Best. Finish. Ever.

I'm on a wee bit of an indycar kick at the moment:

Indycar Just went Unique...

I like Indycar. As open-wheel race series go, its a remarkably un-pretentious league. a mix of street races and ovals, with its one big feature event, the Indy 500. I even like the design of Indycars, although, I've got to admit that they look like rejected designs for F1 cars.

That is, Until now.

You see, the IRL has been holding a competition between three design teams - Dallara, Swift, and DeltaWing Racing.

Up first in this Petrol-powered Triplethreat: Dallara

Now, Dallara have entered three designs, two of them look very Traditional Indycar:



However, their most intriguing one is this one - a much more futuristic design with what looks like a heavy wing at the back:



The front wing also looks very solid and chunky on this design, presumably to deal with paint-trading fun. The rear wheels also look to be mostly enclosed just in front of the rear wing, making the car less likely to go airborne in a wheel-to-wheel clash. a good design, and I've got a feeling this is one of the ones the IRL will look at the most.

Next up, we have Swift's design...


...Which is apparently funded by Wayne Enterprises. Its a good looker, but I'm not sure how much of it would translate to an actual car, especially that front wing. I just don't see how much aero-grip thats going to offer this car. In this design, the rear wheel is also more open, giving more risk of the cars going skywards, and as discussed in a previous entry, racecars are not meant to fly.

Finally, though, we have the most interesting, and certainly the most controversial design being pitched - and ironically, its also the one that is closest to being a working goddamn car: the DeltaWing.



That car looks epic. It's designed to be hugely low on drag, and has completely enclosed wheels to prevent any flying issues. Its also, apparently, the one most of the drivers on the grid like best.

Personally, I hink theres one, blinding obvious way to decided between the three - Race the fuckers! Three designs fighting it out for the right to be made the reigning indycar!

Do it, IRL. You know you want to.

The Elephant in the Room...

One of the things that has always truly, truly irritated me is the immediate response of the the media to blame violence on video games.

Let me paint a picture for you: I am 24. I have been playing violent games since the age of ten. I have shot Nazis, zombies, girls boys, and occasionally, the odd shark. Sometimes I run them over in a car.

I have never once thought it would be okay for me to go and shoot someone in real life, and violence on the news has always made me feel bad.

Yet tonight, my wife is watching an episode of “Jo Frost's Extreme Parental Guidance” that says that playing a violent video game for 20 goddamn minutes desensitises kids to violent footage from the news.

Their evidence for this? That the kids heart-rates stayed the same, rather than rising in response to it. I call bullshit.

What they have proven there is that kids don't react in a physical manner. Because they have been Prepared for the worst.

However, research has shown that kids who play video games have improved reactions and observational skills. Bet that wont be mentioned, hmm?

Of course, the amount and content of games played by kids is... of course... DOWN TO THE FUCKING PARENTS.

Jesus Christ. Take some fucking responsibility.

This rant brought to you by Videogamers for parents paying attention to their goddamn kids.

Of course, there would be an advantage to stopping playing videogames. It would stop them ruining my left 4 dead 2 sessions.