Sidepodcast

Performance and Cocktails

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that the Sidepodcast homepage is undergoing some changes right now. Although a considerable amount of discussion has been ongoing in the comments, it's probably worth summarising what's being altered and why.

Those with long memories will recall a post back in November 2008 asking for improvement suggestions for version three of the sidepodcast.com website. We received a fantastic response which highlighted flaws in existing pages, and pointed us in the right direction for the future. Later that same month, we rather optimistically claimed updates might be forthcoming by January 2009.

We might have missed that deadline.

The start of the season rolled around, and although we managed to push through a major update to the live commenting dashboard in the summer, we made heavy work of achieving anything of note, beyond the always-in-beta playground. Donington's pathetic attempts at construction this year have nothing on Sidepodcast.

Hurry Up and Wait

We vastly underestimated the effort required, and we cannot emphasise enough the frustration we've experienced having to work with the outdated structure for such an extended period, but we absolutely had no intention of finishing the season with the same site with which we started.

So last week, both Christine and I put in some overtime and managed to release the skeleton framework that adorns the homepage right now. It's not perfect, it's not even 50% finished, but it's still a vast improvement.

Efforts have focused almost exclusively on performance, and there's a significant improvement in the speed that new pages load, especially on mobile devices. This has the additional advantage of reducing load on the web server, which in time should reduce our monthly hosting costs.

I've done a number of ad-hoc comparisons today, and our homepage load time compares very favourably to other F1 blogs. Earlier, content was refreshing faster even than the traditionally super-quick Autosport site. Your mileage may vary though, and we're keen to learn how you're finding the experience.

I'm Just Looking

Something that hasn't been picked up by anyone in the comments thus far, is the distinct lack of advertising to be found on new pages. It could be because so many people run ad-blocking software these days, that no-one's noticed, or maybe because the old adverts were subtle enough that no-one's spotted they are now absent. Either way, Google ads have temporarily been removed. In place we've included a number of PayPal buttons that allow people to easily donate, to help with the cost of running Sidepodcast.

We'll delve into this in more detail in a future post, but we're going to see if a combination of reducing hosting expenses coupled with very kind donations from listeners, will enable us to break even with this project, and at the same time remove the need to run unsolicited advertising. Things may not work out like that, and if so we'll happily bring the ads back. The site looks better without them, so if they can be avoided then all the better.

All of the recent updates haven't just improved the outward facing site, internally we now have a lot less work to do in order to keep the site updated.

In the past, following every podcast, Christine would manually update the archive page, the seasons page and any relevant podcast feeds. It used to be the case that once a show was finished, the real work began, but thankfully now we've eradicated much of the repetitive work, hopefully freeing us to get on with more creative endeavours. With any luck next year will be a lot easier than this one.

Maybe Tomorrow

Clearly there's more work to do with the remainder of the site, and we'll continue to progress as soon as possible. Releasing the changes at the time we did, allowed us to monitor the site under race weekend conditions. That kind of situation is hard to repeat during a quiet off-season, so we're very glad we did what did, when we did it. To the unwary, right now navigation probably feels a little disconcerting and we can only apologise.

Going forward, there are even more exciting enhancements in the pipeline, but please don't encourage us to set another deadline we'll fail to hit.

It goes without saying that we're incredibly grateful for all the feedback we've received relating to the redesign, it wouldn't be half as good if we were left to our own devices. Thank you.

Sidepodradio (Part 20) - And Now, The News

• Length: 3:01 
• Size: 3.5 MB 
• File: sidepodradio20.mp3 
• Transcript: sidepodradio20.pdf 
• Torrent: sidepodradio20.torrent 

Sebastian from Birmingham provides us with headlines from Formula 1 in 2035, thanks to a time leak from the future.

Highlights include:

• Bernie Ecclestone's plans
• Red Bull's driver signings
• The future of the British GP

Related links:

• Hour 20 Replay and Live Comments
• Sidepodradio Wiki Page
• Sidepodradio - The Aftermath
• Sidepodradio - The Charity

Sidepodradio - The Aftermath

We did it!

The entire Sidepodcommunity rallied round, and we managed to broadcast 12 hours of live sometimes F1-related content - give or take a server outage here and there. It was an awesome day, if a little tiring, and we're all still on a bit of a high after such excellent shows.

There was everything from quick fire quiz questions, to the vastness of outer space, to Sidepodbaking and much, much more. Now, it is over, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved.

The Charity

Most important of all, of course, is the charity donations we have received. The current total is running close to £600 which is an amazing effort from all involved. Minus our production costs, we will have a great amount to donate to the chosen charity. There is still time to donate though, as we'll keep adding amounts until midnight on Friday.

All you have to do is click the button on the right hand side of the homepage. There were a few problems over the weekend, so if all else fails, simply send your Paypal donations to christine at sidepodcast dot com.

On Friday, as the deadline draws near, we'll put up a poll to choose the charity who'll benefit from the Sidepodradio proceeds. There are suggestions on the wiki, feel free to add more, as long as it is motorsport related.

Thank you to everyone who has or is going to donate. We are amazed at your generosity.

The Content

An unexpected twist in the Sidepodradio story is the sterling work done by SLVAaron yesterday. Throughout the broadcast, he captured audio of each hour and uploaded it to the drop. There are links to each hour (although some are less than an hour, oops!) on the wiki, if you want a quick way of catching up. Video replays will be up as soon as we can do so.

We'll also be releasing some of the content that we couldn't fit in yesterday, including Jon's Feeder Series show and the Interview with Bloggers submissions. Those will be standalone shows, probably released through the week.

We have decided that the Sidepodradio content is so good that it deserves to be in the main feed as a podcast. We want to do it justice though, and clean up any of our mistakes, server issues, and general problems. With editing time, the desire to release it all in the right order, and the fact that we have back to back races coming up, it may be a few weeks before this happens.

However, you'll have forgotten all about it by then, so when the shows pop up in your feed, you can relive yesterday's glory all over again.

We will also, no doubt, be producing some best of shows and similar after the season ends.

The Future

Mr C let slip on a few things yesterday, the most important being that we have signed up for another year of podcasting - regardless of who gets voted as FIA President in October.

That being the case, there is already talk of Sidepodradio II: The Revenge, and all I can say is - it had better be in the off season!

Once again, thanks go out to everyone who was involved, in even the slightest way. Show hosts, contributors, those who voicemailed, donated, commented, came up with ideas, and those who wanted to submit to the day but were unable. We couldn't have done it without you.

Print Is Dead

We've talked a lot recently about our desire to start a new website, with accompanying show. A site relating to the changes affecting various aspects of the media industry right now. That's still very much the plan, and this post would likely have been destined for inclusion there. However, the subject tenuously relates to F1, so lets publish it here and try not to lose or bore any race fans in the process.

I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker

We are currently living through and experiencing a massive change in the way information is delivered and consumed. We likely won't appreciate just how big a change it is until long after the fact, and with the benefit of hindsight.

Christine and I can be considered early adopters, embracing change with open arms. We long ago removed all Compact Discs from our home, preferring the convenience of portable audio. Since the introduction of downloadable movie rentals to the UK, I don't think there's a DVD to be found anywhere around here. If you've been following recent conversations in the comments, we're very keen to get our hands on an e-book reader in order to swap legacy paperbacks for their digital counterparts. In short, we embrace what is, for want of a better name, new media.

The internet is the enabler for such new media. The world at your fingertips, information at the speed or light and any number of clichés you wish to throw with abandon. However, the internet we thought we knew is changing more rapidly than one might realise. The commenting doohickey provides a tiny insight into where the real-time web might be heading, a seemingly continual stream of ever updating conversation amongst friends from all corners of the globe. Yet despite the advances in speed, the conversation still relies heavily on links to external sources. The best way of sharing information is still via a link.

One of the most overlooked aspects of the internet is the humble Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or if you prefer, the thing you type in the address bar of your browser, a link. URI's give information a permanent location on the web. They allow information to be recalled and more importantly in the ever more social web, they allow information to be shared. We might be mildly obsessed by URI's at Sidepodcast - every post has one, every comment has one and we're working on ways to link directly to sections within audio and video shows. In an ideal world, every piece of data would have an associated URI in order for it to be shared, recalled and discussed as necessary... when necessary.

Linking makes the social, well, more sociable and without it conversation takes considerably more effort. Which is why we know print is dead. It's been a long time coming, but social networking has finally rendered the printed page obsolete.

Dead is Dead

Remaining marginally rational for a moment, it's probably worth adding that the length of the printed material and the type of content held within appears to have a bearing on just how dead it might be. Short passages of content would seem to be first on the chopping block. Quick snippets of content are easily replicated online. Longer pieces may earn a reprieve, and a novel's worth of content might hang on for a long time to come. Equally print's lifespan could be categorised by type, with news being the first to suffer, while fictional content may survive in print format for many years.

At present, news agencies are going through a significant shake up, with both Associated Press and News Corporation struggling to find business models that work for them and the consumer. Upheaval would seem to be the buzzword of the times.

News providers are struggling... really struggling. As yet there isn't a workable micropayment solution available on the web, and there needs to be. Successful paywalls do exist, Autosport.com have a workable system, whereby timely news articles are available free for 30 days, while opinion pieces are subscription only by default. The system works because every story has a unique identifier which can be shared. All of this means articles can be shared and discussed (and sometimes torn to pieces) here and on other social networking sites. You might say the system is close to perfect and at the time of writing, monthly subscription is a very reasonable £3.75 GBP per month. Except it isn't quite perfect, some people aren't quite ready to let go of the print medium that's filled their coffers for many a year.

Two weeks ago I had a bit of a hissy-fit about a rather silly statement contained within one of the paywalled opinion pieces. It read:

Ferrari believes Massa lost consciousness almost immediately (see MPH column in Thursday's Autosport magazine)...

Magazine? The paper thing sold in shops. Thursday? Four days away. Why on earth couldn't the article be made available to online subscribers there and then? Digital delivery is near instantaneous. If you wait and grab a copy, how might you then share the article amongst friends?

I complained on the Autosport forum designated for such purposes, and while I've been ignored by staff responsible, scheivlak pointed out that four days wait is nothing compared to anyone who receives the magazine overseas.

In a globalised world, paper is a stupid way of delivering timely information. Whilst plugging the paper alternative from an online subscription service is an insult.

Autosport.com did a similar thing thing today with an article on Piquet, so they clearly aren't listening, or they don't understand. The infrastructure is in place, the writing is on the wall, yet it seems nobody inside Haymarket seems to have a clue.

By all means keep producing the paper magazine. Keep producing it until the finances no longer stack up, and the last reader passes away, but for goodness sake have the common sense to make that same content available online and accessible via the humble URI. We rely on it. Put the subscription price up if you have to, we just want to share your stories we want to discuss it now, not next Thursday.

I hope somebody is still reading, it's a long winded complaint, and I'm not even done yet! There is still more to say on this so look out for part two shortly. Regular F1 programming will return shortly.

The Future of Sidepodcast

And, we're back... sort of. Apologies for the impromptu hiatus. Things got too much and we had to step away from Formula 1. This post will explain what happened and our thoughts and plans for the future.

That Man

It's clear that, for us, the return of Michael Schumacher was the straw that broke the camel's back. If anyone thinks that MS would be enough to drive us away from a podcast we adore, they obviously don't know us very well. There is a list as tall as Kubica of reasons that Formula One annoys us and Schumi's announcement came at the worst possible time. We were stressed about Sidepodradio, I've been miserable about the sport for two weeks, and Mr C no longer had the will to keep his own spirits up, let alone mine as well.

However, with a few days off, and some serious thinking, it's all become clear. We knew it would. Schumacher will not chase us away, but Mr C cannot watch him. He has some very valid reasons for this and I respect them. With that in mind, the next race (or perhaps the next few) will be covered by me as best as possible. Mr C will take part in the Debrief where he can, and obviously, without his technical expertise, I'd be screwed.

Call us petty, if you like, but we specifically started Sidepodcast after Schumacher had quit F1 because we do not enjoy talking about him. And from the state of the comments over the last few days, there's good reason for that.

The P Word

Aside from the unwelcome return of a driver, the state of the sport is putting a real downer on things in Sidepodcast Towers, and we have come to the following decision:

If Ari Vatanen does not become president of the FIA, and Jean Todt gets the nod, we will not continue.

We would see the 2009 season out, but it would have to be the end. Ari is the future, Jean is equally as much unwelcome in our world as his sometime partner in crime, and Formula 1 can't stay stuck in the past any longer. We'll be campaigning for Ari to get the role, and crossing our fingers that he does.

Burn Out

A lot of people have commented that we deserved this break because we work too hard and must have burnt out by now. I would like to clear this myth up by saying: we love the work we do. We don't get paid for this and wouldn't do any more than we wanted to do. The fact is that making shows, forming the community, and fixing the internet makes our day. Sometimes we push ourselves to the limit, but it would never be enough to make us stop. We've been going for over two years with people worried about us burning out, and let me put your minds at rest, it hasn't happened, and it's not going to.

That being the case, we're in the early stages of planning a new non-F1 show. It's come to our attention that we have other things to discuss besides cars, and we would like to share them with the world. Expect nothing for a while yet, but there will be something of a community crossover, and everyone is more than welcome to join us wherever that may be.

That's the future, and I hope you can understand our need for a break, and our reasons for the above. If you have any questions, please ask, but we do not promise to have the answers immediately. Thank you for sticking with us.

F1 New Years Resolutions

It's the time of year when people begin to promise themselves mostly unreachable targets, because New Year is all about having a fresh start. Generally speaking I tend to shy away from resolutions for that very reason, but Mr C is with the spirit and therefore would like to share a few of his own, somewhat attainable targets for next year.

1. Give the new regulations a chance. Then, when they don't work, criticise them twice as much.
2. Take stuff out of Beta. We are not Google.
3. Stop moaning about the website hosting problems we regularly experience and actually do something about it.
4. Give Heikki a second chance as a McLaren driver.
5. Try much, much harder in the Fantasy Racers league.

This week, I have already been coerced into making predictions, even though I detest doing so. With that in mind, I shall agree to making some of my very own resolutions.

1. Watch every single Free Practice session. I only missed a couple this year, but that's two too many.
2. Find merit in a driver's abilities and performance instead of simply how good they look.
3. Keep up to date with podcast transcripts.
4. Bring back Sidepodcast Diaries.
5. Make predictions... when asked.

That should keep us busy over the next 12 months, and rest assured we will look back and see how we did next December. Now we'd like to hear from you.

Are there any resolutions you think we should have made but aren't listed above? Do you have your own list of promises you'll try and keep next year? And what do you think those guys in the F1 paddock will be resolving to do better in 2009?

History of F1 - 2000 and Beyond

• Length: 3:50 
• Size: 3.6 MB 
• File: history7.mp3 
• Transcript: history7.pdf 
• Torrent: history7.torrent 

Welcome to Sidepodcast’s History of F1. We’ve covered the entire history of Formula 1 from the early beginnings in the 1900s, through the inaugural championship in the 1950s, and the safety fears of later decades. Now we’re catching up with modern F1, the 21st century, and where it might be headed in the future.

We left 1999 with a new championship winning pairing of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. Between 1999 and 2004, they won 5 consecutive driver and 6 consecutive constructor championships. Michael Schumacher could not be stopped. He made records and broke them, overtaking many famous names to grab most Grand Prix wins, most driver championships, most wins in a single season, and many other titles.

It wasn’t until 2005 that it looked like Ferrari’s dominance might be under threat.

The rules of the championship kept being changed. The FIA couldn’t settle on a way forward to improve the racing and make it more of a show. They wanted to cut costs but keep the fans happy, and they could not decide how to do it. So, instead of picking a course of action and sticking with it, they tried any number of things. One of the changes for 2005 was that the teams could only use one set of tyres through an entire race.

Ferrari struggled with this new ruling, and it allowed Renault to dominate the season, and Fernando Alonso to become the youngest champion. They repeated the feat in 2006, although it was a much tighter contest.

Other rule changes include constant revamps of the qualifying format. It started as an hour long session where everyone bundled out on track to get the best time they could. Except they didn’t bundle on track until the very end, and viewers were left bored. They switched to a one lap format, where each driver took his turn, and this allowed for very interesting grids, but the action was slow. The current format of three knockout sessions seems to be a compromise between action and strategy, but there are still complaints floating around.

Team orders were banned in 2002. There were several incidents that were questionable in terms of race manipulation, but the one that turned most people off was the Austrian Grand Prix of that year. Barrichello led the race and was a clear winner, until he was asked to let Michael Schumacher through for championship reasons. Needless to say the negative impact this had on the sport rustled the FIA into action.

The grid these days consists of many manufacturer teams. Road-car makers such as Honda, Toyota, BMW and Renault are firm favourites on the grid. Independent teams such as Williams are struggling to keep up with the ever-changing and ever-expensive world of F1. Red Bull Racing are an independent team but backed by a fortune of money, so it will be interesting to see how long Williams can hold off the giant companies taking over the sport.

The FIA are determined that we should go green, so the future of F1 looks set to include many more regulation changes to try and save both the planet and money at the same time. Making F1 technology more relevant to road cars is something they’re going to be pushing for.

In terms of the drivers, they continue to get younger and younger, fitter and stronger, but there is still room for old favourites like Coulthard and Barrichello, who could still be successful if only they had the right car beneath them. But then, they all say that, don’t they?

That’s all for this series. I hope you’ve enjoyed Sidepodcast’s History of F1, I’ve certainly learnt a lot about where it all started, and tried to share the important points with you. Don’t forget to leave your feedback, opinions and comments over at Sidepodcast.com, and check out our other audio and video podcasts while you are there.

Theme music: Friction Bailey, Hope in my History.