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Tweets from space

Tom Basham — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:12:25 +0000

Even if you’re not into Twitter, the messages from Soichi Noguchi are worth a look. He’s currently aboard the International Space Station and regularly updates Twitter with photos he takes from orbit. I want his job, check out the Aurora!

Driving a Formula 1 Car

Tom Basham — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:56:23 +0000

If you’re anything like me you’ve probably had a conversation with a mate about just how quickly you might be able to drive an F1 car if someone was foolish enough to hand you one for a few hours.

Whether or not I’ll ever get that chance I don’t know, but I just stumbled across these three video’s from Autocar where Chris Harris gets the chance to drive an old Jaguar F1 car on the Silverstone National circuit. I’ve met Chris a few times at various events, and he always comes across as a decent chap. Lucky bastard, but a decent chap :) I know over the years he’s driven and raced some pretty special cars, so it’s interesting to hear how surprised he is at the performance of the Jaguar. It was obviously going to be fast, but he really seems taken aback by just how far ahead of other road and race cars it is.

Lotus F1 Team

Tom Basham — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:57:49 +0000

Whilst doing some reading last night I thought I’d see if there were any updates on the new Lotus F1 team being put together by Mike Gascoigne. To be honest there’s not a whole lot of information out there… the teams website is still very much under construction, but it does seem like cars are coming along nicely. There’s a nice pic or two of them undergoing wind tunnel testing, but not much else. In terms of driver line-up there have been plenty of rumours, but as far as I know no real announcements. Jarno Trulli is a name that keeps coming up, now of course being free of his Toyota commitments following their exit from F1. Jarno has worked with Mike Gascoigne before at Jordan, Renault and Toyota so may well be a good bet. Interestingly Toyota’s stand-by driver from the last couple of races Kamui Kobayashi has said he’d be interesting in a Lotus drive. Given his speed and how entertaining he was I hope he gets a drive somewhere in 2010. Jake Humphrey from the BBC F1 team spent some time at the new factory last week and posted up this pic of the garage… looks like Classic Team Lotus have been lending a hand :)

View from the very top of the Burj Dubai

Tom Basham — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:52 +0000

Working for a company that designs some pretty impressive buildings (here or here) this video caught my eye when I saw it on Laughing Squid today. Whilst the Burj Dubai isn’t one of ours, it’s equally impressive and this video, shot from the top of the spire, shows just how tall the building is. I’m not sure how much I’d like being up there!

MeshMobile (as in ‘BatMobile’!)

Pictures from Mars

Tom Basham — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:04:50 +0000

From a fantastic set of pictures from Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on the Boston Globe’s Big Picture site. The MRO has been orbiting Mars for a few years now sending back hi-res images of the planets surface. The images are a real mixture of familiar looking landscapes and alien details like the swirls in the image above.

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Improved Silverstone for 2010

Tom Basham — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:11:33 +0000

With all of the bad news coming out of Donington and it’s plans to host the 2010 British Grand Prix, it’s nice to see that Silverstone has some plans of it’s own. I spotted this over on Lotus Central (a good place for all sorts of Lotus related news), so I hope they won’t mind me lifting a couple of their images to share here (they’re good guys so hopefully I’m ok). The biggest change looks to be the removal of Bridge from the GP circuit. Though in return there will be improved views for spectators, and modifications to the National and South circuits so that they can be used at the same time. From Lotus Central: Arena Grand Prix Circuit Length –3.615 miles/5.89 km Safer for both cars and bikes with increased run off areas Designed with both riders, drivers and spectators taken into consideration Will be FIM and FIA licensed and redefine the focal point of the circuit creating new a spectator arena Gives spectators closer access to key points of circuit One of the fastest bike and car circuits in the world National Circuit and Extended National Length of National – 1.6 miles/2.6 km Length of Extended National – 2 miles/3.257 km The Woodcote chicane currently used for bikes will be removed There is an extended National Circuit configuration which can be operated if required- just .2 miles shorter than 2009 International which has an extra loop at Becketts before turning back down the National straight The increased run offs will result in increased safety allowing the circuit to be faster Brand new pit wall completed in Jan 2008 Southern Circuit/2011 International Circuit Length – 1.9 mile/3.05 km Circuit will be known as International Circuit in 2011 New layout designed to offer increased overtaking opportunities whilst fast flowing nature Increased safety features Planning in place to add a pit lane in 2010 Track separation allows for the Southern and National to be run at the same time Stowe Circuit Length 1.2 mile/1.8 km licensed circuit (increased from 0.9 mile) Dedicated pit garages with viewing terrace on roof Dedicated Hospitality units with viewing terrace on roof Includes split breaking area Three lane irrigated wet handling pad boasting different levels of grip from sheet ice to standard wet tarmac Works started in November due for completion in March

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina F1 circuit

Tom Basham — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:08:21 +0000

This might show me up as a bit of an F1 geek, but I thought I’d pass on this video of the new Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

It looks like a great track, it’s got a good mix of corners – 21 in fact - and a long 1.2km straight. In fact I’d really like to drive it, I reckon it has a nice flow to it if that makes sense. And lets face it how many tracks have a pit lane exit that’s a tunnel? The video is of Bruno Senna driving a 2 seater F1 car, and I originally saw it on James Allens blog (a good source for F1 news).

3D Television… it’s actually quite good.

Tom Basham — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:36:44 +0000

Yesterday I spent the day at BT’s Adastral research centre talking about new and upcoming technology. BT do a lot beyond selling phones and broadband, and the day was focused on highlighting areas of technology that we could use in come form or another. They’ve got a huge range of stuff there, we covered everything from their 21st Century Network project though to a fascinating bit of kit that can pick up sound from fibre optic cameras. One of the less business focus demos though was a couple of 3D televisions. I’ve seen a couple of 3D movies recently and have been pretty impressed with the effect. Even so, I wasn’t so sure about the idea of 3D TV. Maybe it’s because most of the movies are animated, I wasn’t sure what live action would be like. Having seen it in the flesh though I’m really quite looking forward to the prospect. The 3D effect is just as real as at the cinema, but what surprised me was how well it seemed to work with normal real life scenes. Te demo had a couple of different scenes, from the predictable action movie type stuff through to rugby games and and an F1 car driving round Mugello. It works very very well for the sports sections, it’s no wonder Sky are so keen on launching a 3D channel next year. Ok, so you have to wear glasses, but they’re nowhere near as bad as the only red/green ones you used to get as a kid. You’d rather watch without I’m sure, but even though I only had a quick demo I reckon the glasses are worth the sacrifice. Oh, and for normal 2D programmes the TV works just like a normal HDTV. How does it work… well from what I can gather, glasses are circularly polarised, clockwise for the right eye and anti- clockwise for the left. The screen then alternately projects the frames for the right and left eyes, switching a filter for each. However it works I’m looking forward to seeing what the 3D Star Wars movies will be like, and what games developers do once they get their hands on it.

Designing the interface for a newspaper

Tom Basham — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:21:39 +0000

Image from the iA blog Thanks to SwissMiss I just stumbled on this post from Oliver Reichenstein from Information Architects about their pitch for the redesign of Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. In the end their pitch didn’t win, but they had some great ideas in there. I especially like their idea of highlighting the key words in an article in blue to make scanning stories easier. They would also use those keywords to simplify finding the same articles on the website. In a world where newspapers are rapidly loosing ground to web based competition, ideas like these might help make the old paper media more relevant to readers who have grown used to the web. I thought the article was an interesting read. In this image you can just about make out the blue highlighted keywords (Images from the iA blog)

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I really need to buy myself a Jetpack…

Tom Basham — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:29:02 +0000

The Martin Aircraft Company in New Zealand has developed this Jetpack… and I think I’m going to have to start saving up my pennies! Unlike the old jetpacks from the 60’s this one uses fans rather then actual rockets or jets, but it does look like it will fly for half an hour or 31 miles or so. I could almost get to work with it :)

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F1 isn’t just courtroom battles…

Tom Basham — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:35:57 +0000

After all the F1 politics of the past few weeks I thought this was a good reminder of what F1 is actually about.

Thanks to @delaner for pointing this out.

Lotus-Cosworth back in F1

Tom Basham — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:31:13 +0000

It looks like the FIA have awarded the 13th place on the 2010 Formula 1 grid to Lotus, bringing them back to F1 for the first time since 1994. For me as a Lotus fan it’s great news. Mike Gascoyne will be teams technical director, with Cosworth providing the engines. Although it will initially be based in Norfolk at the RTN facility originally built for Toyota, the team will eventually move to a purpose built centre on the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Most of the funding will be coming from the Malaysian government and investors. It’s a shame that the team will race under the Malaysian flag rather then the UK, but it’ll be good to have such a historic name back in the sport. Before the teams exit in 1984 they were in F1 for 37 years, entering 491 grand prix, winning 79 of them on the way to 7 constructors titles. In the last few races before they left the sport they fielded a car that was technologically brilliant – Lotus were the first people to realise the potential of Active Suspension – but the Lotus 109’s raw speed was let down by unreliability, and despite Johnny Herbert qualifying 4th at Monza, his race was ended at the first corner by Eddie Irvine. Eventually they ran out of money and had to pull out of the sport. Hopefully they’ll be able to field a competitive car and driver line up now they’re back. With Danny Behr joining the company as CEO from Ferrari, a return to F1 and the new Evora road car winning awards everywhere it must be an exciting time at the companies headquarters in Hethel!

Steve McQueen: Motoring is a good part of life

Tom Basham — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:48:57 +0000

Looking though Seloc just now I followed a link to a great article by Steve McQueen from a 1966 edition of Sports Illustrated. He talks about his love of racing and reviews eight of the best cars of the day. It’s a good read if you’re a car fan (or a Steve McQueen fan!), I’m not sure whether he wrote more, but if not he should have! :) The article is hosted on mcqueenonline.com, and was provided to them by Wade Chitwood.

A weekend with a Rolls-Royce Phantom

Tom Basham — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:51:42 +0000

I’ve never really thought of myself as a Rolls Royce kinda guy. My fantasy garage has always been filled with machines from Sant’Agata, Gaydon or Hethel rather than Goodwood. Sport rather than comfort has always been what’s impressed me. After this weekend however I might be squeezing one of Goodwoods finest into my lottery win spending plan. Last weekend I was a very very lucky guy. How it came about is a long story, but my girlfriend and I found ourselves with a fabulous ‘09 spec Rolls Royce Phantom for the weekend. A few hundred miles later and I’m smitten. The first thing that struck me about the Phantom is it’s scale, it’s simply massive. I’ve seen them up close before, but it’s always a surprise. It carries it’s size well though, projecting a huge amount of presence wherever it goes. On the road it seems somehow smaller. It’s odd you’re always aware of it’s size, but it seems natural. That’s not to say that narrow roads and when parking don’t focus the mind though! With the only requirement on us a request to put at least 400 miles on the clock, on Sunday we headed out on a road trip to my parents house in London, stopping off to to see friends and family on the way. It’s a journey that takes us across some great Sussex A and B roads, a 40 minute burst of motorway then a few miles of busy town roads. The ease with which the Phantom covered those miles was shocking. The ride is so smooth and the cabin so comfortable that time just flies by. It seemed like every time I glanced at the (rather good) sat-nav we’d devoured another 10-15 miles off the route. If you needed to get from one side of Europe to the other I can’t think of a better way to do it. Climbing into the cabin you soon notice the attention to detail that’s gone into the Phantoms design and construction, it’s a wonderful place to be. Our car was trimmed in white leather with black lacquered wood and black carpets which, lush as they were, also had thick rugs for good measure. Every surface inside is perfectly finished. The stitching in the leather is millimetre perfect no matter how long the seam and the chrome and wood are like mirrors. The real fun starts at night, with dials and buttons being sharply lit, and subtle lighting around the cabin adding an almost art deco feel. It’s hard to describe, and photo’s don’t really do it justice. In the back, the headliner has hundreds of fibre optic strands sewn into it, giving the roof it’s own ‘star light’. Whilst I didn’t drive – the car was entrusted to my girlfriend only unfortunately – the driving position is high and comfortable. The view is dominated by the long bonnet and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. You tower above other cars, with even big Mercedes and BMW’s seeming small (and dare I say insignificant!). In front of you the dash has a large centre speedometer, with fuel and fluid gauges on the right and the and a ‘Power Reserve’ dial on the left. No rev counter for the Phantom then, just a guide letting you know just how effortless your progress is. And with a 6.75 litre V12 providing the go, any sensible progress really is effortless. Despite it’s size the Phantom is a very quick car. Not sporting, but quick none the less. By contrast even at motorway speeds there’s next to no noise. Whilst there’s the underlying sound of a car running, it doesn’t really change with speed. 70mph isn’t noticeably louder that 30mph. A single seats air conditioning is easily louder than the wind noise even at speed. What more can I say? I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have driven and been in some pretty special cars. Not much has impressed me as much as the Phantom. Maybe it’s because I’d usually be more interested in performance than luxury, but the Phantom left quite an impression. Having the Phantom for the weekend was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hopefully I’ve done it justice here! Needless to say, the Monday morning commute in my daily drive Peugeot was particularly long and uncomfortable the following day. I’d really like the Phantom back.

Google Moon

Tom Basham — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:30:04 +0000

To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landings Google has added the moon to Google Earth.

“Forty years ago, two human beings walked on the Moon. Starting today, with Moon in Google Earth, it’s now possible for anyone to follow in their footsteps,” said Moon in Google Earth Product Manager, Michael Weiss-Malik. “We’re giving hundreds of millions of people around the world unprecedented access to an interactive 3D presentation of the Apollo missions.”