AMA Aislabie, Part Two

[CerealKiller]

It's all offense and no defence; tactics have been streamlined to the point where it's essentially just two groups of very tall people taking it in turns to lob a ball at a hoop. Sometimes they miss, and then the other team gets to go again; sometimes they drop the ball and the other team gets to go again. That's about it as far as I can tell

I see, you’re not a fan of the three point revolution. But wouldn’t you agree the game is a lot more smooth?

 

[Loubs]

What would you name your boat if you had one?

What’s the most useless talent you have?

What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10?

What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?

What are some things that sound like compliments but are actually insults?

What is the craziest thing one of your teachers has done?

Best subject at school?

Worst subject at school?

Have you ever had a crush on one of your teachers?

 

[Aislabie]

What are some of your duties as a moderator on this site?

I mostly try to keep things tidy. I'm not about censoring anybody - but if someone's made a clear typo, or comes to me asking for assistance, or if there's something in the queue that needs to be dealt with then I'll do that too.

How have you contributed in terms of being a member of staff at PC?

Honestly, less than most. I do like to think I set a decent example though.

Any desires to admin someday?

Goodness no.

Having known my posting style for years (more than anyone that are active on PC) would you recommend me for a moderator post, if yes, then why?

I don't think I would, because so many of your posts seem to be fishing for reactions, or to put your name on things. I feel that a perfect moderator would be one that you don't notice.

Relationship with your parents, how you’d describe it?

I am exceedingly grateful to my parents, who have consistently given me all the best opportunities and support.

Favourite Asian dish, or Asian inspired dish.

"Asian" is such a broad spectrum - from Turkish to Indian to Nepalese to Chinese to Korean to Japanese food to name but a few. However, if I were to think of what I would most like to eat at this moment I'd say char siu Singapore noodles.

I see, you’re not a fan of the three point revolution. But wouldn’t you agree the game is a lot more smooth?

I would agree that old-timey basketball was worse still from what little I know of it (mostly Jon Bois content)

What would you name your boat if you had one?

Jeff.

What’s the most useless talent you have?

I can tie a tie with my toes, and catch a skied tennis ball (anything harder would be risky) in a tuck jump with no hands. Those are probably tied for most useless.

What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10?

If we're on about celebrity crushes, I think my standard answer is Katie McGrath - specifically in character as Morgana Pendragon in the BBC's Merlin.

What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?

During a pool tournament, I was shall we say at risk of a severe accident. The toilets were down a flight of stairs from where the tables were, and my need was so urgent that I attempted a running jump down the stairs. It was a staircase with a ninety-degree turn before its second half, and upon landing there and trying to turn for a second jump to the ground floor, I broke a metatarsal in my right foot. On the bright side, I did make it before the explosion, so I like to think of the incident as a small accident that helped avoid a far larger accident.

What are some things that sound like compliments but are actually insults?

Anything along the lines of someone being "one of a kind" or "unique" would be a pretty obvious example of this. Alternatively, "the player has the full backing of the manager."

What is the craziest thing one of your teachers has done?

One of my science teachers once sprung up onto a desk and literally plucked a wasp out of the air. He then carried it to the back door of the classroom and set it free outside - unharmed. Genuinely the most incredible and unlikely thing I've ever seen.

Best subject at school?

Growing up I was always the maths and science kid; I think the subject I found easiest therefore was physics. But if "best" is by enjoyment then possibly PE - especially whenever dodgeball was involved (this was at a time in my life where I was actually a bit of an athlete, and with functioning knees).

Worst subject at school?

I was the only kid in woodwork whose CD rack didn't fit together.

Have you ever had a crush on one of your teachers?

Nope. No criticism of my teachers - but the kid/teacher dynamic is one that should stay exactly where it is. Otherwise it becomes a crime.

 

[CerealKiller]

if someone's made a clear typo

Stop stealing my job

 

[Aislabie]

Stop stealing my job

The more each of us pick up, the less work that leaves for one another

 

[ddrap14]

Who do you support in motorsport?

 

[Aislabie]

Who do you support in motorsport?

I do watch a lot of motorsports as a relative neutral, but I do usually pick out a driver or two to follow in each series I like. While I've been interested, those drivers have been:

Formula 1 - My favourite driver had to keep changing when previous favourite drivers left the sport
Pedro Diniz - 2000 until I started paying attention

When I first got into F1 via the F1 2000 video game, Diniz was the driver I always used to play as.​

Tiago Monteiro - 2005 to 2006

I started watching F1 far more regularly from 2005, and picked out Monteiro as my favourite driver at this point. I therefore enjoyed the 2005 US GP​

Robert Kubica - 2007 to 2010

Kubica had made that amazing entry at the end of 2006. In the 07-08 off-season, I was convinced that he was the next WDC... if only.​

Nico Rosberg - 2011 to 2016

He always seemed like such an underrated driver, and he was beating Michael Schumacher at the time​

Marcus Ericsson - 2017 to Indycar

After accidentally supporting a World Champion, I had to bring myself back down to earth a bit.​

George Russell - 2019 to present

Just get that man in the Mercedes already.​

IndyCar - Less a fan of one specific driver, more a fan of one type of driver - the plucky underdog fighting their equipment/team/talent to get to the front
Marcus Ericsson - 2019 to present

I followed him over from F1, and continue to enjoy it whenever he does well.​

Jack Harvey - 2020 to present

I noticed him putting a bright pink car somewhere it absolutely did not belong, and was instantly a fan.​

Romain Grosjean - 2021 to present

Seeing him compete for wins is a real feel-good story after the horror crash at Bahrain last year.​

NASCAR - I'm more or less a neutral here.
Chase Elliott - 2019 to present

I know this makes me a massive normie but it is what it is. I watched his first-to-last-to-first drive at The Roval and immediately became a fan.​

Formula E - Same approach to F1 but taken far less seriously.
Nick Heidfeld - 2014 to 2018

Such a reassuringly familiar name to have around the sport; Nico Prost is a bastard.​

Stoffel Vandoorne - 2018 to present

Got absolutely done when they fired him from McLaren, so every great drive since then feels like justice.​

Others
B&S Fabrications F1 Team - Ancient history (the 70s)

I ended up running them in an F1 management game, and became an instant superfan. Currently tryharding with all my might so that we might be able to build a decent car in 1981 - a time by which the real team had long since gone under.​

Christian Lautenschlager - Pre-history (pre-WWI)

The second-greatest facial hair in motorsports history after Harald Ertl. Also surprisingly dominant in a motor racing alt-hist I'm trying to get back into.​

Rick Ware Racing - All entries, in all motorsports

Not since early-70s BRM has a team been so focussed on quantity over quality. It is truly admirable.​

 

[ddrap14]

Your picks seem to have had a lot more success than mine:

F1: Daniel Ricciardo (legal obligation of being Aussie), Oscar Piastri (soon, that is)
IndyCar: Again, all the Antipodeans ( Will Power, Scott Dixon, Will Power, plus Ed Carpenter's cars (privateer come good, etc)
NASCAR: Matt DiBenedetto (used to support Leavine Family Racing, plus 2019 Bristol), Martin Truex Jr (on point liveries and Aussie crew chief)
V8 Supercars: Andre Heimgartner (I was a Nissan fan when they used to run, and Andre dragged that thing where it didn't belong, then the beautiful NED car- also he was three days from quitting, also Aston sports sedan), Tom Randle (cancer survival, S5000s, Saab sports sedan, black and gold cars)
Formula E: Both Mercedes drivers (Stoffel for the same reasons as you, de Vries because he can pull a mad overtake)
BTCC, GTWC: Neutral observer

Outside of Truex, I'm very accustomed to not winning (although Andre broke through earlier this year, so that was nice)

 

[Aislabie]

Daniel Ricciardo
Oscar Piastri (soon)
Will Power
Scott Dixon
Will Power (you mean Scotty Mac?)
Matt DiBenedetto
Martin Truex Jr (Aussie crew chief)
Andre Heimgartner
Tom Randle

It feels like you have more of a criteria for who you support (a link back to Aus & NZ where one is possible) whereas the drivers I support are far more vibes based, so there's that. But you certainly get to see success supporting Scott Dixon.

 

[ddrap14]

It feels like you have more of a criteria for who you support (a link back to Aus & NZ where one is possible) whereas the drivers I support are far more vibes based, so there's that. But you certainly get to see success supporting Scott Dixon.

Yeah generally, although it's extremely tricky not to support an Antipodean in V8SC!

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I do watch a lot of motorsports as a relative neutral, but I do usually pick out a driver or two to follow in each series I like. While I've been interested, those drivers have been:

Formula 1 - My favourite driver had to keep changing when previous favourite drivers left the sport
View attachment 251280 Pedro Diniz - 2000 until I started paying attention

When I first got into F1 via the F1 2000 video game, Diniz was the driver I always used to play as.​

View attachment 251281 Tiago Monteiro - 2005 to 2006

I started watching F1 far more regularly from 2005, and picked out Monteiro as my favourite driver at this point. I therefore enjoyed the 2005 US GP​

View attachment 251282 Robert Kubica - 2007 to 2010

Kubica had made that amazing entry at the end of 2006. In the 07-08 off-season, I was convinced that he was the next WDC... if only.​

View attachment 251283 Nico Rosberg - 2011 to 2016

He always seemed like such an underrated driver, and he was beating Michael Schumacher at the time​

View attachment 251284 Marcus Ericsson - 2017 to Indycar

After accidentally supporting a World Champion, I had to bring myself back down to earth a bit.​

View attachment 251287 George Russell - 2019 to present

Just get that man in the Mercedes already.​

IndyCar - Less a fan of one specific driver, more a fan of one type of driver - the plucky underdog fighting their equipment/team/talent to get to the front
View attachment 251284 Marcus Ericsson - 2019 to present

I followed him over from F1, and continue to enjoy it whenever he does well.​

View attachment 251287 Jack Harvey - 2020 to present

I noticed him putting a bright pink car somewhere it absolutely did not belong, and was instantly a fan.​

View attachment 251288 Romain Grosjean - 2021 to present

Seeing him compete for wins is a real feel-good story after the horror crash at Bahrain last year.​

NASCAR - I'm more or less a neutral here.
View attachment 251289 Chase Elliott - 2019 to present

I know this makes me a massive normie but it is what it is. I watched his first-to-last-to-first drive at The Roval and immediately became a fan.​

Formula E - Same approach to F1 but taken far less seriously.
View attachment 251283 Nick Heidfeld - 2014 to 2018

Such a reassuringly familiar name to have around the sport; Nico Prost is a bastard.​

View attachment 251292 Stoffel Vandoorne - 2018 to present

Got absolutely done when they fired him from McLaren, so every great drive since then feels like justice.​

Others
View attachment 251287 B&S Fabrications F1 Team - Ancient history (the 70s)

I ended up running them in an F1 management game, and became an instant superfan. Currently tryharding with all my might so that we might be able to build a decent car in 1981 - a time by which the real team had long since gone under.​

View attachment 251283 Christian Lautenschlager - Pre-history (pre-WWI)

The second-greatest facial hair in motorsports history after Harald Ertl. Also surprisingly dominant in a motor racing alt-hist I'm trying to get back into.​

View attachment 251289 Rick Ware Racing - All entries, in all motorsports

Not since early-70s BRM has a team been so focussed on quantity over quality. It is truly admirable.​

Your picks seem to have had a lot more success than mine:

F1: Daniel Ricciardo (legal obligation of being Aussie), Oscar Piastri (soon, that is)
IndyCar: Again, all the Antipodeans ( Will Power, Scott Dixon, Will Power, plus Ed Carpenter's cars (privateer come good, etc)
NASCAR: Matt DiBenedetto (used to support Leavine Family Racing, plus 2019 Bristol), Martin Truex Jr (on point liveries and Aussie crew chief)
V8 Supercars: Andre Heimgartner (I was a Nissan fan when they used to run, and Andre dragged that thing where it didn't belong, then the beautiful NED car- also he was three days from quitting, also Aston sports sedan), Tom Randle (cancer survival, S5000s, Saab sports sedan, black and gold cars)
Formula E: Both Mercedes drivers (Stoffel for the same reasons as you, de Vries because he can pull a mad overtake)
BTCC, GTWC: Neutral observer

Outside of Truex, I'm very accustomed to not winning (although Andre broke through earlier this year, so that was nice)

Well you guys do know a lot about this unlike me who as a 8-yr old used to look for those car models being least bothered about anything else. Unfortunately I only have idea about Cricket and I don't find any inspiration to start following other sports.

 

[Loubs]

What was the last book you read?

 

[Aislabie]

What was the last book you read?

I had been really struggling to read any non-degree texts without feeling guilty, but I'm curremtly part way through the Dark Materials books (in a huge one-volume edition) and last read the new Harlan Coben I think

 

[Loubs]

I had been really struggling to read any non-degree texts without feeling guilty, but I'm curremtly part way through the Dark Materials books (in a huge one-volume edition) and last read the new Harlan Coben I think

Heard a lot about it but never read any of his fantasy stuff but did read broken bridge when I had to do some KS4 3 teaching.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Do you regret anything that you did in the past and are looking to correct it?