Sidepodcast

Making Conversation

We've had a complaint about the noise. Not the volume you understand, just the occasional noise in the daily threads.

Essentially a couple of people have mentioned that F1 discussion is in danger of being railroaded by chat about pandas, gadgets and food. Now we love conversation on all of those topics and more, so we wouldn't want to do anything to discourage such talk. However, we ought to enable those who come to Sidepodcast for the Formula One discussion to be able to do so too.

Something planned for the mythical SPC 3.0 redesign, which right now is rivaling Brigadoon and the unicorn in terms of visibility, was the idea of providing "breakout" threads of discussion when important news occurs. Essentially these threads will be a way of categorising conversation so that talk of Fisichella heading to Ferrari goes in one place, while chat about Piquet spinning in Singapore goes in another.

Conceptually speaking, breakout threads are extensions of the daily conversation, and not posts in their own right. You won't gain much insight from the post content beyond whatever facts are available, and that may simply be a tweet from a driver. The discussion will be where it's at.

Due to feedback received, we'd like to roll this out as soon as possible. Which means things might look a little odd in the existing design. You may just have to trust us that it'll all be okay in the end. Sidepodcast daily threads introduced back in November, offered a brilliant way to enable general F1 discussion as well as plenty of off-topic fun. Hopefully this new idea will take it to the next level.

Behind the scenes, we're also working on a new authentication system that will allow those who sign up to moderate and move comments as required. In theory we can also allow those same people to create new conversation categories as and when required.

That's for the future though and this is now. Christine has started us off with a thread for Force India discussion and we'll move existing comments over there now. Please let us know what you think of the plan and also yell in the daily thread if breaking news should be spun off into it's own category. As ever we'll learn and tweek on the run.

Daily: 12th April 2009

I've been doing this job for all of two days, and already I'm setting new records for daily publishing lateness.

I've had a scout around for Formula 1 news this afternoon, and there isn't any. None at all. Which makes me mighty glad I'm not a news agency promising to deliver between 10 and 20 original F1 stories a day. If I'd have been dumb enough to suggest that, I might be forced to make something up.

Thankfully, there is plenty going on in the community today to keep us occupied.

• The Sidepodaddiction page has scaled new heights, reaching Stage 7.6 which handily covers "denial". I'll likely never make it beyond Stage 6, but if you haven't done so already please do confess your Sidepodhabit to all on the wiki.
• Apparently James Allen didn't get the memo about us appreciating his writing much more than his talking. Yesterday he published an audio slideshow of such pompous arrogance you wonder if he has any real friends, to advise and to guide?
• An early weather report from The Red Bullog has next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix down as a cold by dry affair. Might we finally get to see the relative pace of all the cars, or will Tuesday's FIA ICA hearing muddy those waters yet further?

That pretty much cover's Formula 1's day of no news. Do let us know what you're up to in the comments, and yell if you spot any made up Sunday news. There's bound to be some when you've got to fill those quotas.

Sidepodchat - Of Copyright, Sand and Moonlighting

• Length: 01:38:40 
• Size: 91.1 MB 
• File: chat2.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: chat2.torrent 

The second edition of Sidepodchat was aiming to be a nice succinct discussion about the latest F1 news. Naturally, we ran long, but that's what makes the show special. In this episode, we talk about Honda, USF1, testing, competitions and, more importantly, Bourdais.

Joining us in this show:

• Gavin Brown
• Journeyer
• Ollie
• Scott Woodwiss
• Andy Taylor

As an irregular part of the schedule, we're not sure when the next Sidepodchat will appear, but if you fancy taking part whenever the third one rolls around, you can sign up on the Wiki. The longer, unedited live stream of the show is still available, if you feel like consuming the entire thing. Enjoy.

Live: Just 32 Days to Go

Ah, the second episode of Sidepodchat is upon us. Our intent is for it not to be quite as long as the first episode - if only because it takes a long time to up/download. Plus, don't even mention transcribing it! Nevertheless, we're hoping there are callers out there just waiting to talk to us about whatever's on their mind, plus some topics we have in store.

It's not just about who is on the phone, though, we also want loads of interaction with the comments. We'll be watching the thread throughout the show, so feel free to pop in any questions, facts or corrections that come to mind.

We hope to be live at 7pm GMT, so stay tuned and we'll be getting going shortly.

Daily: 14th February 2009

As pointed out by Flibster in the comments, it's some kind of special day today. The rest of the world is busy declaring their feelings for one another, so we intend to join in the fun with some Sidepodlove.

Rather conveniently as it turns out, F1 is full of the stuff at the moment.

• Button must have a bit of a crush on Senna today, as it looks like the Brazilian's sponsors have funded the Team Formerly Known as Honda for at least four races of the season. Whilst things are looking ever so slightly Super Aguri-esque on that front, four races are better than none.
• Flavio must have a space in his heart for Alonso after the Spaniard finally managed to drag his R29 off the bottom of the testing timesheets. On the final day in Jerez, the team finished second out of the 2009 runners. Sadly, they've already announced they won't be in Barcelona next week - a sign of trouble or do they know something the others don't?
• Unfortunately, not all relationships are rosy, as Adrian Newey seems to have fallen out of love with Formula 1. It looks like the man with the golden pencil wants to take a step back from the sport as he's finding the regulations a little too restrictive. Is this a cry for help to the FIA and Max?

There is one more slice of love to mention of course, and that is the love I hope the Sidepodcommunity shares for our illustrious leader Christine. Granted, I may have forgotten to buy the girl a present today (or bought a card, or booked a table, or contacted a florist) and yes this does constitute an abuse of powers. However, I've dug a nice big hole for myself, and right now would be a really convenient time to express your love for Christine and remind her just how very special she is.

If you were to do that for me I might love you too. See you in the comments.

Daily: 2nd February 2009

Okay, so where did the weekend go? It's Monday already and yet we're no further on down our to-do list.

It looks like the next twenty-something hours are going to be dominated by the very British subject of the weather. Already drop.io is filling up with images of snowy vistas and there's talk tomorrow of missed school and building snowmen. This clearly isn't going to be a normal Monday by any stretch.

Top subjects up for discussion today include:

• It would appear that Bernie has finally come around to the idea that Europe may be in need of an additional race. According to Grandprix.com, with France almost out of the picture, Germany suffering financially and the British GP anything but secure, Portugal might be an attractive alternate. From what we've seen of testing, it looks like a world class venue, and thus far free from the hand of Tilke. What more could we ask?
• On the subject of circuit design, R.G. has been busy drawing, designing and manipulating some very grand tracks using quikmaps.com. If you're feeling arty, why not jump in with some other European destinations for Ecclestone to consider?
• The Sidepodmusicgroup now counts 32 members amongst its ranks and as a result, Muse pretty much own this weeks chart. If you're a music fan, and don't happen to listen to an excessive amount of Muse, please do join up and help redress the balance next Sunday.

It really is amazing how little F1 news there is at 2:30am on a Monday, however, there's no doubt things will liven up later in the day. Please let us know if you spot anything exciting, keep your snowy pictures coming, and yell especially loud if you're marooned for the day.

Daily: 29th January 2009

What news will keep the Formula 1 conversation flowing today? There was plenty to discuss yesterday - Renault found a new partner, the Malaysian GP is heading into darkness, and the Pussycat Dolls approve of Lewis.

The never-ending cycle of rumours, gossip and the occasional fact continues unabated, so here's a few things to get the conversation started:

• The pressure appears to be getting to Bernie, as the Telegraph reports, the man has now taken to swearing erratically and insulting random Irishmen. Is he becoming F1's very own Father Jack?
• The debate about the safety of marshalling in 2009 rages on, as the sport tries to figure out a way to protect both drivers and trackside personnel from high voltage KERS devices. Whilst we can argue until our fingers are sore, we really want to hear from keiththemarshal and anyone else who's going to be out there on the racetrack dealing with this. Are marshal's concerned?
• In the comments yesterday littlepurplegoth provided one of the best comments of all time. If you haven't seen it yet, go read it now. Don't worry, I'll wait.

Just a few choice cuts there to keep the brain cells ticking over. If anything comes to mind, just throw your thoughts into the comments and don't forget there's always some big F1 piccies demanding your attention.

Daily: 7th January 2009

Yesterday was bit a exciting, all things considered. Early on in the day Scott noticed Christine's recent diary entry was featured on YouTube's homepage, and then we finally had some actual Honda news to content with. Ross Brawn broke the silence by clarifying some key points about the teams future and confirmed initial talks have begun with Ferrari.

Key discussion points for today include:

• With a decision on Donington Park's planning permission due tomorrow, more news is trickling in as the local media outlets cover the story. Apparently 18 letters had been submitted to the council, raising issues such as increased traffic levels, parking and noise problems, but organisers remain confident plans will be approved.
• Mark Superman Webber appears to be confident he'll be fit in time for February testing. We were taking bets on the red bullog earlier this week on whether he'd recover faster than Schumi did in '99. Predictably, I'm saying he will.
• We could do with a couple more subscribers to the brand new Sidepodcast last.fm group, even though we don't really know what it's for yet. If you enjoy signing up for stuff, then this is a prime opportunity we're presenting you with here.

Finally, as if is you could forget, the F1 community needs your votes:

Don't forget you can vote once every 24 hours and Sidepodcast is nominated in two categories.

Daily: 5th January 2009

It's the first proper Monday back at work for F1 teams following the holiday period, so if nothing else, we're expecting some actual news worthy of discussion today. Are the rumours true, and will Honda staff learn any more about their long term future in this sport? Or are they in for a protracted and drawn out Aguri-esque lead up to Melbourne?

In the meantime, here's some discussion points to tide us over:

• Sir Jackie Stewart has blasted Bernie for having way too much power and lacking any form of succession plan. Jackie is always right so there's no discussion to be had there, however, what can be done about it, and what would happen to F1 should Bernie not witness another sunrise?
• In the comments, thoughts are already turning to future planning and Alex is considering a visit to Goodwood FoS this year. Do you already have your F1 plans in place, and if so where are you going in 2009 and why?
• Additionally, we've been debating the subject of racing induced hearing loss and whether event organisers should be held responsible for providing protection (the people behind Goodwood FoS say "no chance"). So who should be held accountable for potential hearing damage in this modern era: organisers, promoters, teams, drivers, or the fans who turn up and watch?

All of this and much more to be considered by the Sidepodcommunity in the next 24 hours. You know where you'll find us.

Daily: 3rd January 2009

Ah yes, your friendly daily post from Sidepodcast. I've no idea what's going on in the F1 world at present, but thankfully Christine does. According to F1 Minute, newsworthy topics include Paul di Resta and Michael Schumacher. Let us begin then:

• Paul (or PdR if you prefer), says for him Formula One remains a possibility. I don't think there are many people in the world who would begrudge him a drive, but if McLaren don't give him a chance where else do you think he'd fit in, and who would he replace?
• Schumi has suggested that Hamilton may not have been able to bounce back if he'd suffered a second championship loss in Brazil, but are there any past drivers who've come closer, yet still managed to fight back to eventually take the crown?
• Off-topic and in the comments, Trig has asked for thoughts on the evolution of the biscuit, which must be a sidepodfirst. If anyone has any opinion on the matter, please let us know.

Just like always, the daily thread is the best place to discuss anything that doesn't belong anywhere else on the site. Do shout if you find any exciting F1 related news, because it's a bit thin on the ground at the moment.