The Sky F1 Show - A ranty review

I need a proper outlet for my F1 rambles because, in my real life form, I have quite the following based around the sport. However, I don't have an F1 blog and I don't have the time to start one so my ramblings are getting dumped here. If anyone wants to give me a smutty, rambly weekly F1 column then I'm all ears!

Anyway, Mr. Wilde and I watched the first show on the new Sky Sports F1 HD channel. Firstly, considering all the adverts were so flashy, it was a little dull. I know they haven't had the chance to go out and film any beautiful, high-def, slow-mo car shots yet but still. The show was a bit of a let down.

Presenters

I don't like the pundits-on-the-sofa approach either. There was something wrong with the outfits. Perhaps it was Damon Hill's vest, Simon Lazenby's chest hair or Martin Brundle's bad jean/jacket combo. I can't quite put my finger on it but something was wrong.

Now, I am a huge fan of BBC's Jake Humphrey (mainly for aesthetic reasons, I'll admit). So I was hoping that if I were being a BBC-traitor then I'd at least have some eye candy. Simon Lazenby is relatively attractive but in talking about F1 he seemed kind of wooden, as if he was simply reading from a script rather than having any knowledge of the sport himself.

Georgie's interview with Jenson was cringe-worthy. She wasn't dressed appropriately, although she did look smokin' hot! Some male friends said she was there to help draw the female viewers in. No, I think she's definitely there for the benefit of male viewers.

Natalie Pinkham and Anthony Davidson were good. Natalie's outfit choice was questionable (was she wearing pedal pushers?) but she's nice to look at. Anthony Davidson is lovely, looked rather dashing and obviously knows his stuff.

I am very much enjoying seeing more of Ted Kravitz. He know's what he's talking about and is good in front of the camera. He stole the show for me. Yay for more Ted!

I didn't like the idiot presenter who doesn't know anything about Formula One. No, just fuck off.

Technology

The Skypad. What's that about? When they first started using it I was baffled that they weren't acknowledging it and saying how cool it was. Apparently they use it for the football, though, so that would explain why they don't see it as a new commodity and I do...

It's a cool piece of technology. I like the dragging and dropping of the videos and the slow-motion dial. It's all very swish. Is it really necessary though? I can't wait for live shows when that fucks up.

The 3D representation of the McLaren was very impressive. I liked that. Good to get a look at a car from all different angles.

Coverage

It was okay but I'm going to reserve judgement until we actually hit the F1 season. Obviously adverts were annoying but we won't be having those during races. (But we will during build up...)

The rest of the stuff on the channel seems to be very repetitive. I'm hoping that, once the season is underway, I will be able to watch the channel at multiple times during the day and not see the same programme being repeated over and over.

More swish shots of pit stops, close encounters and Mark Webber please.

Also, someone tell me Martin will still be doing his pit walks and that all the Sky build up will be at the track rather than in the stupid studio. That studio lacks character. Someone buy them a pot plant, please.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sticking with the BBC for the live races I can watch with them. Not only for the Jake/Eddie/DC dynamic but also because the coverage has been tip-top for the last few years and I don't think Sky will match that.

Predictions for Formula One in 2012

 I'm itching to sit down and watch the F1, I'm even tempted by Sky now that I know they'll be showing GP2 and GP3 coverage too. We have our annual season review and curry session coming up and no doubt there will be plenty of speculation as to the events of the upcoming season.

Some of these are quite silly and I may not share them with my F1 collective but at least they are here, on the internet now. If any of them are correct, expect me to brag.

• Kimi Raikonnen will be fucking amazing and will be able to beat the Mercedes
• Mark Webber won't tolerate Sebastian Vettel's dominance and we'll therefore see them being more evenly matched
• Nico Hulkenberg will do much, much better than team mate Paul Di Resta
• A few podiums for Lotus 
• Toro Rosso might be a bit more consistent this year
• Lewis Hamilton will get his act together and actually drive like he has the talent to
• Mark Webber will stop having dire starts
• Caterham will be worthy of the back of the mid-field
• Tyre strategy will be more important than ever and as a result Jenson Button will do well
• My obsession with Fernando Alonso will grow...

The end

(Picture-wise this may seem like a very McLaren-dominated post. Well, the car is pretty and Martin Whitmarsh looks good in a suit, so there.)

SOPA/PIPA

Mr. Wilde and I had a heated conversation the other night about all this anti-piracy stuff. I'm not for it, of course, I enjoy all my piracy.

However I was making the point that downloading stuff was wrong (although not so wrong that it would stop me, or the average internet user but it was illegal and I understood why).

He said, if something was aired on television he is allowed to watch but he misses it why shouldn't he be allowed to download it?

Firstly because he is keeping it and secondly because of the way in which he downloads it.

The people who put TV shows and movies on a torrent site are doing so illegally with the intent to breach copyright laws and distribute that film/show. It doesn't matter if it's perfectly legal for a friend of ours to record said TV show on his TV and give it to us on disk/tape.

Mr. Wilde kept making the point that it is not illegal for our friend to record something off Sky and give it to us to watch (as people who don't have Sky.) But that's not why piracy is illegal.

In another context...

Just because you are allowed to eat cake does not mean that people are allowed to steal cake to feed to you. That's sort of what is happening here. Sort of.

But anyway, fuck all that. Let's keep the interwebs as it is, please. You can sign the petition at: http://americancensorship.org/

You don't see anorexic fat people

I want to touch on a rather sensitive subject of eating disorders. I am by no means pro-ED but I do follow the Thinspo tag on Tumblr and it does motivate me. I understand that some anorexic habits can help you to lose weight but essentially it's a destructive path that no one should have to face. Those suffering with eating disorders often do it alone or in secrecy. Not all of them want to to get out of the bad habits.

Following the Thinspo tag on Tumblr I've learned a lot about eating disorders. I look at pictures of skinny, fit women for inspiration. It really helps me to see what I could one day achieve. However, seeing your entire ribcage is not sexy but that's a post for another day.

People only start getting worried about anorexic (or bulimic) tendencies when someone starts getting to a healthy weight. Yet there are girls out there who are overweight and starving themselves to get thin. But, because they are losing weight, it's okay. A healthy weight is a good thing so do whatever the hell you can to get there!

You can be 200lbs and have an eating disorder. Even if an ED does help you to lose weight it's not healthy. Surely these illnesses can be prevented from getting so bad that someone dies if they are caught earlier.

I was saying to Mr. Wilde how I feel guilty even when I eat the smallest amounts of foods and how any calories seem like too many. He told me to get out of that mindset because it was bad, wrong and if it got worse could kill me. I weight 190lbs. He noticed it. Does anyone notice it for the poor chubby girls on Tumblr who are literally doing anything they can to get thin?

This is a topic that frustrates me no end. Fat people can have bulimia or anorexia but more often than not no one notices because they are beginning to look better and society dictates that is a good thing. 80lbs later they could be in an unbreakable cycle they see as a habit that has earned them praise on losing weight and looking better. They'll want to continue that and probably won't know when to stop.

(Images: Just some examples of what gets posted under Thinspo on tumblr. I'm not saying either of those girls are anorexic. They look pretty healthy to me.)

Review: Black Mirror

Photo: Channel 4

Holy fuck. Something I liked!

Charlie Brooker (known mainly for complaining about things) has made a few hour-long shows, the first of which was broadcast last night. Black Mirror, on the surface, was about the Prime Minister being forced into sex with a pig on live TV, all to save a princess.

It certainly got Twitter thinking. The Black Mirror tag was full of speculation over whether or not David Cameron would do such a thing if Kate was kidnapped. However, a lot of people were asking 'what's the point?' and 'was there a moral to that?'

Yes, of course there was. The point is the state of the human race and how we get excited by another person's suffering. The whole thing could've been avoided if everyone in the UK had refused to tune into the act. However, EVERYONE tuned in.

There's also the point that the media and the internet cannot be controlled. The fact that #blackmirror was trending worldwide on Twitter was beautiful irony.

A well thought out show. The Turner Prize nod was brilliant (and relevant) and I can't wait for next week's. It seemes to be about a televised talent show and will be broadcast right after the X Factor final. Utter perfection.

Charlie Brooker is a genius. There's not much that can make me squirm but that most certainly did.

Just for the record, I would watch. Although I'd rather Nick Clegg was involved too.

Did you see it? What did you think?