Sidepodcast

A True Sidepodcast Moment

If you've not managed to catch an episode of the Parade Lap this year, you're missing out. It's a show unlike any other we do. Alex takes the reigns, it feels more like a radio show than a podcast, and it goes out live on a Sunday, one hour before the BBC's race coverage starts.

Last week's show was extra special, as we managed a live link-up with Scott who was hiding out behind the grandstands on Silverstone's main straight.

We could detail the complexities involved in setting up such a scenario, but I think Alex summed it up best in this comment, where he points out:

My favourite part of the show was that:

• We were on a live link to Silverstone talking to Scott.
• And I was sitting on a second live link.
• And I read a question from the comments from Lukeh about Heidfeld’s beard.
• And Scott knowing the community so well had already asked Heidfeld about the beard and could answer.

Something about the interconnectedness of it all was pretty mind-blowing.

Here's a snippet of the audio in question:

Two Skype links, one iPhone, a live streaming server and a question about a beard!

We've suffered from so many technical gremlins during live broadcasts in the past, that it's remarkable an event like this could ever happen in the first place. I'm sure the BBC aren't exactly shaking in their boots at our achievements, but we're pretty chuffed it all came to together when we needed it to.

A huge thank you has to go out to everybody who took part on Sunday. It cannot be done without you.

An Infinitesimally Diminutive Podcast Delay

Just a very quick heads up to say that the usual Sunday show will be slightly delayed this week, making it more of a Monday show.

Christine had a small incident with her laptop's power adapter earlier today, which means the podcasting workhorse (the laptop that is, not Christine) is now no longer capable of doing the job it was designed to do. With no available juice, the poor machine is little more than a doorstop at present.

Usually this wouldn't be an issue, and we'd simply use another one, except the section we recorded after Saturday's qualifying is stuck inside the box, and won't come out.

Plan number two in these situations would be to pick up a replacement adapter and carry on. Sadly this doesn't account for the fact that the UK is currently celebrating some sort of inexplicable holiday ritual involving chocolate fashioned in the shape of an egg (sounds appealing right?), and thus the local power distribution emporium have opted to remain closed today.

In short, we've exhausted every possible option available to us, so we're just going to have to sit on ours hands until the sun comes up. The net effect of that means the podcast will appear roughly 12 hours later than planned.

Sorry.