WRS Pit stop: Want to Chat? - Need Help? = Post Here

[Sphinx]

Just some trivial information.

I Didnt know such back channel even existed until GT3 WRS 103/4. Until then i thought nothing but 'T' Times meant just that, i was chatting to Kent (WRS admin at the time) in WRS 104 and i was very suprised when he gave me his final time.

That's about the same time that I became aware of the backchannel. I'm not sure if that's when it first started, but the the years before that I wasn't even aware of it and when I was allowed into the frame and saw what was going on I was annoyed by it because I felt that I had been driving in the dark for all that time and disadvantaged.

What did I decide to do...

...well, "If you can't beat them, join them"

 

[Small_Fryz]

That's about the same time that I became aware of the backchannel. I'm not sure if that's when it first started, but the the years before that I wasn't even aware of it and when I was allowed into the frame and saw what was going on I was annoyed by it because I felt that I had been driving in the dark for all that time and disadvantaged.

What did I decide to do...

...well, "If you can't beat them, join them"

Exactly what i did 👍

I wonder when it did start, i suppose it was a snowball effect. started with a select few and now nearly everyone does it.

 

[Tedehur]

Lots of good discussion recently, it would even deserve a separate thread.

I joined the GT3 WRS in week 65, and as I recall, I've always been doing some "back-channelling' with the same 2 or 3 guys. By PM, gmail, or whatever.
Just for our private internal competition, because since we all were mid div 2 drivers, we knew it wouldn't affect the WRS results.
That was about 9 months before the weeks you mention, so I guess that back-channelling has always existed.

Yet, IMO, it has come to such an extent that we're in a crazy situation where there is a parallel discussion (or perhaps several ones) that involves a big part of us and where the real winner and podium are decided.
What will happen when everybody will log on MSN during the week to share final times ? What would be the use of the forum in that case ?

I must say that given the situation, I'm all in favor for allowing the final time discussion in the thread, and even posting replays during the week.
But ok, enabling people to share any information they want doesn't mean they will do it, and perhaps some will still share info within a secret group and not share anything on the thread. There's nothing I can do to prevent that.

Edit :
I posted a poll there about this topic. I suggest we move discussion over there too.

 

[Small_Fryz]

But many guys will choose to share. and i think that the number who will share will out number those who dont.

I belive most of Div1 will share at least.

 

[TheWizard]

Well, I haven't been posting here in a while and I figure I would make good use of this following occasion to do it.

Thursday I had my last final for the semester. A couple more days and I'll finally be flying back home. I'll be leaving Tuesday the 16th.

This was my last semester in Aerospace Engineering. I won't be graduating, though, as I am waiting for the end of next semester (Fall '06), when I'll finish up the few classes that I have left in Mechanical Engineering. Then I'll have one combined graduation ceremony for both degrees. The reason I chose so is because my parents could not come to two different ceremonies - would have I chose to graduate tomorrow, in Aerospace - and I really wanted them to be present. Therefore, I postponed my graduation to December '06, when they will be able to attend.

Most of my Aerospace friends will be graduating tomorrow, and I'll be there cheering for them, knowing inside me that I will also be a little envious of the fact that they'll be done, while I have one more endless painful semester, before I will be able to say the same thing of myself: "I am done".

I can taste it in my mouth - how good that is going to sound, when it will finally be true

Then I will be moving back home permanently and I won't have to be away from my family, my friends, my mountains, the places I grew up in, for 9 months at a time. And I'll be leaving with two degrees and hopefully the number that you see in my avatar

[/begin bragging]
Hell, I kept it so far, for 4.5 years, while taking 21 hours (7 courses) a semester, for the past 4 semesters. Why shouldn't I keep it my last semester, with only 4 courses left?
[/end bragging]

Well, thank you for listening - I really needed to let this out

The Wizard.

 

[Kent]

Just some trivial information.

I Didnt know such back channel even existed until GT3 WRS 103/4. Until then i thought nothing but 'T' Times meant just that, i was chatting to Kent (WRS admin at the time) in WRS 104 and i was very suprised when he gave me his final time.

So im definetly all for sharing Replays/times everything, It will definetly even out the playing feild and with so many maxdrives, cheating will be almost impossible, unless they cheat in the lower divisions where maxdrives arnt common.

Well I'd say cheating is already impossible if the fastest times from each group must provide replays. 👍

If an honor system is used, then discussing final times would be an open door to cheating. There is nothing better for a cheater than to know the opponent's final time.
Surely cheating would only mess-over the honest people (who would probably already be the kind to provide a replay).

Also, I can remember our contact.
However, I've never been an admin.

Regarding the back channel...
The entire backchannel scene has existed for as long as friends with instant messages and gran turismo have.
I was sorta adopted so my experience is probably very unique. Der Alta and Boom decided to send me a free Xport and DA took care of it. 👍 :bodown:

Since then I have been in and out of backchannel discussion.

Changing subject to some extent:
Chick and the Egg, which came first?
Fast Replays and Fast Racers, which came first?

 

[Small_Fryz]

I dont understand much your grades wizard but what i know from movies a 4.0 seems very good!! 👍

Well done mate! 👍


Edit

Kent, i didnt mean you were Admin of the site, i meant Admin of WRS 👍. We havnt forgotten

 

[Kent]

Glad to hear that. 👍
I had thought for a minute that you actually had.



Still though, what do you think about the other stuff?

 

[Small_Fryz]

Well while the cheaters will have a final time to shoot for, they cant aim too high or they will need a maxdrive. Whats the point of cheating to make the middle of the field?

I personally have nothing against back channel, If anything it makes you faster and provides another level of competition. I remember i drove like a madman that WRS 104 to try to catch your time (unsuccesfully) ( , your time was fast )and it added another level to the whole WRS.

 

[TheWizard]

I dont understand much your grades wizard but what i know from movies a 4.0 seems very good!! 👍

Well done mate! 👍

4.0 GPA (Grade Point Average) means perfect score, for a given course. My GPA is 4.0 cumulative, hence perfect score in all the courses I have taken so far: a ****load!

Anyway, thanks for the congratulations, Dion 👍

The Wizard.

 

[Kent]

I don't remember what 104 was.

The cheaters issue isn't really worth discussing.
If people want to cheat, they will- simple as that.
Shooting too high isn't hard when you know your opponents time down to the .001

 

[Small_Fryz]

But if they shoot high they need to provide a replay or their time gets deleted. Hardly worth it.

WRS 104 was the supra's @ grand valley 👍

Wizard!! now i know what it really is! wow! congrats mate!, what are your plans once you get those 2 degrees?

 

[Kent]

Want to continue the back channel discussion to some extent but not here...

None the less, while I'm here.
How you all doing these days?

I'm doing well and working 5 days a week.
Just bought a brandnew schwinn homegrown here.

Any way...

 

[Small_Fryz]

Kent jump on msn 👍

What have i been doing recently?
Playing more GT4 than usual to make sure im at my best for the BC 👍

 

[Laurence5905]

This was my last semester in Aerospace Engineering. I won't be graduating, though, as I am waiting for the end of next semester (Fall '06), when I'll finish up the few classes that I have left in Mechanical Engineering. Then I'll have one combined graduation ceremony for both degrees. The reason I chose so is because my parents could not come to two different ceremonies - would have I chose to graduate tomorrow, in Aerospace - and I really wanted them to be present. Therefore, I postponed my graduation to December '06, when they will be able to attend.

So Wiz, where are you going to school? And where do you call home?

 

[TheWizard]

what are your plans once you get those 2 degrees?

My plans are to go back home permanently and possibly work somewhere in Italy, or really close to it. Italy is not really big in the Aerospace community, hence the reason why I decided to double major in Mechanical Engineering, as well. Having both degrees will open up a lot of doors and it only took one extra semester. I had to cram 7 courses in each of the past 4 semesters, though, while the average student here takes 12 hours (4 courses), and call it overwhelming...

So Wiz, where are you going to school? And where do you call home?

I am going to Mississippi State University, in Starkville, Mississippi, U.S.A.
Home is on the other side of the (Atlantic) Ocean: Italy. I live in the north-east part, ~50km (~30mi) from Venice.

If you were here in Starkville, you would understand why I am so eager to leave. And why I have been cramming that many courses (my friends call me insane) in so few semesters. I hate this place. There's hardly anything to do beside school work. To give you an example, they started selling refrigerated beer only a few months ago. Even my friends that are from the coast or from somewhere else hate it here. I haven't seen much of the States, but if this city (town, whatever) is a good example, then I am really disappointed.

To be honest, I don't think any other place would make me want to stay in the U.S.A.

It's just not the same thing. I can't stay away from home this far and this long. I want to be able to come home at least once a month, at a minimum. And by home I don't necessarily mean my house, or my town. Italy in general.

Beside my family and my friends, I miss the food, the cars, the crowded and packed towns, being able to walk to the store instead of having to drive for 10 miles, pretty much everything.

I just go to school here. I don't plan on staying here any longer than it takes to obtain what I came here to get. Even if I wanted to stay, all the big Aerospace companies are controlled by the government. Which means they can only hire, by law, American citizens. Which means I would have to work for a private company, either in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering. If it was NASA, then I could picture myself staying. But if I have to work for a private company, then anyone will do. And if that's the case, then I'd rather take one in Italy (or in the vicinity), than one here.

I am thoroughly homesick and I can't take it anymore. I have been here for almost 5 full years (at the end of December 2006 it will be 5 years), being able to go home only once every 9 months (each Summer).

Well, you get the picture. Enough of me blabbing about it

I don't hate the States. I just hate being away from home. And this town

The Wizard.

 

[Kent]

Kent jump on msn 👍

What have i been doing recently?
Playing more GT4 than usual to make sure im at my best for the BC 👍

no msn for me.
I got too many IMs from people I didn't like.

Also, the system always seriously slowed down my system on start up because MSN insisted on starting up and doing all sorts of stuff just because I turned the computer on.

Feel free to hit me with a PM if you want.

Later all.

 

[Tedehur]

no msn for me.

Also, the system always seriously slowed down my system on start up because MSN insisted on starting up and doing all sorts of stuff just because I turned the computer on.

There are ways to use MSN without actually using MSN.
I mean, there are softwares like Trillian, which can handle most of your IM accounts (MSN, ICQ, Yahooo...) at the same time, or aMSN, an open source software (coming from the Linux world) which uses your MSN account without requiring all the RAM your PC can offer.

 

[Laurence5905]

I am going to Mississippi State University, in Starkville, Mississippi, U.S.A.
Home is on the other side of the (Atlantic) Ocean: Italy. I live in the north-east part, ~50km (~30mi) from Venice.

If you were here in Starkville, you would understand why I am so eager to leave. And why I have been cramming that many courses (my friends call me insane) in so few semesters. I hate this place. There's hardly anything to do beside school work. To give you an example, they started selling refrigerated beer only a few months ago. Even my friends that are from the coast or from somewhere else hate it here. I haven't seen much of the States, but if this city (town, whatever) is a good example, then I am really disappointed.

That city is most definitely NOT a representative sample of American cities... It's a small-town, in-the-middle-of-nowhere, rural Southern city. Nothing like a big city at all... I highly recommend you visit Atlanta (not terribly far away). I've lived in Atlanta all my life, and I just love it. Or take a trip to New York sometime -- now THERE'S an American city! (You like crowded and packed towns, New York is your place!)

But I can totally understand the "homesickness" you're feeling. If I were in Italy, I would probably feel the same way -- being so far away from my home, and for such a long period of time, would definitely not be a good thing.

But you've definitely not gotten a representative sample of American cities. A small, rural, Southern college-town really doesn't have much else to do, other than school work. (And drinking!)

 

[Casio]

I just saw in the paper today that the PS3 will be released (In Australia at least) on November 17. At a price of $829 AUD (494 Euro, 336 Pounds).

 

[Tyre King]

Which means that it will be released in the UK just in time for Christmas, and we won't actually get more than 100 into the whole country till March!

On another subject,

Just got my hands on the new (at least here) Motorola V3x 3G mobile,

Talk about a Beautiful phone!

2 mega-pixel & 8x zoom cam on the outside, VGA cam in the inside. 64 Mb onboard ram and a half Gig memory card that's the size of my little finger nail, MP3 player, video calls, etc, etc
£350 worth, free, on a £25 month contract.

Well happy with it!

Neil

 

[MisterWeary]

Perousing compfused.com as I am wont to do I found this pic that I thought you might like Kyle

Now that is a cool Volvo 👍

 

[Casio]

Now that is a cool Volvo 👍

I'm not sure if cool is the word I'd use. I'm thinking more of a word that starts with re- and ends with -tarded. But hey, what ever floats your old, rickety boat mate.

 

[Mr P]

Thats one wierd looking volvo for sure! Looks like it was reclaimed from the car crusher and given a spray job .... would be perfect for a family of hobbits

 

[MisterWeary]

I'm not sure if cool is the word I'd use. I'm thinking more of a word that starts with re- and ends with -tarded. But hey, what ever floats your old, rickety boat mate.

"Oh you'll pay...listen, to what I say!!!" Me and Frodo are comin after the both of you!!!

 

[Casio]

"Oh you'll pay...listen, to what I say!!!" Me and Frodo are comin after the both of you!!!

Happy Gilmore. What a great movie, came out when I was in grade 2, believe it or not.

 

[MisterWeary]

Happy Gilmore. What a great movie, came out when I was in grade 2, believe it or not.

I think it came out when I was in my first year of uni

 

[MADFORCE]

I just saw in the paper today that the PS3 will be released (In Australia at least) on November 17. At a price of $829 AUD (494 Euro, 336 Pounds).

Which means that it will be released in the UK just in time for Christmas, and we won't actually get more than 100 into the whole country till March!

i thought sony wants to lunch the ps3 worldwide on november 17th ?

 

[Casio]

i thought sony wants to lunch the ps3 worldwide on november 17th ?

I'm 99.5% sure this information is correct. The world will get the PS3 on November 17th, no earlier, no later.

However, it does throw up the problem of timezones. Australia will be close to first to get to November 17, while west coast America will be almost 24 hours after that?

It may be like one of the 'The Matrix's world wide release. And we'll get it at 4am in the morning of the 18th....

Link with info

Anyway, I'm going off to get blind, wish me luck with the ladies guys
(I should slip that infamous picture of me I posted in the 'pics of yourself' thread into a few tops....that couldn't hurt...could it?)

EDIT: No luck 👎

 

[KLR142]

Anyway, I'm going off to get blind, wish me luck with the ladies guys
(I should slip that infamous picture of me I posted in the 'pics of yourself' thread into a few tops....that couldn't hurt...could it?)

EDIT: No luck 👎

Nice! Lol

Yes, Colby, I've definitely seen that car before... Pretty freaking crazy to say the least!!! I'm not even sure what it's based on, but it's supposedly a 145 and then they put on the 850 front end, and obviously chopped the hell out of it!

Here are a couple more pictures:
http://www.volvo240tic.com/custom0454.jpg
http://www.volvo240tic.com/custom0422.jpg

From this gallery:
http://www.volvo240tic.com/100.html