champ

champ, 13 days ago to random

Pretty much everyone on the Isle of Man is looking at the sky

motomatters, 6 months ago to MotoGP

New on MotoMatters.com:
Valencia MotoGP Preview: How To Win A MotoGP Title On A New Surface
https://motomatters.com/analysis/2023/11/22/valencia_motogp_preview_how_to_win_a.html
#MotoGP #MotoMatters

champ, 6 months ago to random

A cat and dog arrive in heaven...

(with thanks to @kaygeeuk from the bird site)

motomatters, 6 months ago to theNetherlands

There are elections coming up in The Netherlands on 22/11, and there are too many parties to choose from. Over on my personal blog, I wrote a grifter-by-grifter guide to the depressing choices Dutch voters face.

#NLKiest #Elections #NL #TheNetherlands

https://emmett.nl/article/idiots-guide-dutch-elections

SGP If the ChristenUnie are the caring face of the Dutch Reformed Church, the SGP are the party of beating sinners into submission with a six-kilo hardback of the Statenbijbel, in all its 1618 Synod of Dordrecht glory. Like all biblical literalists, they pick and choose their favourite bits from the bible, and as it happens, those are the bits which forbid everything smacking of the vaguest hint of pleasure. To say that the religion of the SGP lacks joy is like saying that the surface of the sun is reasonably warm. And for the SGP, politics and religion are one and the same thing. To give you a sense of this: it was only in 1989 that the SGP changed its opposition to women voting. Women were barred from becoming members of the party until 2013, when they were forced to change their party rules by the Dutch equivalent of the Supreme Court. The SGP lost much of their charisma when the terminally dour Bas van der Vlies handed over leadership to Kees van der Staaij. But that mood remains: it would be wrong to call the SGP a party of hate; they are more a party of stern and severe disapproval and admonishment. Why vote for SGP: because you regard the Taliban as dangerously liberal Why vote against SGP: because you think women should be allowed to leave the house sometimes
NSC The Nieuw Sociaal Contract party of Pieter Omtzigt describes itself as centre right. That is true, I suppose, if you take extreme right wing policies and some left wing policies and average them out. Omtzigt is the latest in a long line of right-wing populist parties to spring from the polder on a seemingly biannual basis. Like a cross between Hydra and Ourobouros, every time a new right-wing populist party emerges, it cannibalises the one that came before it. The BBB arose to eat the lunch of the FvD, and now NSC is sucking the life out of the BBB. It’s the populist political party version of the human caterpillar. Omtzigt’s principal political belief appears to be a profound and enduring belief that Pieter Omtzigt should be party leader. He left the CDA in a huff when he was robbed of the leadership by establishment fave Hugo de Jonge in 2020. (He was not the only one: the other candidate, Mona Keijzer, also fled, to the BBB.) His speciality is in feigning disinterest in leadership until forced into it by others. He wasn’t going to set up a political party, until he did. Now he’s claiming he doesn’t want to be PM if the NSC is the biggest party, so it’s odds on he will put himself forward - Reluctantly! Because his voters have asked him! Because the moment demands it! - when the time comes. Populism really is just sparkling opportunism.

motomatters, 7 months ago to random

Delightful to wake up to the news about Mid-Beds and Tamworth. There is no saving the Tories, which is good. Can we have a GE now please?

motomatters, 9 months ago to MotoGP

New on MotoMatters.com:
Austria MotoGP Preview: The Endless Drama Of The Red Bull Ring
https://motomatters.com/analysis/2023/08/17/austria_motogp_preview_the_endless_drama.html
#MotoGP #MotoMatters

motomatters, 10 months ago to MadMax

Thing about the Mad Max movies is all the vehicles are analogue. Pretty much all modern vehicles are entirely reliant on electronics. The more time passes, the less likely a Mad Max future becomes. The vehicles might survive a nuclear apocalypse but the electronics wouldn't.

#MadMax #FuryRoad #Automotive #Apocalypse

motomatters, 10 months ago to MotoGP

Recommended reading: Jonas Folger gives a very precise analysis of the state of MotoGP. In short, these are no longer motorcycles in the traditional sense. These are MotoGP bikes, with all that entails, and riders have to change their styles accordingly

#MotoGP

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/motorcycles/motogp/motogp-bikes-arent-easier-to-ride-now-theyre-harder-to-ride/

motomatters, 10 months ago to MotoGP

New on MotoMatters.com:
Pirelli To Replace Dunlop As Official Tire Supplier In Moto2, Moto3, And Support Classes
https://motomatters.com/news_item/2023/06/29/pirelli_to_replace_dunlop_as_official.html
#MotoGP #MotoMatters

motomatters, 10 months ago to MotoGP

New on MotoMatters.com:
Assen MotoGP Post-Race Subscriber Notes, Part 1: Pecco Bagnaia, Momentum, And Track Limits
https://motomatters.com/analysis/2023/06/27/assen_motogp_post_race_subscriber_notes.html
#MotoGP #MotoMatters

champ, 10 months ago to random

Really nice interview with Simon Pegg

“Fame doesn’t necessarily turn you into an arsehole, but it brings out the arsehole you’ve always been,”

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jun/25/simon-pegg-actor-on-comedy-action-heroes-tom-cruise-staying-at-home

mistakenotmy, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to random

Another personal #Brexit story: In 2017 I attended an event organised by Accenture for people from the "most innovative tech startups".

The speaker was some government advisor who spend an hour telling us that Brexit is great for "us British" to seize the opportunity.

About 90% of the people were from other EU countries, and there was a rather embarrassing silence in the room.

champ, 11 months ago to random

This is very interesting from Mat Oxley. Would like to hear @motomatters
take on it.

MotoGP surprise: sprint races are slower than GP races

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/motorcycles/motogp/motogp-surprise-sprint-races-are-slower-than-gp-races/

motomatters, 1 year ago to random

That was some race. Stewards got most of the calls very right, though the long lap for Binder was wrong. He lost a lot of time. Debatable, though.

Great ride by Bezzecchi and Martin. Astounding by Fernandez, deserved that. He's been solid, and said for the first time he had some feeling.

Hats off to Marc Marquez though. Coming back from injury and riding like that is incredible. He is going to be a factor.

#MotoGP #FrenchGP

motomatters, 1 year ago to random

I rode my motorcycle today and yesterday, and I had forgotten how blissfully happy riding a motorcycle makes me feel. Two wheels good