nudge

Will check it out tonight. Saw the trailer and I liked the look of it...

Wanted to watch it yesterday but had unexpected change of plans (i.e. whisky). Will probably watch it tonight...It already felt a bit rushed in Episode 9 as they are trying to wrap it all up. Will see how I feel about it after the finale but yeah, I won't miss it much either!

“Pierre is having a tough time at the moment, we’re doing our best to support him, I think he just needs a reset,” said Horner. “I think we have got to somehow go ‘control alt delete’ in his head and start again. “He is a quick driver. The problem he has got is that Max is delivering every week, and that puts more pressure on him to perform, but we’re sticking by him. “We still believe in him and we’ll give him all the support we can to try and nurture the talent we know he has.” Red Bull, and sister team Toro Rosso, has previously demoted or dropped drivers struggling for form, but Horner has stressed that such a scenario is not under consideration regarding Gasly. “There is no intention to change Pierre,” said Horner. “He’s our driver, we’re going to work with him, we will try to get the best out of him. “He’s having a tough time at the moment but we will do our best to support him through it.” https://www.motorsportweek.com/news/id/23490?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Seems they still believe in him!

Gasly didn't have the same aero package (the new modified front wing and bargeboards) and wasn't given high power modes as Max so that could be part of the explanation. The new package seemed to solve a lot of RB problems by giving the car better balance and more grip so let's see if Gasly can do better once he has the same package. However, getting lapped by your teammate (even if he's a generational talent) despite being ahead of him on Lap 1 is still embarrassing af and won't do him any favours considering that he's already under pressure for performing below par.

Gasly reached a new low by getting lapped by his teammate today... Also struggled to overtake anyone ahead of him despite the fact that the car was performing better than most of the others in the hot conditions today. Feel sorry for him but I don't think he'll see the season out at Red Bull. Nice touch from RB for letting Toyoharu Tanabe to collect the constructor's trophy today; good job by Honda! Very happy for them.

Grüße von der Ostsee

Motorsports Olympics are coming! The FIA has announced today the launch of the 'FIA Motorsport Games', an exciting new international, multidisciplinary sporting event that will see drivers competing not for individual recognition, but for their country. The FIA Motorsport Games will be an annual event, with drivers from a variety of disciplines participating in the same venue on the same weekend under their national flag. The Motorsport Games will initially feature six categories: GT, Touring Car, Formula 4, Drifting, Karting Slalom and Digital Motorsport. Each competition will award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, contributing to an overall medal table. The inaugural edition of the FIA Motorsport Games will be held in autumn 2019, in Rome.

Not a fan of theme parks but I'd looooove to go to the new Star Wars one...

Exactly my point... They manufacture their compounds the way they are told to by FIA.

The tyres are shite but I believe it's not Pirelli's fault...

Brilliant news - apparently Werder has extended Kohfeldt's contract already! Interesting that apparently Schalke and Gladbach have both approached him this season and only signed their new managers after Kohfeldt rejected their offers. In other news it seems that we're also close to signing Marko Grujic on a two season loan from Liverpool as both clubs and the player reached an agreement apparently.

Falcon Heavy launches tonight! The most interesting payload on it (at least for me) is definitely The Planetary Society's LightSail 2. Been looking forward towards this for quite a while as it will be the first controlled spacecraft in Earth's orbit to fly solely on sunlight and hopefully the start of the innovative propulsion technology which has been supported by Carl Sagan back in the 70s already. Here's some info on how it works: LightSail 2 is a secondary payload attached to the Falcon Rocket in a small washing machine-sized spacecraft called a Prox-1. Once detached from the Falcon rocket and at a safe distance, Prox-1 will eject LightSail 2 for orbital insertion. On launch, it measures no more than the size of a loaf of bread! Once deployed in space, 4 mini solar panels will open from its sides to power the on-board computers, communications systems, detectors and sail actuators. The sails themselves are made of Mylar, and at just 4.5 microns thick (one tenth the width of a human hair) are light and reflective enough for sunlight alone to push them into a higher orbit. Before deployment the entire spacecraft measures just 30 x 10 x 10 cm, while when fully open the sails span an area of 5.6 x 5.6 m or about 32 square metres; and an entire spacecraft weights just 5kg! A great post with a lot of details can be found here: https://planetarie.wordpress.com/2019/06/24/the-planetary-societys-lightsail-2/

Isolation is surely tough on social creatures like us and some people are more susceptible to ill-effects of it. I'm only one episode in, but I think those who left families with small kids at home are the ones who are going to suffer from it most; I really wouldn't do it in such circumstances. One of the participants said that having a small kid and a pregnant wife at home motivates him, I think he's wrong - on the contrary, it holds him back and makes him homesick. However, I'd expect that someone who literally has to fight the elements daily to survive, forage food, start and keep fire burning, build shelters, fight wild animals etc. should not be suffering from too many effects of isolation a few days or weeks in...

So am I... just finished watching Episode 1 of Alone. Really interesting stuff. Love how scared shitless they are on the very first day; very realistic. Also I know it's easy to say it after watching but I knew Josh was going to be the first to tap out...just didn't expect it to be on Day Two! His fear was obvious on the very first day on arrival; he was almost crying when the crew who brought him in was leaving. Will definitely continue watching.

Sounds good... Love a good survival show so will definitely give this a go. On a related note, have you ever seen any of the Primitive Technology channel videos on youtube? It's basically one Australian lad (John Plant) who is building things using only natural resources available in the wild and refrains from using any tools or materials from the modern world. He doesn't talk while working so make sure to turn the subtitles on for explanations. If you ever decide to watch it, that is! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA/

Sounds good... Will check it out.

Give Kvyat another chance and see how it goes. Let Albon mature as a driver without much pressure in TR.

I think they need to improve both the engine (two more upgrades coming) and the chassis/aero. In fact I'd even say that the chassis is the weakest part of the car at this point. It seems their rear end is unstable so they have to run a bigger rear wing (i.e. more downforce) than they would like to in order to to stabilise it; and they struggle with tyre wear. As for Honda v Renault PU comparison: for me it seems that Renault's current PU has better acceleration and "qualification mode" whereas Honda PU has better race pace and more reliability. Long-term I think it was a good decision to switch to Honda. They seem to be playing it safe and developing the engine step by step on a slower pace. Just my personal opinion...

Nürburgring 24 Hours race has been phenomenal so far... Much better than Le Mans last weekend too. 32 seconds between the leading two cars with 1 hour and 15 minutes to go and the fight is on...

I love squats, great for legs and butt, have been doing them for years. Basic squats, sumo squats, deep squats, pistol squats, squat pulses etc., you name it. However I've had two different injuries in the past that screwed my right ankle and my right knee pretty bad; I managed to keep it under control and continued working out (including squatting) without much issue for years but recently I've overexerted it with carrying heavy things etc. and probably something went wrong there I guess as I've been having aches without putting any load on the knee and sharp pain when I put a bit of load on it (walking down the stairs, etc.) ever since. Will have to see the doc but no squats for me for a while

I just really hate gyms... I could get an exercise bike for home though. Not sure if it would be much better than just simple cycling outside? Much prefer working out outside whenever it's possible.

I tried sticking with just walking for at least an hour a day + some of the regular exercise I normally do (but limited to upper body + some simple leg lifts etc.) but it's just not very motivating (not to mention that I end up walking to the shop and getting a sixpack of beer ). Considering cycling now; apparently it's not too bad as long as the terrain is flat so it doesn't put too much load on the knee... Either that or an elliptical but I hate gym so I'd rather cycle outside to be fair.

Anyone has any suggestions for a workout that does not put much load on the knees? I have a bad knee that has gotten significantly worse recently so I can't really do any running and most of my regular bodyweight exercises etc. I know swimming is great and very easy on the joints but it's not an option at the moment.