F1 Set To Confirm New Jersey GP For 2013

As many of you know, I write for several different places across the internet, notably about sport. There's Stretty News, Sport Witness, Back Page Football, 19 Times and That's A Fact, and the others - here, and there's a few fairly private blogs too. And if you ever find them on the world wide web, I promise to buy you a pint. Trust me, you won't find them.

Most of what I write is in some way sport-related, and unfortunately for you sport fans, this post will be no different. Yes yes, I know, I haven't written a GMOAI Sports Thoughts post for a good few weeks, concentrating on Apple, blogging, and of course, pie. As you do.

But there was a story that caught my eye this morning that I had to write about. And bearing in mind Tuesday is GMOAI day, it will end up on here. So I sincerely apologise, but hope you choose to continue reading. If not, thanks for your time and hopefulyl see you next week. Maybe.

This morning, plans were announced for a New Jersey Formula One race, to begin in 2013. This may not sound particularly interesting, but think about it - a road race round one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the Manhattan skyline as a back drop. A four mile circuit along the Hudson River that will change how many people perceive F1.

And the fact the US GP makes a return to the calendar next year at the newly-built circuit in Austin, Texas, means we may be seeing millions more fans tuning in to such a wonderful sport.

Now there has been no confirmation whether or not Texas and New Jersey willalternate as hosts of the US GP, or whether they will both be added to the calendar as separate races, taking us back to the 1980's with the US GP and the US West GP.

Counter in the fact that in 2014, we'll also see the new circuit at Sochi in Russia added to the calendar, and we have the potential of 23 races on the calendar in 2014. Clearly, that's far too many, and some will either be placed on rotation or scarpped altogether, but there's plenty of interest in F1 again. Qatar, Estonia and Croatia are all in talks to hold a GP, as are South Africa, and there's even talk of Argentina getting involved.

F1 is growing again, and it's brilliant to see. Let's just hope the fans are put first and not the money. As usual.

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com

Home Comforts, Baked Delights

For the last five days, I've spent time comforting Isobel in Roehampton, telling her it'll all be okay and home is still here. So on Tuesday night, we baked steak pie. But this wasn't any old steak pie.

This was Adam's steak pie - the fourth generation of whom the recipe has been passed down to. Mum's mum's mum did this originally, and it's so unbelievably simple.

Make a very basic shortcrust pastry - something similar to the one you can find on the BBC Food website. Let it 'rest' and firm up in the fridge, then roll it out to your tin size - keep it about half a centimetre thick and its happy days. Fill your pie tin with some chunky steak in a tin - the stuff from M&S is the best. And use two tins - then you'll get a decent filling.

Top the pie with your pastry, roughly chop off the excess, then crimp it. Then cut off all the waste, roll out the pastry again, and then cut some leaf-like shapes - one for every person eating. Or as many as you wanna decorate it wit - helps with portion size. Brush with some milk, pop a few steam holes in it, and bake till golden. And that's that.

And it was lovely - creamy, thick mash, and peas, with gravy. A good stomach lining for the bottles we found this morning....

It did get me thinking though - everyone has a meal that they crave when they go home. Mine is a proper Chinese. I know a lot of people who crave roast dinners, or cakes, or specific puddings - Angel Delight is always a favourite. It really is quite a special thing.

But so is food - how many memories do you have that are attached to your favourite meals? A marraige proposal? The first smile for a while? Finding out some wonderful news? It's an incredible force.

So... What are yours? Let me know - email me, Tweet me, or even comment on this post. Would love to know what you think!

 

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com

Blogging About Bloggers Blogging On Their Blogs

There are so many blogs on the internet. Millions and millions of people writing daily about what happens in their life, what their job is, and what their mission in life has become. There's an infinite plethora of info on the internet of people, places, groups, cults, companies, choices... The list goes on.

But we all have our favourites. Hopefully, the fact you're reading this indicates you quite like what I write, and that's a very humbling thought. But if not - welcome aboard lovely internet person. Or foreign search engine.

I have my favourites - I have a list of blogs I check on a daily basis for updates, or changes - and that's because they entertain me, they inform me, and they make me feel better. Some may call it an addiction, but for me it's now just part of my daily routine. So I figured I'd blog about my favourite five bloggers who blog about their blogs. Or something like that.

Poppy Dinsey - What I Wore Today

My favourite blog in the whole wide world is 'What I Wore Today', by Miss Poppy Dinsey. Poppy blogs about her daily outfits, and her New Years' Resolution became an addiction. And is now her job.

You see, Poppy now runs What I Wore Today as a fashion social network. She's made a name for herself, and she's now very successful because of it. She even has an iPhone app - kind of an ultimate goal for me...

She's become a sort of cult hero to me - she gave me a different outlook on blogging, and having followed her all the way, it makes sense to only keep following her journey, and continue to watch her career blossom and become incredibly successful.

I've followed Poppy's blog for coming up two years - it was February 2010 when I first heard about her, and now she's an up and coming star of not just the fashion world, but the media world too. It says a lot when even my Business Studies teacher last year had heard of her - he was hardly a die-hard fashion fan, put it that way...

You can find What I Wore Today right here, or follow Poppy on Twitter by clicking on this one. Or even follow WIWT on Twitter too. Clever.

Alice Harold - More Than Toast

If it wasn't for What I Wore Today's social networking re-launch, I'd have never heard of Alice, and I'd certainly never have found More Than Toast. MTT is Alice's little spot on the World Wide Web, with all her musings and bits and bobs going on in her life. It's strangely addictive.

The thing with blogs like this is you enjoy reading them, but by the time you start telling people about them, you feel like a stalker. I know Alice has a husband called Will, and the most gorgeous daughter called Elfie. I know Alice is pregnant again, and the baby is due in May. I know she has a bit of an unhealthy obsession for Apple products. (don't we all?!) I know she has 98 things left on her Life List, and then she'll be satisfied. And that's all from reading her work...

Her blog is a bit of calm away from the storm, to be honest with you. I love reading about happy things, and everything that appears on Alice's blog is happy, and smiley, and always leaves me chuckling by the end. Anyone who announces their pregnancy with 'I'm knocked up again!' or calls their unborn baby 'Foetus' automatically gains 'Legendary' status to me. She's just one of those human beings you can only love. And I've never met her. *feels stalkerish again...*

If you have five minutes, go have a look at More Than Toast - you really won't be disappointed. And then go follow Alice on Twitter too, and smile even more.

Natasha Henry - So Natasha Says.

Like myself, Natasha wants to be a sports journalist. Admittedly, she's a little further on than I am - training as we speak, and already writing for some of the biggest sports blogs on the net, but her blog is a different look on football. It's a fresh take from a fresh mind on what goes on. So Natasha Says is just a great little blog.

She may be a Gooner, but don't hold that against her - she's already suffered enough this season... Her writing is very inspiring in a way - it's quite thought provoking and does make you consider your own views. It's a fantastic way to discover what's going on, and her look on it all is great.

Throw into the mix that she's also a really quite lovely person, and willing to help with anything. I have a bit of a soft spot for Tasha, and she's one of my favourite people on Twitter too.

So, go see So Natasha Says, and follow her on Twitter too. I promise you it's worth it.

Callum Winterford - Student Daily

As you will be aware by now, there was a time where I was going to university, in particular City Uni London. That rather wonderful 'school administrative error' scuppered those hopes this year, but there wasn't a hope in hell I was missing out on a year's worth of writing and learning. And having had a few Google searches and a quick Facebook page scour, I came across this.

Callum is studying Journalism at City, and is in his first year. We would have been on the same course had my life taking a slightly different path. But Student Daily is really quite a brilliant blog - a different perspective on the events going on in our world.

Informative, witty, and interesting, Student Daily ticks the box of every aspect a good blog should be. It's a really decent read, everything flows nicely together, and it's a bit different to all the other student blogs trying to inform and entertain on the web.

Not only that, but Callum wants to be on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. I rest my case - it's a winner.

If you get the chance, you can read Student Daily here, or follow Callum on Twitter too. I just have. So now it's your go.

Angie Dudley - Bakerella

I have a few passions in my life. One is for football - in particular Manchester United. Another is technology, and embracing what new products are brought to the table. I love to write, and I love to continually be inspired. And I love to bake.

Baking is one of those things I have always loved to do. From a child licking the cake bowl, to leaving bread dough to prove and just being so tempted to start kneading it again, to making intricate birthday cakes for friends to eat alongside their company. It's what I'm passionate about.

I will guarantee that Bakerella will inspire and ignite your passion, too. Angie has built up her blog of cakes and all sorts of sugary goodness, and soon releases her own cookbook on cake pops. It's becoming a bit of a phenomenon.

Whether it's a recipe you're after, or a little inspiration, or even just to admire the beautiful images strewn throughout her posts and pages, you need to have a bit of Bakerella in your life.

I mean, everybody has a baking memory, don't they? A special brithday cake, or your wedding cake, or that one moment in your life where the realisation kicked in over a biscuit. Okay, that last one was clutching at straws, but you get my point...

Angie's blog is so wonderfully inspiring, and it's always worth checking, and seeing what is going on in her cake tin world. It's a beautiful blog, and you'll certainly find something that will get you wanting to get in the kitchen.

Bakerella can be found here, or you could follow Angie on Twitter here.

Blogging has become a part of our society, and has allowed normal, bog-standard people to have their say on any subject known to man. It's become a platform for people to have a say, just like I'm doing, and just like the five people above do too.

And if I can take a little bit from all five of those blogs, and put them into my big pot of inspiration, then this place will become a little bit better, and a little bit brighter. Lovely stuff.

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com

Steve Jobs: A Tribute To My Hero

I wanted to write something on this very sad afternoon which reflected my own personal feelings. As you will all be aware by now, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sadly died this morning, after a seven year battle with pancreatic cancer, at the age of 56.

Now a lot has been, and will be written about Steve over the next few days and weeks. But I wanted to add my own personal feelings to the growing number of pages across the web expressing their deepest sadness at the loss of a wonderful man.

I never met Steve Jobs. I never spoke to him, I never heard from him. I knew him as much as the majority of you reading this. But Steve Jobs was my hero - he was the man I wanted to be. Whenever I felt down, I'd turn to some form of Apple product to cheer me up, or go and watch another keynote to discover the true art of capturing people. Steve was the type of man you didn't need to meet to know. In fact, you already knew him.

His driven nature led to products that people couldn't have dreamed of. A personal computer with a mouse? 'Won't work', many said. Now look where the Mac is, with its 24% market share.

A portable digital music player?! 'Will never take off', many said. So Steve went and sold over 300 million iPods, just to prove a point.

And then the penny dropped - this man was a genius. He'd gone and changed the face of technology with his pioneering ideas and his inventions that would change the way we live.

The iPhone and the world went crazy. This week saw the fifth generation of iPhone being launched, and over 90 million iPhones have been sold and shipped around the globe. And that figure will double over the next year on projected growth sales.

What about Steve's final big idea - the iPad? Tablet computing was the way forward, and Steve realised this in early 2006, so set to work on designing a device that would be capable of doing so. In April 2010, it hit the market, and within a year had sold 28 million units of both the first and second generation tablets.

He also devised the idea of Apple retail stores, giving consumers an opportunity to play with and hopefully buy the products that are made by Apple. Customer service was always key for Steve - it was always something that he believed very much in. I don't think anyone has ever had a bad experience in an Apple store that wasn't fixed by a member of staff. It's a wonderful place.

I was in an Apple store the day Steve resigned during August, and it was a very weird atmosphere - very sombre. Each employee knew a part of the company had just disappeared, and they were very down. Each customer knew they were with the Apple family on a very strange day in Apple history. And I would hate to have been near an Apple store today - it will have been a very dark day in those big glass buildings.

I own an iPhone. I own an iPad. We as a family own a Mac. And I use the devices each and every day, and I couldn't wish for easier and more intuitive devices to use. They make life so much simpler, and also make my days become so much easier.

The only word that sums up Steve Jobs is 'genius'. I don't think there is, or has been, anyone in the technology market that has ever given so much to how we live.

The news filtered through last night of his sad passing here in the UK, and the tributes began to pour in. At the time of writing, over 35 million people in China have paid tribute to the man behind the biggest technology brand in the world.

But that's not just why he's my hero. The man has had three major health scares, but battled on because he loved his job so much. There was a passion and a fire there that meant he gave 100% every single day, no matter what his health was like, because he adored his company so much.

He also made some very shrewd, and very clever business decisions and investments that led to him becoming a multi-billionaire, all of which will now end up with the many charities and foundations he supported throughout his life.

There also wasn't a day that went by that Steve Jobs wasn't smiling - his outlook on life was something everyone should have to adopt. He was proud of what he had achieved, and wanted the world to know quite how proud, and that's something special in itself.

He was someone special - someone really quite special. Again, I never met him, but the vibe you got from everyone was that he was just a man who had all the time in the world for you, and equally wanted to make sure you left with a smile. He was a God-like figure to many who looked up to him, and aspired to be him.

Without him, the likelihood of us having the platforms to spread our views - on blogs, on Twitter, using Facebook, through networking on the web - would have been a lot slimmer. Most of these sites were built on a Mac, and are accessed daily via an iPhone or an iPad, and that's what helped grow the sites so quick. It's quite remarkable how much input the man has had.

Today really is a very sad day, not just for the technology industry, but for the world as a whole. Steve Jobs brought so much to us, but didn't want anything bar your custom and a smile in return. He has changed the way we all live, and for the better too.

I Tweeted a little earlier, and I think that just sums up everything.

Thank you Steve. Without you, my days would be a little bit darker. You are the ultimate hero.

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com

AC - After Cupertino: iPhone 4S Launched In Uneventful Apple Keynote

I blogged earlier this afternoon about the big plans we thought Apple had for us in their keynote this evening. And how unbelievably underwhelming it was.

As we knew, Apple would be releasing a phone, and they did - the iPhone 4S, not the iPhone 5 as predicted. I would call it a recycled idea - it has the body of an iPhone 4, and is kitted out with basically the same insides too. A faster A5 chip, that outputs seven times faster graphics than the iPhone 4, plus a new 8 megapixel that takes some rather beautiful pictures. Bar that, mind you, nothing else shouts out 'BUY ME' - a new antenna system, a global phone, HD video, and AirPlay mirroring.

The only feature that does look quite brilliant is called Siri - a voice recognition assistant service. You ask her whatever the hell you want - what's the weather, make me a meeting, call my wife - and she will come up with a very logical answer. That is the only stand-out feature for me.

Other announcements included a slightly updated iPod line-up, and as predicted, the iPod Classic is now dead and buried. A few minor updates to the iPod Touch, including a white version, and a few new additions to the iPod Nano, and we're there. And that was that.

There were also a few new features mentioned regarding iCloud and iOS 5. No Facebook integration as suspected, nor any major advances on what we heard in June. One quite neat new application is 'Cards', Apple's new take on Moonpig here in the UK, and Hallmark in the US. A card making service, sending greetings cards across the US and around the world with your photos or your creations plastered across the front. It's $2.99 a card for domestic US mail, or $4.99 to send a card anywhere else in the world. And the app is free, too. Very clever to diversify into another new market, and watch them make a big killing in market share too.

We also saw something called 'Find My Friends', using the same technology as seen in 'Find My iPhone', which allows you to discover your friends with an iOS GPS-enabled device. The demo given during the keynote was at Disneyland, showing all your friends in your address book in the local area. Clever, but needed? Not really.

So, dates, I hear you ask. October 12th is the big one for most of us - that's the release date for iOS 5, iCloud, Cards, and Find My Friends. All are free, and will be made available across the globe next Wednesday.

October 14th is the release date for the iPhone 4S, priced at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the 64GB model. It can be pre-ordered from October 7th - this Friday. It's available in both black and white. (hurrah, you may be saying, after the iPhone 4 white model fiasco...)

The 3GS is also here to stay. It's available in 8GB, and is now free via contract. The iPhone 4 is also only available in an 8GB model, priced at $99.

No iPad. No Mac updates. No iPhone 5. No big surprises. And no Steve Jobs, either.

Ah well, there's always January...

All pictures courtesy of Engadget.

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com

BC - Before Cupertino: Apple Prepare For iPhone Keynote

At lunchtime in San Francisco, we'll know what's being released. The rumours will stop, and we'll just start getting excited for the new product.

But until then, the trepidation continues to build towards Apple's big iPhone announcement this afternoon, at 6PM here in the UK, and 10AM in the US.

At the time of writing this, there's just under three hours to go before the announcement. As I said last week, the signs indicate the new iPhone 5, which has been the subject of the Apple rumour mill since the summer of 2010.

Courtesy of MacRumors

But, does that mean that wonderful Apple-shaped mill should stop now?! Nope - we've only just started! Watch social media go crazy as every tech blogger in the world tries to tell you that they know exactly what is being released and what it looks like. Only to have egg on their face two hours later.

The big rumour last week was that there would be two phones announced today - the iPhone 5, which will be Apple's latest, most powerful phone to date, with all the updated technology available, and the iPhone 4S, which will be a cheaper alternative, combining the technology of the iPhone 4 with some updates and upgrades to attempt to crack the Chinese market. Wouldn't surprise me at all if this was to happen, but for some strange reason, I just get the feeling it will be one or the other today... And I'm leaning towards the 4S, seeing as that is what we've seen leaked prototype parts for.

However, I won't speak too soon. After the iPhone 4 was leaked last year by someone leaving a prototype in a 3GS body in a bar somewhere, Apple have been on complete lock down, keeping all elements of the new phones secret and threatening to file a lawsuit against anyone who leaks any information about the new phone. Or phones, if you're being optimistic.

So what else have we heard? Well, today's earlier announcement that Microsoft are discontinuing the Zune, their own portable music player, has fuelled rumours that maybe Apple will revamp the iPod range today too, and that Microsoft are just getting out the market before they make an even bigger loss on their own player. It would make sense - we've seen the iPod line-up change ready for the holiday season every year for the past four years or so. It would be a real money-spinner for them to do it today.

There were also rumours that maybe the Mac line-up would change too. Now, these have cooled off slightly seeing as the new Macs have been released throughout the last 18 months, with an update to one of the machines every three months or so. But why not? It's always worth a punt that Apple will throw something out there.

A few whispers appeared that maybe Apple will shock us all today, by announcing the iPad 3, alongside a new phone and the new iPod range. This was because iOS 5 will be released alongside the new iPhone, and therefore a full upgrade of the whole iOS device catalogue is of course needed. Well, us Apple fans think so anyway. A retina display has apparently been very difficult to create for the iPad, but if they've pulled it off, we may see an appearance at the keynote later.

So, realistically, what are we likely to see today?

Of course, iOS 5 will be seen today. The announcement of the new software in June, given a 'Fall' release date indicated at the time that they were waiting for a new device. Don't be surprised to see new features unveiled today. We've already seen the likes of Newsstand, Reminders and iMessage, but there are talks of Facebook integration into the software, to match that of the already announced Twitter integration. Let's see.

One of the smaller announcements, but one of the most crucial, is that iOS 5 will be based around Delta updates - meaning the days of sitting around waiting for 500MB updates to download are gone. Now, any update to iOS 5 will be dragged down from the cloud, and only items that have been changed will be updated. Thank God for that.

We'll also hear more about iCloud, Apple's new cloud-based storage system. Announced alongside iOS 5 in June, it'll allow for apps, music, photos, documents, and anything else you could possibly wish to store on an iPhone, an iPad, a Mac or an iPod Touch to be updated across all our iOS devices, keeping everything updated quickly and easily without the need to constantly be plugging in your device.

Also expect to see the iPhone 4S. The majority of leaks indicate that this is what we'll be seeing today - based on the iPhone 4, with better, faster, more impressive technology, and potentially a bigger screen too. The Apple Stores in the US have stocked up on unlocked 3GS phones too, so expect to hear something regarding that. It would mean Apple have a tiered phone pricing plan - the 3GS at the low end, the 4 in the middle, and the 4S at the very high end.

Something will happen with the iPod - whether it just be new colours schemes or a complete overhaul. Rumours are floating around that Apple are ready to cut off the iPod Classic and the iPod Shuffle - heightened by the removal of click-wheel applications from the App Store late last month.

Release dates for iOS 5 and the new iPhone are still to be announced, but many believe that iOS 5 will either be made available immediately after the keynote today, or on October 10th, meaning that the iPhone is slated in for the 14th October.

Bar that, we'll just have to wait and see. I'll speak to you AC - After Cupertino.

Let's Talk iPhone.

Taken from General Musings of an Idiot: http://www.gmoai.com