An interesting web site and range of books, and nice to be able to promote something local. I’d recommend a look.
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Tag Archives: the media
An interesting range of books – Roving Press
Filed under Books & Reading
more #F1 musings on the #hungariangrandprix
I’ve been looking at that incident between Cobbler senior and the Barra Boy again and believe that MSC really knew what he was doing. As he moves over he appears to keep watching his mirrow long after Rubens had got into the blind spot part way alongside him.
We know that those mirrors are pretty useless, so was he so focussed on looking that he moved a bit too far over? Or had he seen Rubens come across and was waiting until he got alongside just to intimidate him as much as possible? I think the latter.
If, as he appeared to claim in his post race interview, he was trying to let Rubens past on the other side (his left), why wasn’t he looking there? Why stay focussed on the right?
We know of his opinion of Rubens and maybe he just thought he could make him chicken out. They both swerved left together, so got away with it all even if Rubens did take off slightly as he passed over the kerb at the pit exit, and Rubens had the experience to use his track position there to make sure he got the corner.
All in all an ugly moment and rather uneccessary.
Something else that troubles me though: A certain other Brazilian used to dish this sort of thing out every bit as much as MSC does and yet still gets revered whereas everyone queues up to throw rocks at MSC and want him penalised. MSC’s move on Rubens was nasty, but almost identical to one that the yellow helmeted Brazilian pulled on Nigel Mansell once (like Rubens, he didn’t bottle it either), but that isn’t the only example of overdoing intimidation; turning into Mansell (yes him again) at Spa, ramming Prost off the track in Japan. I could go on.
MSC and Senna both have (had) sublime driving skills, but I will never be able to regard either of them as true greats because they have this tendency to be bully boys. Both are/were good enough not to need to behave that way, but neither had enough character to kerb their animal instincts.
The real greats like Ascari, Fangio, Clark, Stewart, Lauda and others could be hard, but would not pull these sort of stunts.
Filed under auto racing and motor sport, cars planes and trains, F1
letters to the editor number 77 – defiling classics #sherlock
Sir
Having alread been outraged once this weekend I am appalled again this evening to find that amongst the offerings is another episode of the dreadfull Sherlock.
Is it not bad enough that TV programme making has fallen to the gutter standards of modern viewing? Why do people feel the need to also mess with the classics? With perfectly good stocks of the excellent Joan Hickson Miss Marple stories some moronic group had to mess with the stories to produce the dreadfull Geraldine McEwan versions, but why oh why should someone then sink to the depths of wanting to mess with something like the works of Conan-Doyle?
Surely this represents grounds for re-introduction of capital punishment?
I think that we should be told.
Staggered of Swindon
letters to the editor number 9 – more fun with words
Sir
I write on behalf of all the structures that hold back water and protect those living in low-lying lands such as The Netherlands and the Fens.
Are their feelings to be overlooked by these inappropriate associations with a certain former lady jockey turned TV commentator?
We might urge those concerned in this tiff to get their fingers out and apologise, but digital extraction, too, has inappropriate connotations where our earthen banked friends are concerned. Perhaps the best course of action would be them both to get a life.
Yours faithfully
Dorcan Dyke Appreciation Society
The tale of That Consultant Bloke – how I got the tag
People keep asking, so a short video clip telling a little of the background to the That Consultant Bloke name tag. Filmed on the laptop rather that my Flip cam. Click on the link below to check it out on YouTube.
The tale of That Consultant Bloke – how I got the tag: The tale of That Consultant Bloke
Filed under about me, business life
letters to the editor #31 – more fun with words
Sir
When I was younger, if asked to make a decision, people would say it was up to me. Now they would say it is down to me.
At what point did we get this inversion? I think that we should be told.
Yours faithfully
Worried of Wiltshire
cabinet mobile phone ban
About time too. If you are at a meeting you are there for a reason, and leaving your mobile (cell) phone on is both rude and unprofessional.
It’s rude because you should be respecting your colleagues and devoting your full attention to the meeting.
It’s unprofessional because your job for the duration of the meeting is to participate in the meeting.
Distractions like phones should play no part. Turn them off and put them away out of sight. No leaving them on the desk in silent mode; switch off and put away. The world isn’t going to stop if you’re off the airwaves for a couple or three hours.
Filed under business life, random rants
fun with words number 78 – more media mayhem
Sat with the Wokingham Wonder having dinner tonight my reverie was broken by the link announcer on TV telling us that there was to be a programme on the Worst Serial Killers; the ones that were able to kill and kill before finally being tracked down by the police.
What? The worst serial killers? Surely the ones that got away with it enough to become serial killers were the ones that were good at it? On that basis should it not be the Best Serial Killers? The worst ones might not even have managed to kill anyone.
Once again I know what they meant to say, and probably so did pretty much everyone else, so what does it matter? Well, for me, it is yet another example of sloppy speaking which, from the media, is pretty much criminal. The most notorious serial killers would have worked, so why not say that?
As they murder the language with such frequency, will they be featured in the programme?
Oh well. They’ve come with my medication again, I’ll have to go.
Filed under fun stuff, random rants
is there going to be an election then?
Haven’t we had one or two of these before? I’m sure that I remember several over the 57 and a bit years that I’ve been on the planet.
So why did the BBC extend its lunchtime bulletin to rabbit on over and over about the PM going to see the queen ad nauseum? After about the fourth time that they told us how he’d driven to the palace and back etc etc, what the other two leaders (sorry, can’t remember their names at the moment) had done and so on I was at screaming point.
Yes he’s called an election: So what? We all knew it was going to happen. We all knew when the date was. So what was newsworthy? Just a quick confirmation would have been enough; less than a dozen words. But no, we have to have the expense of goodness knows how many people out on outside broadcasts and spouting meaningless twaddle on the subject just so they had something to say. At least, in the bit I did watch (in the forlorn hope that they’d get round to Bargain Hunt), they didn’t mention the respective wives.
It isn’t a momentous event, it’s a routine proceess and it happens every 5 years or so. If I was the Queen I’d have left a note on the gate saying “Yes, I’ve heard. Just get on with it” and not bothered to see the oaf at all.
Clegg and Cgmeron; there, I’ve remembered. This is the problem for me; they are all a bunch of faceless nonentities these days and therefore I have little to get enthused about. The current lot have systematically destroyed the country I used to be proud of and to a point that I don’t hold much hope of the others being able to do much to restore things assuming that they get the chance.
Oh well. Life will go on regardless and I will be watching even less TV than usual. A good book, some music or a good conversation are much better ways of spending the time. Roll on the middle of May when it will all be over.
Filed under random rants
F1 2010; full bore, or just a bore?
Having waited with real anticipation for the start of this F1 season, probably with more baited breath than for any season since probably 1986, the Bahrain GP was such a bore that I turned the TV off on lap 22 and got started on my VAT return (sales tax for my US friends) instead.
Aside from the pathetic circuit, which looks like a slot car track in a sand pit, the race was just a procession. I would have had more entertainment watching the traffic at the end of the road I live in. If this is the way the new season is going to pan out I shall have a lot of free Sundays.
While I’m on the subject the BBC pre race session hasn’t improved at all either. As I was sat here today I thought that I’d watch, but found it every bit as dire as when I last saw it. For most of last year I was able to time switching on the TV with the tail end of the formation lap but, if today’s event is going to be typical, I won’t be switching on at all.
I am really disappointed.
Filed under auto racing and motor sport, F1
The Voice of the Bloke at the Back 