Clipmarks | crazy_witch's clips

Have Valentino Rossi in your bedroom!

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:46:55 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: The title is very... tempting and misleading at the same time.

Stuck for Christmas presents? Get your kids a bit of this!

NINE-TIME motorcycle World Champion Valentino Rossi and Italian company Berloni have signed an exclusive agreement which will allow furniture manufacturer to sell “Valentino-style” bedrooms.

The collection includes a range of beds, wardrobes and various fittings. Company boss Roberto Berloni enthusiastically declared:

“The Berloni brand is very proud to be able to present a range of products which reminds us of such a likeable and professional character as Valentino with his positive and winning personality.”

Tags: motogo, valentino rossi, bedroom

Rossi calls for limits in MotoGP

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:42:24 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Valentino Rossi has called for limits on machinery in MotoGP in order to keep the focus on who is the best rider rather than who has the best bike at their disposal.

Rossi has previously described the 2007 reduction in engine capacity from 990cc to 800cc as the biggest mistake in the last 15 years, contending that the bikes are now less fun to ride and less spectacular for the fans as the dependency upon electronics has increased.

"I would return MotoGP to 1,000cc and I would remove 70 per cent of the electronics," the Fiat Yamaha star told Rai Sport. "That's a fair reduction, I'd say.

"Unfortunately, for motorised sports it's difficult: until recently there weren't many rules and everyone pushed to the maximum. We need to impose limits, but in an intelligent fashion."

Tags: motogp, valentino rossi

See What Google Knows About You

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:28:14 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: So... what do they know about you?

Clip Source: www.pcmech.com

Recently Google released Google Dashboard which tells you “what Google knows about you”.

The dashboard lists some of the information associated with the Google services you use: your name, your email address, the number of contacts, the number of conversations in your Gmail inbox, your Google profile, the most recent entries from the web history etc. It’s a long answer to the question: “What does Google know about me?”.

If you have a Google account, you can login to Google Dashboard and you are presented with pretty much everything having to do with Google.

This is actually a pretty useful tool as it gives you a gateway all of your Google services. This is also a great tool for the paranoid because you can see what Google lets you know they know about you.

Tags: web 2.0, google

Ryder Notes: Wet & Dry

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:54:56 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: old one, but interesting

Clip Source: www.superbikeplanet.com

The best part of the weekend so far was the now traditional Day of Champions fund raiser for Riders for Health. The fans get to see every MotoGP rider on stage, plus quite a few of the 125 and 250 guys. Crowd reaction is always interesting. Of the 250 guys Alavaro Bautista got the biggest cheer and a rather attractive lady who was only slightly older than Alvaro paid several hundred pounds for a pair of his boots. The female section of the audience made itself loudly heard for Nicky Hayden and Randy de Puniet. When Rossi arrived the rain stopped, and when he left it started again: Immediately, a downpour of Biblical proportions. Sometimes you do wonder.

Tags: morogp, valentino rossi

Rossi: "Burgess is a genius"

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:13:40 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.visordown.com

"I am so happy to have him, when I met him I realised it was great luck, so I tried to stay always very close to Jerry and it is a long time that we have stayed together. I think it is impossible to have the same feeling with your wife, because year-by-year you love more, you know."

"You never pay Jerry enough because he is a genius! And not just for the bike, but also for the atmosphere in the team."

"I said 'Jerry, Jerry, trust me. Bridgestone are very strong, stronger than Michelin.' I battled a lot, with my blood, for Bridgestone, and I got them. But at the same time Yamaha made another step because also the bike was not fast in 2007."

"Being able to take Jerry from Honda, and all my team, was a great move. But after, I have to say that it is not just Valentino Rossi who is a wizard, it is Yamaha that decided 'now we take Valentino Rossi, but we also work in another way together with him to try and win'. This made the difference."

Tags: valentino rossi, motogp, jeremy burgess

The top 10 songs the Web brought back

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:33:43 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: You can listen to the songs on the source page.

Clip Source: news.cnet.com

There's a lot to love about silly Internet memes and fads, and one reason is that they can dig up something old and make it cool again. Music is no exception: anything from a '70s rock anthem to a '90s one-hit wonder can be given new life if the YouTube or 4chan hordes get their hands on it.

One thing's for sure. The sheer amount of content on the Web makes it tough for anything to break through from obscurity into the mainstream. But when something hits it big, it gets really big. You can go ask the guy we put at the top of this list.

10. "Say It Ain't So," Weezer

9. "Take On Me," A-Ha

8. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," Blue Oyster Cult

7. "Heartbeats," The Knife

6. "Flagpole Sitta," Harvey Danger

5. "YYZ," Rush

4. "Don't Stop Believin'," Journey

3. "You Make My Dreams," Daryl Hall & John Oates

2. "The Final Countdown," Europe

1. "Never Gonna Give You Up," Rick Astley

Tags: web, music

Misano MotoGP Quote Machine

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:59:13 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.superbikeplanet.com

"I thought I had the pace to easily be fourth and maybe fight with Pedrosa for a podium but we are in Italy and occasionally you have to deal with an Italian rider who wants to be a hero and today that was De Angelis. Turn one at the start with seventeen bikes is not the place to be going at r ace pace and he was never going to make through there. Today De Angelis is the guy who needed to be wearing Valentino's donkey helmet. I didn't know what happened until I was sliding through the gravel. Turn one is the most dangerous time to crash with so many bikes around you, it is unacceptable. I've been fighting with Dovizioso in the championship most of the season and now he has ten points on me with four races to go. That's racing."

Tags: colin edwards, motogp

Ryder Notes: The Perfect Weekend

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:54:13 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: I've tried to pick up the best parts, but the whole article is interesting.

Clip Source: www.superbikeplanet.com

Today, said Valentino Rossi, I was the Flying Donkey.

There's a quote you never thought you'd read. As his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was forced to admit, this was Vale at his best, fastest in every session and, after a shaky start on a full tank, able to pass his main rivals as he wished and push on to win in front of 55,000 of his closest friends to win and extend his points lead to 30. Frankly, there was never any doubting the outcome. It was, as the man himself observed, the opposite of Indy 'but Jorge was cleverer than me and take home 20 points.'

So MotoGP now takes a three-weekend break thanks to the cancellation of the Hungarian GP. Only Valentino Rossi seemed to be happy about the long wait for the next race. Bt the way, it's a good job Nicky didn't give in a hit de Angelis. Italian 125 rider Andrea Ianonne tried to headbut Pol Espagaro after a last corner crash that was his own fault. That cost him $5000.

Tags: valentino rossi, motogp, nicky hayden

Indianapolis MotoGP: Suzi Perry's race preview

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:33:30 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Those of us who follow MotoGP need neither EastEnders, Mills and Boon nor Big Brother. The soap opera that surrounds the world's top motorcycle riders is already dramatic enough. And recently, we've been hooked on one particular plot, about the fate of a handsome prince from Mallorca: Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo walks with a cowboy's swagger, has perfected a Steve McQueen-like brooding stare that makes brolly girls melt and talks with a measured, intelligent air. All this and he's only 22 – make no mistake, he is a stellar performer with a fine future.

Did he need a big cuddle, or was he just fed up with a wage packet precisely half as thick as Rossi's? His manager said, "Money is important, but it is at the bottom of our list of priorities." Yeah, right. I bet there was nothing else on the list, so it would also have been at the top.

Tags: valentino rossi, jorge lorenzo, motogp

Rossi urges Stoner to return

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:29:07 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.ma.org.au

And never one for an easy ride Rossi also wants Stoner back to add value to his own stellar performances.

"With Casey away I have lost my biggest protagonist of the past three seasons and racing is poorer without him and Ducati competing at the front," Rossi added.

“Absolutely the whole sport misses him, Casey being away is not like losing a rider who arrives in 12th place each week.

"It is very bad for the championship and we miss the fight with him, I hope he comes back soon. He cannot afford to be away. He was fast this season and won two races so it was a big surprise when I heard he will miss some races."

Tags: valentino rossi, casey stoner, motogp

Bolt, Rossi, Warne and Co — it’s a kind of magic

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:23:57 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.thetimes.co.za

And we share in the joy as Rossi stops his Yamaha on the victory lap, to be hugged and congratulated by fans who have run onto the track. Others on the hillsides or in the stands feverishly wave flags bearing Rossi’s number, 46, and set off celebratory flares.

Back in the pits, the charismatic Italian turns on a cameraman who is following him around. The impish eyes light up, he removes his helmet and plants a big slow-motion kiss right on the lens. To complete the performance he takes a cloth from one of his pit crew and, still grinning, wipes the lens while peering through it at the TV audience.

Apart from the superficial similarities (one might call them both kings of speed) Bolt and Rossi share the ability to perform magnificently and, at the same time, include their fans in the moments of magic.

So we see Bolt perform his bow-and-arrow trick for the delighted crowd, and look around and smile at his rivals during the race (even his opponents are dazzled by this).

Tags: valentino rossi, usain bolt

Ryder Notes: Give Him the Cup Now

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:07:11 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.superbikeplanet.com

Valentino Rossi refuses to say he will be World Champion this year; it's just the rest of the world that thinks it is now an inevitability. He has a 50-point lead after winning the Czech GP. The results sheet makes it look comfortable, but up until five laps from the flag it looked like he would have to work as hard as he did in Barcelona and Germany.

That was when Jorge Lorenzo crashed. He took the lead for one lap, set the fastest lap of the race and crashed as Rossi challenged on the brakes at turn three next time 'round. Valentino said he was absolutely on the limit and Jorge braked 15 meters later. 'I had to take risks,' said Jorge, 'because second place today ...'

'I give him very hard work,' said Rossi, 'I guard my 0.4sec like treasure.' When Lorenzo did finally get past, Valentino prepared himself for five hard laps, like in Catalunya and Germany. Instead, 'I enjoy the last laps like a tourist.'

Tags: valentino rossi, jorge lorenzo, motogp

CLOTHES MAKE THE BAND

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 09:21:40 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks:

Clip Source: www.nypost.com

Franz Ferdinand is indisputably one of the most electrifying live bands around, but there's one thing lead singer Alex Kapranos will never do onstage: Take off his shirt. Although prodded to do so by an overzealous fan at the recent Coachella music festival in Indio, Calif., the frontman for the Scottish rock band did not buckle to peer pressure. In fact, he caused a mini-outrage when he refused to doff his clothing.

"Sometimes the Internet music sites don't report news, they report third-hand gossip," he says with a laugh. "I was saying hello to a few people in the audience, including some girls in front who were waving a big Scottish flag for us. And then there was a guy with a sign saying, 'Show us your boobies!' And I said, 'Oh, you don't really want to see my boobies. There's not a lot going on there.' And that was it. It was a throwaway comment. I don't normally show off my boobies at gigs."

Tags: alex kapranos, franz ferdinand

Colin Edwards Quote

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:09:30 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch
clipper's remarks: His comments rock!

Clip Source: motogpworld.net

“Everybody has got it. Traction control, anti-wheelie control, frickin’ scratch-your-ass-while-you’re-racing control; whatever control it is, there’s always some new thing they’re coming out with … Our cornering speeds right now are so just astronomical that if you didn’t have traction control, man, you would be in orbit every other frickin’ race.” – July 2009, about the use of electronics in MotoGP

“I like the night race. I think it’s a cool little scenario. It’s something special; you only have one a year. It’s something a little bit different. I tend to ride faster when I can’t see where I’m going. Everything works out better that way.” – April 2009, about the night race at Qatar

Tags: colin edwards, motogp

Bridgestone quash Rossi tyre paint mystery

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:57:17 GMT

clipped by: crazy_witch

Clip Source: www.visordown.com

BRIDGESTONE have stepped in to back-up MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, after several teams accused the Italian of playing games with his tyre markings at the Sachsenring Grand Prix.

Last week Visordown broke the news that the Italian's team were under scrutiny after several riders, including Casey Stoner, had accused the Fiat Yamaha team of deliberately removing the white lines from the sidewalls of Rossi's rubber, in an attempt to confuse the opposition.

Since then the tyre manufacturer has confirmed Rossi’s team has played no part in any underhand tactics, admitting that they had run out of the special paint used to mark the softer compound with a strip of white around the rim.

“We have a special white paint that doesn’t degrade the rubber … and we ran out,” said a Bridgestone spokesman.

Tags: motogp, bridgestone, fiat yamaha