Could everyone stop driving please?
Gah, another non TF2 ramble.
It’s almost April FFS. Autumn in this part of the world. What temperature is it?
(Thats about 100F for all you non-metric kids.)
TOO DAMN HOT. We should be having pleasant low to mid 20s about now. Enjoyable temperatures to go outside. Light shirt weather. Instead it’s been high-30s/low-40s all week. 27C degrees. And thats at 9:30am. In March! I suffered through the stupid hot temperatures all the way through summer. The only thing that got me through was the thought that when we hit Feb/March things get comfortable again.
So, could everyone please just you know. Stop driving. You don’t need that damn SUV to go pick up the milk from the store.
Although thinking about it, probably the worst car based pollution source in the world on this particular day, is happening just down the road.
I swear that each one of those whiny F1 cars looping round Albert Park for a day puts out the same carbon emissions as your average shuttle launch. I live about 7km from the track, and I can still hear them - and the buildings of the city directly block line of sight. 747s flying overhead taking off from the airport are quieter.
*sigh*
For the record, I don’t own a car. Never have. This is what my commute looks like every day:
(Those people aren’t just standing at the door - they’re the front edge of a crowd of about 30-40 people jammed into that door well, because its the only place left to squeeze onto the train)
madlep on March 16th 2008 in rants
Stumble it!
UncleSpoon responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 9:52 am #
Actually F1 is about the greenest racing series out there. You want to get on a racing series, get on bloody NASCAR.
They run twice as many races a year.
They run races more than double the distance of F1 races.
They run twice as many cars.
They run MUCH bigger engines.
Unlike F1, the sport serves NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER to the future development of road cars.
Biofuels are being introduced in F1 this year, and next year we make the move toward hybrid technology and mandate the use of energy recovery systems etc… Teams will HAVE to use these systems next year, which store energy lost under braking for later usage. F1 will, once again, be at the forefront of technological development for automobiles, ultimately leading to road cars being more environmentally friendly, so F1, while a sport, is also a technology test bed that will, ultimately, benefit everyone. So before you start condemning the sport, perhaps you should do some research first.
On top of THAT, the average F1 weekend chucks about as much carbon into the air as probably 5 minutes of rush hour traffic in Melbourne. Not to mention, say, Aussie Rules Football. Those thousands of fans driving to the stadium do FAR more ecological damage than the F1 cars driving in circles.
As a huge racing fan I get endlessly sick of people crying about racing. Calling it a drop in the ocean is an overstatement. Yeah, stopping F1 will cure ALL the planets ills.
You have a problem with the heat? Move out of fucking Australia then for gods sake. The place has always been hotter than hell. You’ll be pleased to know the temperature is dropping into the mid-teens around Thursday where you are, and there’s rain forecast.
It’s gone down below -40 where I am this winter on multiple occasions. To put that into perspective, go find the biggest freezer you can, and go and stand in it. The average freezer goes down to -30. Yes, it’s colder outside than it is in a device designed to FREEZE FOOD.
It’s currently below freezing and I’m under several inches of snow.
Love the site, but the bitching about F1 is ill-informed nonsense and just perpetuates all the myths. How many people reading this will now start bitching about global warming and F1? F1 benefits road cars. It tailed off in the 90’s when active suspension and the like were banned, but with the push to make the series greener, ultimately what is on the cars driving on track will filter down to cars on the road and make them all better for the environment, which is not something you can say about any other racing series.
And for the record, I haven’t owned a car in 15 years. I take the bus, and walk if where I need to be is remotely within walking distance.
UncleSpoon responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 9:54 am #
Nah, screw it. Done with this site. I make it a general rule to never read sites written by people who are ill-informed and talk nonsense, and saying F1 is the worst source of pollution is one of the most asinine things I’ve ever read, and given this is the internet, one of the biggest heaps of nonsense in human existence, that’s quite some achievement.
madlep responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 10:09 am #
They still make a crap load of noise though. And they are talking about moving the event to the evening in future to make it more palatable for live European audiences - screw having to listen that at midnight (the politicians have nixed that one for the moment, but money always talks when it comes to these things).
Agreed about AFL. That sport shits me off more than anything. Ridiculous seeing the thousands of cars clogging the streets around the stadiums every weekend night during winter.
Melbourne’s public transport infrastructure has been neglected for years, and is now at breaking point - just when it is needed most. 20% growth in peak hour usage over the last 2 years, and no more capacity being offered. It used to be if you turned up around 8:30am, you’d have to wait for a train or two because they were too full to board extra passengers. Now pretty much the whole hour from 8 to 9 am is written off due to overcrowding. Even at 7am, you’re still not going to get much standing space.
Then I look out my office window, and see the brown haze layer hanging over the city on the still days. Yuck.
I’m planning on moving back to New Zealand in a few years. Melbourne just pays better for the moment. No, it still doesn’t make the heat any nicer. I accept it gets hot in summer, but this temperature is not normal for this time of year.
Besides, I kinda make it a point to talk nonsense on this site. People know what they’re signing up for here. I’m not ill-informed, I just selectively ignore the truth if it makes for a better story. Again, it goes with the turf.
b4dboyz- responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 11:02 am #
It was about 15C here in the northeastern US friday. (Haven’t gone outside since, :P)
NASCAR is right turn after right turn except for 2 road courses… ugh
b4dboyz- responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 11:03 am #
Meant left turn… :\
Dr. Leh responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 3:23 pm #
too bad the average overall temperatures went down by over half a degree C last year… damn you global warming and your cooling effects….
http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/january-2008-4-sources-say-globally-cooler-in-the-past-12-months/
Andrew responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 6:41 pm #
Gotta love Melbourne. I can’t even go to the beach any more because everyone crowds at St Kilda and Williamstown.
By the way, Connex sucks.
John responded on 16 Mar 2008 at 7:34 pm #
Dr. Leh: Just to clarify, that probably has nothing to do with global warming or so, it’s just a rather large statistical anomaly.
ch1x0r responded on 17 Mar 2008 at 8:05 am #
27 degrees is hardly anything to complain about when Adelaide is in the middle of a heatwave
Here in Sydney isn’t too bad. It’s about the same as Melb.
madlep responded on 17 Mar 2008 at 8:09 am #
27 isn’t bad. Just that its hot for 9:30am. Its the 39 it eventually got to later, and the 39 expected again today.
ch1x0r responded on 17 Mar 2008 at 8:09 am #
OSHI- I read wrong. I only eyed the minimum temperature… sux2bu
Wormbrain responded on 18 Mar 2008 at 12:44 am #
I’m an environmentalist and I STILL drive an SUV. Why? Because, everyone else does. Driving a compact just isn’t safe anymore with all the big cars on the road (here in New York anyway). I’m more concerned about my family’s immediate safety than barfing some extra exhaust into the air. Sad but true.
Johan R responded on 18 Mar 2008 at 8:09 pm #
I’m not going to join up the discussion whether F1 is good or bad for the climate, I just wanted to tell you that here in sweden we’re having 7 celcius. MINUS! Stop whining about your temperature, I’d rather have it warm than cold. :/
madlep responded on 18 Mar 2008 at 8:38 pm #
Johan - swap ya. I’m more of a cold fan.
I spent a season working on a ski resort where it was -10 to -20 most days. I’d be outside shovelling snow in a t-shirt. I loved it.
Johan R responded on 19 Mar 2008 at 10:53 am #
Aint that just the world we live in the madlep! What you want, I have. What I want, you have!
Pie21 responded on 19 Mar 2008 at 8:15 pm #
F1 can be as environmentally friendly as it likes. Even if the cars sucked in CO2 to fuel the engines, they still wouldn’t be worth watching.
And as for the weather, what would you rather - stinking hot Melbourne or temperate anywhere-else? Even 3a water restrictions aren’t enough to overwhelm how bloody awesome this city is.
And btw, if you need a nice, patriotic Aussie TF2 pic for some future endeavour [url=http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj182/tf2strategy/ausheavy2.jpg]eat your heart out.[/url]