-D is pushing their social media outreach staff to pump up the noise level on marketing messages in non-traditional channels — i.e. bloggers.

Sure it’s cool to have all this media presence, you can tweet ad infinitum and make videos clips if you’ve got a burning desire to do so… especially if you love new media and are thrilled to be in constant contact with your fan base or “tribe.”  In other words, if its an end unto itself.

But, that’s what bothers me.  There is a point of diminishing returns and a mental cost to all the work.  In the early days all that was required to “win” at blogging was to show up early each day.  Today?  You need a team of social marketers to get your message out, a second team to manage any fall-out from whatever you’ve said and a third to manage all the SPAMers and deletion of bad behavior rolled up by the Google machine in the form of drive-by trolls and haters who try and take up residence.  As a result blogs have a higher failure rate than restaurants!

Not all blogs fade from lack of reader interest. Some bloggers find themselves too busy — what with, say, band-camp, and swim practice, or perhaps even housework. Others graduate to more immediate formats, like Twitter or Facebook and drop evangelizing via the blog platform. And a few — gasp — actually decide to reclaim some small slice of their personal time.  This brings me full-circle about a decision.

I’m going to take a blogging timeout. Little if any new material will appear during the month of October.  I plan to resume in November.  Why?  Having blogged consistently for over three years now, I think it would be wise to take a step back and evaluate the effects (both good and bad) and determine what if any new direction should be taken.  If you have an opinion or viewpoint I’m sure you’ll let me know.

I appreciate the allegiance of the blog reader base who subscribe and those who visit the site regularly.  If you happen on to this site during the month of October I hope you’ll enjoy looking through the archives.

Enjoy fall and ride safe out there…

All Rights Reserved © Northwest Harley Blog

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been pushing hard to get a medal system implemented to determine the winner of the F1 World Championship. His proposed system has the driver winning the most race being named the champion. His proposal comes despite the fact that the last two seasons have seen the title decided in the final race of the year and by a single point each time. The points system changed back in 2003 to keep the championship race alive for longer. This system works but what if Bernie still wants to make a change? What if he was to borrow an American idea?

Admittedly, the idea of a playoff to determine a champion is American. Outside of some international competitions, there are several prestigious competitions that don’t use a playoff to determine a champion. Those ranks include the major soccer leagues. Motorsports in North America was one of the few places that didn’t use a playoff format to determine a champion. In an attempt to remain relevant during football season, NASCAR introduced the Chase playoff format to stretch the title race to the final race. That’s what Ecclestone says he wants to do with a change in the system F1 uses to determine a champion.

Of course, the real reason that Bernie wants to implement the medal system is because he saw it used in the 2008 Olympics. I guess when you’re 78 years old and you see something shiny…

Because the NASCAR Nextel/Sprint Cup season is over twice as long, has more than twice as many drivers, and a completely different points system than Formula One, some changes have to be made to the Chase format to make it work in a hypothetical scenario. There will be two different scenarios used based on the two different Chase formats that NASCAR has used.

Format 1
NASCAR: Top 10 in points qualify for Chase. Drivers separated by 5 points with first place at 5050 points.
F1 Adaptation: Top 5 in points qualify. Drivers separated by 2 points with first place at 110 points.

Format 2
NASCAR: Top 12 in points qualify for the Chase. Drivers enter Chase at 5000 points with 10 additional points per win.
F1: Top 5 drivers qualify. Drivers start with 100 points with 2 bonus points per win.

Going back to the most recent points system change in 2003, I’ve recalculated each championship using the two Chase formats and Bernie’s medal system.

2003
Original: M. Schumacher 93, Raikkonen 91 – Title decided in final race
Medals: M. Schumacher 6, three others 2 – Title clinched with 2 races to go

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – M. Schumacher, Raikkonen, Montoya, R. Schumacher, Barrichello
Results – Raikkonen 137, M. Schumacher 134 – Wins title with 7 point swing in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – M. Schumacher 108, R. Schumacher 104, Raikkonen 102, Montoya 102, Barrichello 102
Results – M. Schumacher 132, Raikkonen 131, Montoya 129 – Title decided in final race

Bernie doesn’t look so smart here. The medal system gives us the shortest title hunt. Meanwhile, under Chase Format 1, Schumacher’s poor Japanese GP costs him the title and gives Raikkonen his first championship. Under Format 2, the Iceman will come up one position short in the final race allowing Schumacher to win his 6th world title.

2004
Original: M. Schumacher 148 – Title clinched with 4 races to go
Medals: M. Schumacher 13 – Title clinched with 8 races to go

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – M. Schumacher, Barrichello, Button, Trulli, Alonso
Results - Barrichello 140, M. Schumacher 138 – Wins title with 4 point swing in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – M. Schumacher 124, Trulli 102, Barrichello 100, Button 100, Alonso 100
Results – M. Schumacher 152, Barrichello 132 -Title clinched with 1 race to go

Bernie might have forgotten the 2004 season when he came up with his medal system. Format 1 would give Rubens Barrichello his first world title. Mind you, given Schumacher’s dominance of the 2004 season, I think a riot would have broken out worldwide if he didn’t win that year. Format 2 is the only early clinch under any Chase format. When you consider how many bonus points that Schumacher would have piled up under this format, an early end to the title race is understandable.

2005
Original: Alonso 133, Raikkonen 112 - Title clinched with 2 races to go
Medals: Alonso 7, Raikkonen 7 – Alonso wins by virtue of having more 2nd place finishes

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – Alonso, Raikkonen, M. Schumacher, Montoya, Trulli
Results - Raikkonen 149, Alonso 148 – Title decided in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – Alonso 112, Raikkonen 110, M. Schumacher 102, Montoya 102, Trulli 100
Results – Raikkonen 151, Alonso 150 – Title decided in final race

Bernie gets a win here. Alonso’s win in the final race of the year pushes him ahead of Raikkonen. In the two Chase Formats, Raikkonen proves his status as the Chase Master. He overtakes Alonso thanks to a slightly longer five race Chase in both scenarios. In each change new format, the title race goes down to the final race.

2006
Original: Alonso 134, M. Schumacher 121 - Title decided in final race
Medals: Alonso 7, M. Schumacher 7 – Alonso wins by virtue of having more 2nd place finishes

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – Alonso, M. Schumacher, Massa, Fisichella, Raikkonen
Results - Alonso 144, M. Schumacher 139 - Title decided in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – Alonso 112, M. Schumacher 110, Fisichella 102, Massa 100, Raikkonen 100
Results – Alonso 146, M. Schumacher 141 - Title decided in final race

Absolutely no changes under this scenario except that Schumacher had a better chance of winning the title under the new, hypothetical formats. It seems as though the Chase doesn’t not favour Michael the same way that the record books have.

2007
Original: Raikkonen 110, Alonso 109, Hamilton 109 - Title decided in final race
Medals: Raikkonen 6, Alonso 4, Hamilton 4 – Title decided in final race

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Heidfeld
Results - Raikkonen 146, Alonso 138, Hamilton 135 - Title decided in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – Hamilton 106, Alonso 106, Massa 106, Raikkonen 106, Heidfeld 100
Results - Raikkonen 148, Alonso 136 - Title decided in final race

One of the greatest title races in the history of Formula One would have been ruined under any new format. Whether F1 is run by Bernie Ecclestone or Brian France, the points system kept everyone in the title race until the last lap.

2008
Original: Hamilton 98, Massa 97 - Title decided in final race
Medals: Massa 6, Hamilton 5 – Title decided in final race

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – Hamilton, Massa, Kubica, Raikkonen, Heidfeld
Results - Hamilton 132, Massa 131 - Title decided in final race

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – Massa 110, Hamilton 108, Raikkonen 104, Kubica 102, Heidfeld 100
Results - Massa 133, Hamilton 130 - Wins title with 6 point swing in final race

In all title deciding systems, the title went down to the final race. However, the medal format and Chase Format 2 both had the race fairly well decided by the midpoint of the race. The original points system and Chase Format 1 both saw the title decided in the final corner of the season.

2009
Original: Button 80, Barrichello 66, Vettel 54, Webber 51.5, Raikkonen 40 - After Italian GP
Medals: Button 6, Barrichello 2, Vettel 2 - After Italian GP

Chase Format 1: Qualifying – Button, Barrichello, Vettel, Webber, Raikkonen
Results - Button 118, Barrichello 118, Raikkonen 108, Vettel 107, Webber 104 - After Italian GP

Chase Format 2: Qualifying – Button 112, Vettel 104, Barrichello 102, Webber 102, Raikkonen 102
Results - Button 120, Barrichello 112, Raikkonen 108, Vettel 105, Webber 102 - After Italian GP

We won’t be able to declare the effectiveness of a Chase format in making the Championship more exciting until the season is over. However, both Chase formats would have shrunk the gap in the top five. Bernie’s medal system, however, would likely see three meaningless races starting in Japan.

So what have we learned from this hypothetical experiment? Well, Chase Format 1 sees the championship go to the final race each time with a different champion in each of the first three years. Chase Format 2 makes the title chase go at least as long as the points system would make the title race go with only two different title winners over the six year study period.

Still, despite all the time I put into trying to figure out Chase playoff formats, I think the points system that F1 is using now is still the way to go. Even if we’re guaranteed a closer finish to the Drivers’ Championship, I would rather see a championship awarded based on performance over a whole season rather than who is the best over the final five. As Jimmie Johnson’s three straight NASCAR Sprint Cup titles have shown, all you need to do is get the setup right at those final tracks and the title is yours.

You’ve heard me sing the praises of Mark Plessinger, the FOM Series and all the glory that is the (usually) first Thursday night of the month on Main Street before, but this month there’s even more artsy goodness for your discriminating dollar and — oh wait — dollars aren’t even involved — these good times are free for the price of showing up!

This Thursday night, September 10th, Main Street Columbia is the place to be for art, music, wine and good times, and it makes me so happy to say that.  Mark Plessinger will host the opening exhibit reception for September’s FOM featured artists, Jean Bourque and Barbie Mathis, from 6:30 until 8 pm at 1520 Main.  Come down and see what Jean and Barbie have been working on before you wonder next door to Gotham Nights and take in some of the quite decent jazz renderings of Sonny D and Friends.  There’s also a wine tasting followed by music next door at the White Mule — don’t know anything about the wine or the tunes, other than they are happening, but its worth a visit for the surprise if nothing else.

In any event, please do come on out and lend your support to what Mark is trying to do for you and the arts on Main Street.  Every month the crowd grows larger and larger.  A good thing is happening down there.  Be a part of it.

Dirigente acha que Renault terá um grande problema se confirmada a acusação

Bernie Ecclestone, detentor dos direitos comerciais da Fórmula 1 e presidente da Formula One Management (FOM), afirmou nesta terça-feira que se for confirmada a denúncia feita contra a Renault à respeito do GP de Cingapura do ano passado, a equipe poderá ser expulsa da categoria.

Especula-se que Flavio Briatore, chefe de equipe da Renault, teria mandado o brasileiro Nelsinho Piquet bater de propósito no GP de Cingapura. O acidente causou a entrada do carro de segurança na prova, beneficiando Fernando Alonso, que acabou vencendo a prova.

A Federação Internacional de Automobilismo (FIA) está analisando o incidente através de uma comissão, mas não revelou de onde vem as informações.

- Se as acusações envolvendo Nelsinho e a Renault forem verdadeiras, penso que estarão com um sério problema. Se eu pedir para você roubar um banco e você for pego, não poderá dizer depois ‘foi Bernie quem pediu’ – disse Ecclestone.

A FIA deve fazer uma reunião com o World Motor Sport Council(WMSC). Se a entidade decidir que a Renault é culpada, as punições podem ir de uma multa, expulsão de corridas ou até a exclusão da escuderia do campeonato.

- Se a investigação levantar o que de fato aconteceu, penso que haverá um grande problema. Sabemos que essas coisas acontecem em corrida de cavalos e no futebol e trazem muitas complicações, não é mesmo? O risco de deixarem a F-1 é grande, óbvio. Espero que não seja isto, mas é o tipo de coisa que acontece – disse Bernie Ecclestone.

Laut einer Umfrage der FOM sehen StudenInnen (noch) keinen konkreten Nutzen vom Social Networking in Bezug auf Ihre Karriere. Um mich kurz zu fassen, möchte ich mich auf ein Zitat aus dem Bericht beschränken.

Fazit: Konform zu vielen bereits durchgeführten Studien belegen die Umfrageergebnisse den Einfluss sozialer Kontakte auf die beruflichen Perspektiven von Arbeitnehmern. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt darüber hinaus, dass soziale Kontakte zunehmend auch über das Internet geknüpft und gepflegt werden. Die Befragten sind in durchschnittlich zwei social networks, wie z.B. Xing, StudiVZ oder Facebook aktiv. Dabei ist die Nutzungsintensität stark altersabhängig geprägt. Jüngere Teilnehmer nutzen internetbasierte Netzwerke häufiger und intensiver. Allerdings ist der Einfluss dieser internetbasierten Netzwerkkontakte auf die bisherige berufliche Entwicklung sowohl in der subjektiven Einschätzung der Befragten als auch im Rahmen statistischer Zusammenhangsanalysen noch als recht gering zu beurteilen. Dennoch zeigt sich, dass die Befragten für ihre zukünftigen Karrierechancen eine Vielzahl positiver Impulse von ihren internetbasierten Netzwerkaktivitäten erwarten. Diese sind in hohem Maße von der Intensität der Netzwerknutzung abhängig. Um mögliche direkte Zusammenhänge zwischen Netzwerknutzung und beruflichem Erfolg genauer bestimmen zu können, müsste diese Studie – eventuell in Form einer Panel-Befragung – fortgesetzt werden. (FOM Netzwerkumfrage 2009, Hermeier & Seng, S. 8 )

Quelle: FOM Netzwerkumfrage 2009 als PDF

Bom dia amigos. Hoje temos uma sexta-feira com muitas pequenas gotas, o que até combina com o clima no momento em southeast London, cinza e com garoa paulistana. Vamos lá.

Danica: grande demais para o cockpit da GUSPE. Mas peraí, que parte?

1 – Sébastien Bourdais não irá mais processar a Toro Rosso por ter sido defenestrado no meio da temporada. Seu manager, Nicolas Todt, conseguiu chegar a um acordo amigável. Rumores agora indicam que o destino de Bourdais possa ser novamente a Indy, mas o francês se nega a encerrar o ciclo na F-1 – por hora.

2 – Ross Brawn está se revelando um apostador mais controverso que o nosso Bettega. O chefão da Brawn GP, recentemente flagrado em alta velocidade em uma motorway em UK, diz que apostaria seu dinheiro no título de Jenson Button e em uma vitória de Michael Schumacher até o fim do ano. Vamos combinar, não são exatamente duas barbadas. Ross pode até acertar… com Schumacher, porque esse título do “botão” está a cada dia mais ameaçado.

3 – Xi, problemas. Willi Weber, o manager do Schumacher que tinha 200% de certeza de que o alemão não aceitaria o convite para substituir Felipe Massa, disse hoje que o heptacampeão está bem fisicamente e que o seu pescoço não será problema. A julgar pelo grau de precisão das últimas declarações de Weber, convém nos prepararmos para o pior. Dá-lhe Badoer!

4 – Quem também está em apuros é a BMW. Após não conseguir chegar a um acordo com Peter Sauber para repassar o espólio da equipe a partir de 2010, os alemães perderam o prazo para assinar o novo Pacto da Concórdia. O que isto significa? Que, seja lá quem compre a BMW Sauber, não receberá a grana da FOM referente a 2009, o que representa um enorme prejuízo no budget para o ano que vem. Lamentável.

5 – A USF1, vulga GUSPE, parece mais perdida do que cego em tiroteio. Hoje o co-principal do time, Peter Windsor, saiu-se com várias pérolas. Disse que a escuderia já recusou propostas de dois pilotos da GP2, que inclusive já venceram corridas, porque não estão dispostos a aceitar “pilotos pagadores”. Windsor disse ainda que as ofertas chegavam a incríveis três quartos do budget total da escuderia para 2010. Em seguida, o cara diz que está considerando um piloto experiente, como… Alexander Wurz! E, de quebra, a imprensa americana diz que para o segundo carro os mais cotados são os “excelentes” Jonathan Summerton, Graham Rahal e Ryan Hunter-Reay. Quer dizer que piloto pagador com vitória na GP2 é menos interessante que um Hunter-Reay? É como eu sempre digo – o patriotismo é a maior m… da humanidade. Começando com o pé esquerdo assim, vamos ver por quanto tempo os pacientes investidores norte-americanos irão ficar na brincadeira. Ah, sim, esqueci a melhor parte: Windsor disse ainda que “Danica Patrick é grande demais para eles”. Pois é.

Atualização: estão dizendo na imprensa européia que os tais pilotos pagadores seriam Bruno Senna e Karun Chandhok. Qualquer um dos dois vale mais que um Graham Rahal e um Hunter-Reay juntos, e olha que o Chandhok não é nenhuma maravilha.