A new series from Formula1.com has just started, which gives readers a deeper insight into our favourite driver’s lives. It could prove to be a very interesting read. First up is Sebastian Vettel. Enjoy!
Sebastian Vettel
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a couple of weeks now, ever since the release of Opera 10.50 but I never seemed to find the time. However, today Microsoft announced Internet Explorer 9. This reminded me that I still had to write this post and gave me another good reason to!
I’ve always been willing to change my browser (unlike some) and I’m willing to accept that a new version of a browser can be radically different from the last version and well worth trying again. This couldn’t be any more true when it comes to Opera latest release, Opera 10.50. I’ve never got on with Opera, I found it slow and its interface clumsy. I never had a desire for any of the extras Opera tacked onto the browser (BitTorrent etc.) and that was its only real selling point as far as I could see. Opera 10.50 is a whole new beast though. The UI is clean and yet still customisable, allowing me to hide features I don’t use and put the features I do use right where I want them. Its also blinding fast, it renders webpages well and seems to be able to handle whatever site I through at it. I’m tempted to say its even faster than Google Chrome. I have found some bugs though, and although none of them are showstoppers, it definitely feels a little rushed in some areas. Opera seemed to move from Beta to RC to Final release in under two weeks, that’s mighty fast and it’s bound to be a little rough around the edges. The reason they rushed it: The Browser Ballot screen in the EU. Opera wanted their latest and greatest ready for the general public and I’m sure that if people choose to install Opera 10.50, they will not look back. It’s also nice to see HTML5 support in Opera, paving the way to the future of the internet.
Despite Operas newly found speed, it was playing catch up and still is in some aspects to Google Chrome. Chrome quickly became the fastest browser around after its release in 2008 and it has recently started getting the attention it deserves. The interface is slick, fast and, when running the Stable builds, bug free. Google recently release extensions for Chrome, these have greatly improved the experience and definitely arn’t as detrimental to performance as some extensions in Firefox can be. It also has an amazingly fast engine under the hood, Rendering is quick as is Javascript and it manages (as does Opera) to score 100/100 on the Acid3 Test. Google are constantly pushing out new features to Chrome, and it’s growing all the time. It also offers advanced security features such as sandboxed tabs and allows the porn surfers of the world to created pivate tabs.
Next up is Internet Explorer. The pile of turd lying at the bottom of the browser podium. Its slow. Its clunky and it’s holding back the internet. I urge anybody running anything below version 8 of this browser to upgrade now, you’ll save cute animals from painful deaths. Infact don’t upgrade to version 8, go download Google Chrome. However, this may all change soon. Microsoft just announced Internet Explorer 9. It now supports CSS3 and HTML5, two technologies vital to the future of the internet. It also scores much better on the Acid3 test than previous versions of IE. It’s only 55/100 but its a start. Seeing Microsoft finally standardising their browser is nice and it can’t come soon enough. I’m eager to see the final release and if your even more eager than that, you can give the IE9 Preview a whirl.
The second most popular browser currently out there is Firefox. It gained massive popularity when they tried to break the world record for the most downloads in one day. It has always been a great alternative to Internet Explorer but has found itself a little slow when it comes up against some of the new boys. Recent releases have improved things but if browsing speed is what you want, then Firefox has fallen behind. Firefox does however still have a budding extension developer community. Some of the extensions out there are amazing and really add to the overall browsing experience and that’s why a lot of people will never leave Firefox. They can’t live without their extensions. For me, I’ve never used many extensions and it’s all about getting around the internet as fast as possible and that’s why Firefox just falls short of the mark. I’m hoping future releases will bring it up to to the same level of Chrome and Opera.
So there we have it a quick round up of 4 browsers. There are many others out there and they are all worth a try. I could have wrote about them all but in the end, only two browsers really matter at the moment as far as I’m concerned. Those two are Opera 10.50 and Google Chrome. I currently find myself mainly using Opera but I still occasionally open Chrome as it has been my long time favourite and still holds a place in my heart. It’s time to make your decision people, just please…don’t pick Internet Explorer. Not yet anyway.
P.S. I probably should have mentioned Safari 4…but I really don’t get on with its Interface. It is fast though.
The first weekend of the 2010 Formula 1 season is now over and there’s plenty of things that have come out of it.
Firstly, the race turned out to be a little disappointing. It had all the ingredients to be a very exciting race but it eventually turned into a procession. I think the ban on refuelling may have had something to do with it and I’m hoping the rest of the races will differ from this. Tyre management didn’t prove to be particularly exiting as all the teams pitted together so no one gained any advantage over the other, except Hamilton jumping Rosberg. Bahrain may not have been the best track for this to come into its own though and I’m hopeful at other tracks tyre management will prove a more exciting factor.
Many drivers put in good performances yesterday, Schumacher proved he still has something finishing a respectable 6th after 3 years out. Lewis Hamilton also had a steady race, showing consistency throughout and finishing on the podium. Alonso, the eventual race winner, also had a good drive but he definitely has one of the best cars out there at the moment. However, he really showed what he is made of when he got in the clear air and pulled out a massive lead on his team mate, Massa. I do feel for Vettel though, he seemed to be going very strong in the lead when he had an exhaust failure. He proved his skill as he held Rosberg off towards the end of the Grand Prix despite his car problems.
The new boys all made the grid and although only Lotus managed to finish the race, it was good to see them all starting the race. Hopefully they will all last a little longer at Australia.
Despite my disappointment with this race, I still believe 2010 will be very exciting and as the cars change and improve, things could get very interesting up at the front.
Only a few hours remaining and boy is it shaping up to be a brilliant opening race to the 2010 Formula 1 season.
Qualifying threw up some surprises but I didn’t find myself at all surprised by Vettel stealing pole off the two Ferraris. He really is a world class driver. However, I feel the Red Bull might be a little harsh on its tires, so whilst he will probably be the front runner for some time, I believe the eventual winner will be one of the Ferraris. Deciding between Massa and Alsonso is almost impossible but Massa has the better starting position so my money would be on him.
Hamilton definitely pulled one out of the bag in qualifying managing a very respectable fourth in a car which is particularly struggling through that new and rather nasty middle sector. He does have a quick 1st and 3rd sector so we can’t count him out, if he doesn’t shred his tires too early he could be in with a chance of a podium finish.
Behind the front four there should be another good fight for the remaining points. Schumacher qualified very respectably for his first race back after a 3 year absense and will be out to prove a point, whether he can catch Rosberg this early into his Formula 1 return remains to be seen but I think Rosberg may just have the upper hand at the moment.
I have to mention last years world champion too. Jenson didn’t qualify too badly in a McClaren which is definitely lacking downforce again and I’m hopeful he will improve upon his starting grid position.
All in all, its shaping up to be a fantastic race. I’ve only talked about the front of the grid…the back is a whole other story! Which of the new teams will come out on top? Will HRT finish the race? It’s only a couple of hours away now and I can’t wait.
Could Prince of Persia be the game franchise to finally give us a good film? I’m hopeful…
Spring is slowly creeping up on us, but thats not the season I’m getting excited about. That season is the new Formula 1 season and what a season its shaping up to be! It’s only a few days now…
It’s been a busy winter for all the teams, with many rule changes and lots of different developments happening, including four new teams stepping up the challenge. That number may down to three now but they are definitely still adding excitement to the start of the new season. Just how well will they perform? My money is on Lotus performing the best out of the three but I doubt any of them will be challenging the usual suspects at the front of the grid. It’s probably a good thing they won’t be in the running at the front so soon as its going to be very close and I’m having a tough time picking my choice for the first pole of the season. Lets break it down a little…
Ferrari – They have shown brilliant pace in the early testing and they have two amazing drivers. They could well be the team where the sensible money will lie this season, they will no doubt be reliable and they will definitely be aiming to have a good season after their terrible season last year.
McLaren – Having both Button and Hamilton in the same team is brilliant for us Brits and we have an obvious team to get behind this year but will the rivalry between the two drivers mean they lose out on vital points this year? They had one of the strongest cars at the end of last year and they have shown themselves to be strong in pre-season testing. I’ll be supporting them once again this year and I have a sneaky feeling this might be Hamilton’s year again.
Red Bull – The car to beat at the end of last season. These guys will definitely be strong again but will the be good enough to take the top spot this year? They will be one to watch…
Mercedes – Last year they were Brawn GP but now under a new name and with two new drivers, will they have the same success as last year? They have a very good chance and they have a secret (Not so secret, maybe) weapon up their sleeve, Michael Schumacher.
They are the teams I predict to take the top 4 spots this season but the others shouldn’t be counted out, there’s many strong teams and drivers this season. Tyre efficiency and fuel consumption is going to play a vital role this season with no refueling allowed and it will be interesting to see which cars and drivers handle that best. It could be the difference between first and second. That difference is also bigger than last season with the new scoring system. 25 points for first, 18 for second, with third receiving 15, 12 for fourth and then ten, eight, six, four, two, and one for tenth place. This puts a greater emphasis on winning races which should see drivers pushing for that extra place and hopefully giving us some very exciting races this year.
I can’t wait…
It’s an Album of the week! Shock! Horror!
Music has once again found its way into my life and theres been one album that keeps popping up every time.
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Spotify Link: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
I suddenly find myself with a lot of spare time on my hands following the end of my Placement. Between looking for a new placement and taking the dog out for long walks, I’ve found myself becoming obsessed with coding again and it feels good.
Whilst at Galleria, I had so little spare time on my hands that all the coding I did was at work and because all I got the opportunity to work on was Visual Basic 6, some of my other skills fell to the back of my mind. However, I recently decided to take the plunge into Android application development and it’s started to take over my life like programming used to when I was at University. It’s great to really get my teeth stuck into something and feel like I’m learning again. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this especially as I never felt particularly pushed when it came to writing code at Galleria, it would have been nice to get on a C# project and allow me to further my skills.
If your all wondering what application I’m working on, then your going to have to wait a little longer for any more details. I can tell you it will be free and it will involve Twitter but it’s not going to be just another Twitter client. It’s also been a while since I’ve done any OO development and it’s been a little hard trying to lose the habits I got from all my time with VB6. I’m definitely getting there now though and being back with Java has been great, Android is a superb platform to develop on. One other thing, if anybody has an Android phone and feels its lacking an application in a particular area, or theres any area where the existing applications are severely lacking. drop me a line as I’m still thinking of ideas for my next project.
More blog posts coming soon by the way. I know that I’ve been slacking again but as I said, I’ve become obsessed and its brilliant.
Today I was reading Google’s Blog and I stumbled across an article which I felt I had to post about. 3 Employees from Google have been convicted of failing to comply with Italian privacy code because an awful video of an autistic child being bullied was upload by some italian school children to Google Videos. The video was taken down and the children were were found and dealt with appropriately, but how on earth is it the fault of the Google employees?
This is very worrying indeed and I hope Google’s appeal is successful as more of these cases could start appearing if this conviction sticks. Google shouldn’t need to vet every video which is uploaded to their sites, neither should any other company. They just provide a platform for users to share content and it is up to the user to decide if what they are uploading is legal. Imagine if Google did have to vet every video? The internet wouldn’t be the same. This wouldn’t just apply to Video’s either…it would have to apply to everything which is hosted by a provider and that is very worrying. I’m relieved to see Google feel so strongly about it and that they will be fighting this. If you want to read the article, click here.
