Sidepodcast

We're Not Counting the Days

I don't think we'll ever win the battle of convincing everyone the off season is brilliant, but instead, we can make it the best we possibly can. Last year, we had a quick run through of what we were planning to do, and then we reviewed what we had managed to achieve before the season began. This year we're going to do something similar.

Although it will be good to have news to talk about as the off season gradually progresses, we don't want anything like last year with constant speculation over who will buy or not buy Honda. I know there are teams out there waiting to be picked up, so let's hope these things can be sorted out smoothly. I'm not holding, my breath though.

While the F1 world rumbles on, we'll be busy with some awesome things, including (but not limited to):

• The 2009 Season Review - you can (and will) be getting involved with this!
• The return of Sidepodpanel - assuming the technology comes together in time
• A review of our predictions from pre-season and a catchup with our New Year's Resolutions
• Best of shows - you can suggest best of moments over on the wiki
• The Christmas party and the Sidepoddie Awards
• The return of Must Comment Monday
• The 2009/10 Character Cup
• An Alternate Christmas Message
• More adventures with the Sidepodtour
• Your chance to offer feedback on the shows we do
• Some more Sidepodfilmclub evenings - starting with Cars this weekend
• Continual website improvements - Sidepodcast 3.0 is taking shape nicely
• Preparations for the 2010 season - again, you can (and will) be getting involved with this!
• Plenty of 2009 analysis and nostalgia

I'm sure there's more I've missed, and no doubt there will be plenty of impromptu ideas along the way. If there's anything you'd like us to have a go at, now is the chance to let us know. Also, why not share what you're planning to do with your off season, particularly if you are blogging your way through it, or taking a much deserved break.

Daily: 2nd June 2009

And there it was gone. The first day of the new month has passed us by already, and we are well on our way to the Turkish Grand Prix weekend. It was a much quieter news day yesterday, with the only revelations being teams not signing up for next year. Here are some of the things we're talking about instead:

• The Best of Sidepodpanel Series 2 was published yesterday, full of hilarious snippets from the six shows transmitted so far this year. You can also enjoy a compilation of Series 1 as well, which was published on Sunday, in case you missed it. I highly recommend them both, and if you fancy even more panelling, the links to the full shows are in the show notes of each.
• Gavin has finally launched his new blog. He's been talking about it for a while, dropping hints here and there, but now we can all catch up on the blog - Making Up the Numbers. So far I have only briefly perused it, but I've already seen a couple of interesting graphs, so it's definitely going to be one to keep an eye on.
• Finally, don't forget to make your vote count in the second, and last, semi-final of the 2009 Circuit Character Cup. This time we're pitting Suzuka against Monaco, and it's surprisingly closer than I thought at this early stage in proceedings. The poll closes at 9pm, and there'll be a 30 minute delay while we organise the final. By then we'll know who will face Spa in the final.

That's all for now. It's still rather hot in the UK, and opinions differ on whether this is bliss or a little on the oppressive side. Stick with Sidepodcast though, as we're always a blessed relief! I'll see you in the comments.

Best of Sidepodpanel Series 2

• Length: 9:27 
• Size: 8.8 MB 
• File: bestof2.mp3 
• Transcript: bestof2.pdf 
• Torrent: bestof2.torrent 

This show takes a look at the highlights from the second series of Sidepodpanel - six fun-filled episodes of F1 thoughts, ideas, and impressions, plus a bit of singing thrown in for good measure.

Here are links to the original shows if you want to hear more:

1. Lewis... Call Me
2. Who Needs a Pinger When You've Got a Gavin?
3. I Lost My Count
4. Puddles
5. Holding Out For a Timo
6. Why Does God Hate Finnish People?

Don't forget, you can find out more about the Sidepodpanel shows both past and present on the wiki. There are pages of statistics, leaderboards, plus many ways for you to get involved.

Best of Sidepodpanel Series 1

• Length: 7:58 
• Size: 7.5 MB 
• File: bestof1.mp3 
• Transcript: bestof1.pdf 
• Torrent: bestof1.torrent 

Looking back at the inaugural season of Sidepodpanel, and selecting the best moments of the six episodes - including several sets of impressions, F1 game ideas, and environmental concerns.

Here are links to the original shows if you want to hear more:

1. The First
2. The Giggles
3. Two Tribes
4. Fernando?
5. Chrome Monster
6. Absolutely Stunned

There is plenty more information available about the show on the wiki, including ways to get involved, lots of statistics, and the all important leaderboard.

Daily: 13th May 2009

We're halfway through the week now and it's far from the quiet news week I thought it might be. Nevertheless, here are some of the other things we're talking about:

• We're trying to come up with a new name for the Trulliometer, as it looks as though Hamilton is setting up his own. From the depths of despair over the weekend, he's now on the up, suggesting that all the car needs is a few tweaks here and there and everything will be fine again. Hamiltonometer, anyone?
• Amy has been keeping an eye on the cakes we've seen in the pitlane so far, and has come up with a list. I'm intrigued by the F1 cakes, so would love to know if you've ever made, or been given an F1 themed cake. Or if you could make a cake for someone, what would you bake? Mmmm, cake.
• Don't forget the Pitlane Fanatic quiz tonight. It starts at 8:30pm and features some fiendishly hard questions, usually including a spot the difference, which is about the only time I ever get anything right. On the PF topic, Jackie has set up her own blog, brand new, so make sure you add it to your bookmarks.

That'll do for now. Don't forget to check out the final episode of season two of Sidepodpanel, expertly hosted by the aforementioned Amy. It is now available in all it's edited goodness. As usual, I'll see you in the comments.

Sidepodpanel - Why Does God Hate Finnish People?

• Length: 41:39 
• Size: 38.3 MB 
• File: panel12.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: panel12.torrent 

The final episode of Sidepodpanel series 2 sees guest host Amy take the reigns and guide us through topics such as feeder series, budget caps, driver slogans, and of course, those impressions.

Joining us on tonight's panel:

• Gavin Brown
• Steven Roy
• Scott Woodwiss
  
• Andy Taylor
• Chris
• Bassano Clapper

That's all for this series of Sidepodpanel, we've not got two series under our belts. If you want to enjoy any of the previous episodes, take a look through the archives, otherwise look forward to the third although we don't know when it will be.

Live: We're Low on Fuel Too

As if you haven't heard enough of our opinions today, we're back to live stream two more podcasts. The Debrief is first, taking a quick saunter through the latest news and an overview of what happened in the race. Then we Panel, with guest host Amy taking over the reigns - assuming she wakes up in time.

We're hoping to go live at 7pm BST with everything running smoothly. I'm sure that won't be the case, but a girl can dream, can't she? See you in the comments.

Daily: 5th May 2009

It's back to work then, if you weren't already, and now we can start turning our attention to the Spanish Grand Prix. Preview quotes are beginning to emerge from teams, and there's plenty of chatter about what to expect once we get going again in Barcelona. Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about.

• Having a lovely bank holiday here in the UK meant that not one but two podcasts were published for your listening pleasure yesterday. The Debrief catches up with all things news-worthy, including McLaren, Donington, and the last race in Bahrain. The Sidepodpanel is hosted by both Jackie and Lou and has some really great questions and a lot of laughs.
• Alianora has been looking at the 2010 regulations in a lot of detail and written a great post on the subject. It's a long one but well worth a read. The last paragraph, though, features the phrase: "...mostly it is a mess..." which does basically tell you all you need to know.
• Don't forget that if you're on Twitter (or fancy counting out 140 characters), then take part in the F1 Nostalgia competition. We've even started using a hashtag - #f1nostalgia - which makes the entries really easy to find. RG has signed up to Twitter especially for the competition, so if you're not a member yet, you've got no excuse.

That'll do for now. There'll be more news along later today, no doubt, so I will see you in the comments.

Sidepodpanel - Holding Out for a Timo

• Length: 44:54 
• Size: 41.3 MB 
• File: panel11.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: panel11.torrent 

A bumper Sidepodpanel gets smaller as the show goes on, but we have two guest hosts with some fantastic topics (and double the killer questions as well). Expect space travel, songs, and cartoon characters as Jackie and Lou take the helm.

Joining us on tonight's panel:

• Gavin Brown
• Steven Roy
• Shaun
• Amy
• Lukeh
• Alex Andronov
• Scott Woodwiss (for Q1)
• Mr C (for Q1)

The final Sidepodpanel of this series is approaching fast, so if you fancy having a go, please register your interest on the wiki.

F1 Nostalgia for the 21st Century

Having just finished a marathon recording of the latest Sidepodpanel show, guest host Lou's final question has stuck in our minds. It's such a simple idea and yet holds a lot of potential. The question, for those who missed it (where were you?):

Twitter is now becoming popular in the F1 world. Therefore, describe your favourite famous F1 event in 140 characters or less.

During the panel show, I actually posted the impromptu suggestions to my own Twitter account, so anyone watching must have wondered what was going on.

Now that we are not under pressure during the live stream, perhaps we can craft some really smart entries.

The idea is to get your Tweet to 140 characters exactly, or as close as humanly possible. If you're brave enough to actually post it to your Twitter (or identi.ca account - other microblogs are available), then that's even better. Perhaps you don't have a microblog account, and that's okay too. You can still enter using some kind of word count feature on whatever software you have available. However, I can heartily recommend setting up a Twitter account - it's free, and you can follow me!

Spend some time coming up with your ideas, and post them in the comments, or link to the Tweet in question. We'll hold an informal poll soon to pick the best one.

Update: Alex came up with a hashtag for us to use to identify the posts on Twitter - #f1nostalgia. See the latest ones here, and don't forget to include it in your own submissions. (It does take away from the 140 char count, of course.)