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Friday, March 28, 2008
In-Progress At Martinsville: Friday On SPEED
This is an all Fox and SPEED weekend because the Nationwide Series has the weekend off. SPEED is shifting the Martinsville NASCAR programming around the Barrett-Jackson auto auction, so some on-track action will not be live.
Friday on SPEED kicks-off with one hour of Truck Series practice at 11AM Eastern Time followed by three hours of the auction. At 3PM, SPEED returns with the Go or Go Home show looking at the teams outside of the Top 35 in points. This is going to be a very important issue as the 2008 points have now begun to set the field.
At 3:30PM, the NASCAR on Fox crew presents Sprint Cup qualifying action for approximately ninety minutes and then SPEED continues right into the final Craftsman Truck Series practice session.
At 7PM, the network wraps-up the day with a Trackside show featuring Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray. Those three drivers have a lot to talk about from recent weeks, and perhaps McMurray will be the biggest story after qualifying. The show is hosted by Steve Byrnes with Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds alongside. It will be live at the SPEED Stage outside the Martinsville track.
This page will serve to host your comments about SPEED's coverage of the Friday action at Martinsville. To add your opinion, simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. This blog is TV-related, so please keep your comments focused on the TV coverage of the sport. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
52 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I can't believe they're not going to air practice live.
Thanks for nothing, SPEED.
- March 28, 2008 at 7:16 AM
- Anonymous said...
The anonymous comment on the previous post, saying that the auction gets Speed a 1.0 in some time periods, was amazing, and why I read this blog.
Any chance we can get more regular access to ratings on NASCAR partners? I've found it hard to find that info anyplace on the web.
- March 28, 2008 at 9:23 AM
- Anonymous said...
Wow again JD.
On my way to Martinsville. But I bet Trackside will be very interesting if Jamie McMurray misses making the race. Yes, Sophia, I also have set the "VCR"for this. Is this a great country or what. NASCAR and the top 35 rule. I hope it comes back to haunt them.
Kingston, NY
- March 28, 2008 at 9:55 AM
- Anonymous said...
SPEED ought to be shamed that they promote their wall-to-wall weekend NASCAR coverage up the you-know-what...until something with better ratings comes along.
[i]Then[/i] they throw NASCAR under the bus.
- March 28, 2008 at 10:36 AM
- stricklinfan82 said...
I posted this angry response to Speed's decision to pre-empt Cup practice for the car auction in yesterday's post but I figured I'd re-post it here in case some of the "powers that be" only read the in-progress posts and don't read the mid-week posts:
A CAR AUCTION INSTEAD OF LIVE CUP PRACTICE ON FRIDAY AAAAAAND SATURDAY????????????????? A CAR AUCTION?????????? Boy I can't wait for the drama of whether a car will sell for $100,000 or $150,000. How compelling, how dramatic, how thrilling, wooohoo! Give me a break with this crap. A CAR AUCTION??????
Screw you Speed Channel. The Nascar Channel or Speed2 can't get here soon enough.
This has a 2007 ESPN feel to it all over again. Get ready race fans, when the lower-tiered series are on the track the TV cameras are there to cover every second of the action live! But when the Cup cars are on the track.... no TV coverage for you!
What a major major major letdown.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:02 PM
- Anonymous said...
Anonymous said...
The anonymous comment on the previous post, saying that the auction gets Speed a 1.0 in some time periods, was amazing, and why I read this blog.
Any chance we can get more regular access to ratings on NASCAR partners? I've found it hard to find that info anyplace on the web.
March 28, 2008 9:23 AM
Hi, I wrote the comment with that info. I found it on Google in a SPEED press release. I like ratings information too!
But SPEED, ESPN, TNT don't release ratings on a weekly basis for programming - other than Sprint Cup races - unless the ratings are exceptionally good. (Nationwide Series ratings are sporadic; sometimes they're publicized sometimes they aren't. A NASCAR Media Group official said this week to scenedaily.com that Nationwide ratings on ESPN/ABC are "relatively flat" but no numbers were provided.)
When NASCAR RaceDay, (the former) Inside Nextel Cup or the Truck Series get unusually high ratings, a press release "bragging" about those ratings will be issued. But if the ratings aren't higher than normal or they are low, it's difficult to find information because they won't release it to the media or public. ESPN often only releases detailed ratings information quarterly, and often only for its highest rated or improved in ratings programming.
There are services available where one can view online or call by phone to get all TV ratings every day/week, but they are expensive and usually subscribed to by companies and not individuals. Reports on different networks are also issued regularly for their business partners/prospective business partners, and sometimes those or articles about the networks have ratings within them that can be found on Google with some searching.
So in a nutshell, ratings information for programs like NASCAR Now, RaceDay, Countdown to Green on TNT, Trackside, NASCAR Countdown often aren't available - unless you are paying to get them, you're pretty much at the mercy of whether someone at the networks gives out the info.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:08 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
Boy nothing sums up the pain NASCAR fans feel better than what just happened at 12:06 PM EST.
We get a nice wide camera shot of the Cup cars lined up on pit road just seconds before getting the green flag to start practice. The anticipations begins to build for the NASCAR fans waiting for the session to begin..... Then John Roberts says "Let's go to Barret-Jackson. If you like classic cars that's the place to be." Then a fancy video opening with soundbites like: "This is something very special." "This is an American art form." "There's the new owner". "That was history". "Whoa!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!???????
Oops, sorry for that pause, I just got back from running to the bathroom and throwing up from this.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:14 PM
- Anonymous said...
I don't mind missing the first Saturday practice as much as missing qualifying practice. Today is the first time with the new top 35 and big names like Petty and McMurray having the potential of not making the race. It would have been interesting to see how they stacked up in practice.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:16 PM
- SophiaZ123 said...
Well I did not even bother setting the VCR (forgot about the 11am frankly) but it seems SPEED IS becoming more like 2007's ESPN.
First SPEED RUINS INC with their hybrid show I will NOT even mention by name as a few of us think it's atrocious.
Now, this stupid AUCTION (which speed carries too often, anyway) is cancelling a HUGE POTENTIAL friday in NASCAR.
I have to say, I am losing interest in the tv watching. I read online and keep up on what's happening with the drivers (Tony finally cut his hair big news) but honestly, it's just not the same for me this year.
I love the RACING but between all the COT/tire issues, gripes from drivers, it's annoying.
THEN we have the young man I first leaped on here for his ARROGANT response to NNow that he never even THINKS about the Top 35 rule, never been a problems for him....wow. ALways thought Jamie was a nice guy but his whole attitude in that interview spoke volumes.
I was truly hoping to see practice/qualifying live so I could see his engine blow up and he could miss the race. THEN he could see how Waltrip, Schrader and many OTHERS FEEL as opposed to totally dismissing what is is like to be on the other side of the fence.
DisappointedcrankySophiaon yetanother SUNLESS day in the midwest
- March 28, 2008 at 12:32 PM
- Geez said...
I guess I tend to look at the big picture. I enjoy watching practice. Especially happy hour. You can get a feel for who is going to be fast and who isn't in the race.
I also like classic cars, and enjoy watching Barrett Jackson. Would I rather watch an hour of practice instead of an hour of Barrett Jackson? Sure I would. But to me, it's not the end of the world. I can still watch the live leader board or Fox Trax for practice on the computer.
We are all rabid racing fans or we wouldn't be here or on the NASCAR board's. But in the big scheme of things, there are a lot more casual fans who don't watch practice and don't even know they can. We are basically, a minority.
At the risk of being labeled a "old timer" ( which I guess I am), I can recall when a race was on TV, it started with the green flag and ended with a brief chat with the winner. No practice, no qualifying and no pre-race show. We have it a lot better now, so if I miss a few practice sessions, I'm good with that.
If the car auctions get better ratings, then Speed is doing what they are supposed to do. Make money. They don't owe me anything.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:38 PM
- Anonymous said...
40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms in Martinsville this afternoon around qualifying time. But small track = quick drying time if needed.
Heard (not on TV) that Sadler hurt his back a little during aconditioning workout and made it worse later that day doing some type of sport (they didn't say but knowing Elliott it was golf.) Dennis Setzer is on standby today and maybe Sunday. Said they don't know if Sadler will be able to race and it will be a Sunday decision.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:39 PM
- Anonymous said...
You know, everybody is complaining about no practice, but Truck series practice was on and there is NOT A SINGLE COMMENT about the content of it- except one complaining that they left truck practice to go to Barrett Jackson.
There usually aren't many comments about any type of Friday practice on this board. Maybe three or four posters at most. Saturday practice gets more posters.
Actions speak louder than words. Don't complain about missing something that you weren't going to watch in the first place.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:42 PM
- Geez said...
During truck practice on Speed, Sadler said that Setzer will practice the car today and tomorrow, and if he still feels like he does today, he will start the race Sunday and then put Setzer in the car.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:46 PM
- jfs-va said...
Geez at 12:38PM,
You're just being way to reasonable. What's wrong with you? Come on. Start complaining. :>)
You crack me up. Even when you rant it's funny. Can we get your normal Friday rundown of what Speed must do for qualifying in order to please you? I love that one. :>)
I kid because I care.
- March 28, 2008 at 12:48 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
You know, everybody is complaining about no practice, but Truck series practice was on and there is NOT A SINGLE COMMENT about the content of it- except one complaining that they left truck practice to go to Barrett Jackson.
There usually aren't many comments about any type of Friday practice on this board. Maybe three or four posters at most. Saturday practice gets more posters.
Actions speak louder than words. Don't complain about missing something that you weren't going to watch in the first place.
Hmmm. I can think of two reasons this happened:
1.) there was nothing worth critiquing in the practice coverage (I watched and that's the case with me)
2.) maybe, just maybe, there are people that watch Cup practices and don't watch Nationwide/Truck practices?
Out of curiosity anonymous poster, are you watching the car auction on Speed right now?
- March 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM
- Geez said...
I felt the same way. Speed did a good job on truck practice and there was noting to say about it.
Ans yes I am watching the auction. That red and white Fairlane was a beauty. :)
- March 28, 2008 at 12:58 PM
- Anonymous said...
Watching Truck Practice this morning, I wish SPEED would show the practice speeds for all of the drivers in the upper ticker instead of constantly cutting the list short. It is very frustrating if your favorite driver is not near the top of the speed list.
Milford, MA
- March 28, 2008 at 1:01 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
You crack me up. Even when you rant it's funny. Can we get your normal Friday rundown of what Speed must do for qualifying in order to please you? I love that one. :>)
I kid because I care.
Yeah, how silly of me to use this blog to critique the NASCAR TV coverage and use this forum to make suggestions about what I feel would make the broadcast more enjoyable.
I must have thought this was a blog designed for fans to give their comments about the TV coverage of NASCAR or something.......
I guess I should just say "Speed's coverage stunk" and leave it at that instead of making specific lists of what I liked/disliked and how they could improve upon them... a simple "you stink" would be much more insightful and useful to the NASCAR TV people that read this blog I'm sure.....
Thanks for the very logical and sensible comment!... and yes, I also kid because I care :)
- March 28, 2008 at 1:02 PM
- Newracefan said...
Strick #3 DVR/VCR so can watch when returning home from work. Seems a little silly to comment then unless something jumps out at me
- March 28, 2008 at 1:05 PM
- JHD said...
[b]Actions speak louder than words. Don't complain about missing something that you weren't going to watch in the first place.
Hmmm. I can think of two reasons this happened:[/b]
Hmmm, I can even think of a third reason:
3. We're at work right now, but have it DVR'ed and plan to watch tonight. So being able to comment on something I wouldn't otherwise be aware of for another couple hours is pointless.
Personally, watching practice is on a level with watching paint dry. I DVR practice because I like to see who they interview. I can usually watch the DVR'ed version in about 5-10 minutes - I stop only at the points where my driver is on the track and onscreen, and any interview I might find interesting.
So if they don't show practice, that doesn't bother me. What [b]does[/b] bother me is the promise of all the NASCAR coverage I can handle, only to have it yanked away at the last possible second for something non-NASCAR related. Don't promise what you can't (or won't) deliver!
Unless Barrett-Jackson is currently auctioning off a solid gold '35 Studebaker and the lowest bid starts at 100 million, I see no reason why SPEED couldn't wait to show the auction until later tonight, like they normally do.
- March 28, 2008 at 1:14 PM
- Anonymous said...
2.) maybe, just maybe, there are people that watch Cup practices and don't watch Nationwide/Truck practices?
And maybe, just maybe, there are people who don't watch Cup practice?
Why is Cup practice so much more important than Nationwide or Truck Practice? Those series have devoted fans too. Are their complaints less valid than yours when ESPN skips Nationwide practice AND qualifying? (They skipped qualifying last week and are going to skip practice and qualifying next week.)
Sounds like a "If it's important to me, it's important, otherwise it's not" point of view. How sad if the majority of the world operated that self-centered way.
- March 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM
- Anonymous said...
The Nascar Channel or Speed2 can't get here soon enough.
A NASCAR channel is a horrible idea. I can hear the complaints now "The announcers are so biased towards NASCAR." People already say that and NASCAR doesnt even have their own channel!
- March 28, 2008 at 1:21 PM
- Anonymous said...
What [b]does[/b] bother me is the promise of all the NASCAR coverage I can handle, only to have it yanked away at the last possible second for something non-NASCAR related. Don't promise what you can't (or won't) deliver!
Barrett Jackson has been on the SPEED schedule for a long time. If people weren't aware it was going to be on that's not really anyone's fault but those who didn't check the schedule.
Just so everyone knows this same thing with B-J is going to happen on SPEED Oct. 16-18. (Martinsville weekend with race on Oct. 19) Mark your calendars. You can't say you haven't been told.
- March 28, 2008 at 1:23 PM
- Anonymous said...
(Nationwide Series ratings are sporadic; sometimes they're publicized sometimes they aren't. A NASCAR Media Group official said this week to scenedaily.com that Nationwide ratings on ESPN/ABC are "relatively flat" but no numbers were provided.)
March 28, 2008 12:08 PM
Hey it's me again! Funny this ratings info for Nationwide was just posted on thatsracin.com and they haven't posted any Nationwide ratings all season. I wonder if they are reading here?
Cup, Truck ratings up on TV, but Nat series' not
The Charlotte Observer
Friday, Mar. 28, 2008
MARTINSVILLE, Va. - So far this season, NASCAR's Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck series have seen increases in TV ratings while the Nationwide Series has seen a significant decline.
ESPN's coverage of the Nationwide series has seen a drop of 13 percent in ratings in its four cable broadcasts and down nine percent in on the one race on ABC from a year ago. The number of households tuning in on the cable broadcasts is down nine percent and down 11 percent on the ABC broadcast.
- March 28, 2008 at 1:30 PM
- Mike said...
Not get too far off topic, but I believe weather issues have hampered the Nationwide numbers. Plus, I think the series suffers from the lack of any storylines and identity. We really don't get to see any of the personalities of the Nationwide series develop. The personalities we see during Nationwide broadcasts are the same drivers we see race on Sunday.
- March 28, 2008 at 2:13 PM
- Geez said...
Mike @ 2:13 PM,
Very true. Nationwide has become Sprint Cup Light.
- March 28, 2008 at 2:26 PM
- Richard in N.C. said...
The few times I have watched parts of the BJ auctions I have found them either compelling or sleep inducing - and nothing in between. Watching the auction of Carroll Shelby's personal Cobra was riveting. Anticipating the auction of a museum quality Pinto made me go to another channel at warp speed. The BJ auctions are better than Unique Quips painting show, and I have a hard time complaining IF they really do pull much larger numbers - BUT I sure would like to see a delayed broadcast of Cup practice tonight.
Did anyone happen to see Erik K's informed response this AM on M & M when Golic asked him about NASCAR rules on driver weight in relation to Danica's reported complaining about, I take it, new IRL rules on the effect of driver weight on the weight of IRL cars?
- March 28, 2008 at 2:48 PM
- Anonymous said...
Nationwide/Busch ratings were down quite a bit on ESPN last year too, from previous years on other networks. For instance, the Busch series finale at Homestead in 2007 got a 1.2 rating (not much more than Barrett Jackson!) while the Homestead Busch finale in 2006 got a 1.9 rating on TNT. So the ratings are actually worse news this year because they come on top of a fairly steep decrease last year.
Pretty much like Sprint Cup ratings decreasing sharply for the past two years, except they've reversed it so far this year with FOX. However, FOX usually gets the best ratings of all the partners even when the overall NASCAR ratings are lower. So that may mean ESPN/ABC and TNT ratings may not increase or may not increase as much. We'll have to wait and see.
- March 28, 2008 at 3:11 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 28, 2008 at 3:18 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
Let's certainly hope Speed Channel uses the TiVo style format in qualifying today so we can see every car's entire qualifying run. With laps in the 19-second range in practice we will definitely miss A LOT during commercials if they do true-live qualifying.
That's the least Speed Channel could do for us after the practice blackout this afternoon.
There are a ton of compelling stories in qualifying today. The first race using this year's top 35. Big names like Jamie McMurray, Dave Blaney, and Kyle Petty are in legitimate danger of missing the show. Fan-favorite Ken Schrader and the BAM Team are making their first appearance with a Toyota and major sponsorship money from Microsoft. Teams like the 01 and 40 could be one DNQ away from having to cut back to a partial schedule or folding altogether due to sponsorship troubles. The difference from 1st to 45th in practice was less than 3-tenths of a second and the difference between 1st and last was about 5-tenths of a second. So this is hardly as easy as scratching off teams like the 34 and 08 as having no chance before qualifying starts or pencilling in the 26 and 22 as no-brainers to be in the top 7 among the go-or-go homers in qualifying like it might be on a superspeedway.
This is going to be a very dramatic and important qualifying session so let's hope Speed ensures that we can see it all.
- March 28, 2008 at 3:22 PM
- Anonymous said...
JD, have you seen the show "Best Damn NASCAR Moments" on FOX SPORTS NET? it seems very good.
- March 28, 2008 at 3:34 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
Great job of focusing on the go-or-go-homers in "Go or Go Home". It was definitely good to hear from several go-or-go homers, as well as from some of the guys that are experiencing being in the top 35 for the first time either ever or in several years like Reutimann and Vickers.
Fantastic job with this show, let's hope this carries over to qualiyfing.
- March 28, 2008 at 3:34 PM
- Anonymous said...
DW said Mark Martin better watch out for Almirola wanting that ride full time (Aric is 2nd right now).
No, what DEI needs to do, and soon before he digs too much of a hole -is get rid of Regan Smith and give that ride to Aric full time. Put David Stremme or Sauter in the 8 when Mark's not driving it. DW made it sound like the car is bad when Mark is driving it, and it's not. Aric simply deserves a fulltime ride instead of 12 races.
- March 28, 2008 at 4:12 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
It's a shame that we've missed several drivers' entire qualifying runs already. That doesn't make it seem promising for the go-or-go-home portion of qualifying that's for sure. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that either John Andretti or Tony Raines will qualify for the race, and we'll miss it on TV because BOTH will have their entire runs skipped.
It's also interesting that I don't think I've ever heard Speed mention the word "Coors" during any of the Coors Pole Qualifying shows. They never had a problem mentioning Bud when it was always Bud Pole Qualifying, I guess Budweiser is a sponsor of Fox's and Coors isn't eh?
- March 28, 2008 at 4:28 PM
- Ken-Michigan said...
Stricklin -
You are exactly right, all year I've been waiting for them to mention the 2009 Coors Light Shootout at Daytona for the Coors Light pole winners.
To my knowledge, it has NOT been mentioned ALL YEAR.
"Things that make ya go, hmmmm"
- March 28, 2008 at 4:46 PM
- Anonymous said...
Enjoyable coverage today. Steve Byrnes did a good job with Darrell and Larry, very good conversational tone with lots of information and good interviews on pit road.
65 poles for Jeff Gordon. He's so good it's almost easy to forget how good he is.
A very humbled Jamie McMurray in that interview after making the field. Big difference from the Jamie McMurray on NASCAR Now a few weeks ago when he said he didn't ever even think about being outside the top 35 and completely dismissed the question about it like it was beneath him.
I'm glad he's realized what it's like on the other side and maybe he'll remember how it feels if he comes out this week - as he probably will -in the top 35.
Too bad for Kyle Petty, tough way not to make a race (tied on time but losing on owner points), but good job for Franchitti.
- March 28, 2008 at 4:59 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:10 PM
- stricklinfan82 said...
Another letdown of a qualifying session on Speed Channel. We missed the entire qualifying run of several cars, including 2 go-or-go-homers (would have been 3 if Brian Vickers hadn't been excused and forced to qualify during the go-or-go-home group). It sure would be nice to add some extra time in their programming block to allow for the extra time necessary to show everyone's entire qualifying runs. I do understand that it's not always possible to do that because of other programming commitments, but when that's the case and it's absolutely impossible to show every run they really need to use up the commercial inventory early in the session so we don't miss any go-or-go-homers at the end of the session.
And still the lack of a lap tracker that just shows where the go-or-go-homers stack up against one another made it nearly impossible to follow the go-or-go-home drama. When Franchitti ran next-to-last in the order, I watched the green dot and he didn't make it there so I thought he missed the race. It sure would have been nice to see that he put himself on the bubble, but instead we just saw an overall position that gave no indication at all whether he still had a chance to make the field. If they're not going to use a seperate ticker, then how about highlighting the dots on the lap tracker that represent the other go-or-go homers? I just want something that will let me see how the current run is on pace to stack up against the go-or-go homers. One green got for the spot needed to definitely lock in isn't enough information for any car other than the very final car that runs. That point was never better illustrated then on Dario Franchitti's run today.
Also, they never mentioned until the last few seconds of the broadcast that Franchitti and Petty actually tied for the final spot in the field. It can't get any closer than that obviously, and that drama was completely lost until it was finally brought up as an after-thought as Speed was signing off the air.
Thumbs down again, I sure miss the several years of Fox and Speed qualifying coverage that used the TiVo style to show us every car's entire qualifying run.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:12 PM
- Ken-Michigan said...
Although I did not see it during qualifying, I really think the Gopher Cam could be very interesting this weekend at Martinsville.
A great placement would be on the inside of the curb, actually planted in the grass / dirt. Proper placement could provide a shot of tires actually getting UP on the curbing.
But still no need to "over use" it.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:17 PM
- Ken-Michigan said...
Each week it seems that they leave the air with stories that are left untold.
Isn't there any kind of journalsitic responsibility at all?
For instance- Kyle Petty. I realized he missed the race, but that is still part of this day's story. I know they are disappointed, but lets hear from him. Better yet, lets hear from King Richard.... whats his reaction?
And if time is short on TV, stick with the story and join Truck practice "in progress".
Just seems like they leave the broadcast with more work to do.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:25 PM
- Anonymous said...
I just don't get that Barrett Jackson stuff. Why do they need to put it on during times when they should be focusing on Nascar? After all, those shows are going to be repeated, ad nauseum, for the next 12 months. To the ones who say they like the auctions, just put it in your Tivo wish list and you'll get more repeats of that same auction than you'd ever want. I want to see all the cars qualify, regardless if they're from powerful Hendrick or from CNC Haas. Yes, Speed has taken on the ESPN personna from last year and ESPN is improving daily.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:33 PM
- Anonymous said...
They could've finished up on the qualifying stories and joined Truck practice in progress. This practice session now is tape delayed from earlier in the day.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:34 PM
- Mike said...
I was wondering why I was hearing DW during truck practice and not Mikey, and earlier wondered if Dunlap had gotten into trouble again. Then it dawned on me, that this is the 2nd of 2 Truck races on Fox, and that they re-arrange the broadcast crew some.
- March 28, 2008 at 5:39 PM
- Newracefan said...
Ok now I'm mad it appears my Comcast provided DVR froze last night and now everything I DVR'd for today never happened. No go or go home no qualifying nothing. Usually Speed replays those thing but nooooo so I can't even try to catch it later.
- March 28, 2008 at 6:53 PM
- Anonymous said...
OK, the audience on Trackside is out of control and someone needs to get them back under control. A few people are literally shrieking and screaming at a really high pitch level while JGordon is trying to talk. It's so hard to hear what Byrnes and Gordon are saying, and Byrnes looked like he was distracted, like he had to think of what he was saying b/c of the people shrieking behind him. I want to watch this episode, but isn't there an audience coordinator or security people who can shut the audience up? If there is please do it during the commercial break!
I don't ever remember it being this bad before on Trackside. Maybe everybody is already drunk. Probably a good time there, but it doesn't make for a good TV watching experience.
- March 28, 2008 at 7:11 PM
- Anonymous said...
well, I had to TURN OFF TRACKSIDE but would've liked to have seen Gordon filling in.
Once again the drunken crowds shrieking their heads off so we could barely hear the trackside panel.
IDIOT OUTSIDE events are NOT conducive to viewers.
Another thumbs down to SPEED today.
- March 28, 2008 at 7:13 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- March 28, 2008 at 7:34 PM
- Anonymous said...
It's a shame that the crowd is so obnxious and over-the-top during Trackside. The mood on set seemed really low key and all the guys on the program tonight seemed so comfortable and were having fun. The more I see of Clint Bowyer, the more I like him. It's too bad it was hard to hear them at times and you had to try to filter out the screaming and bellowing idiots in the crowd.
- March 28, 2008 at 7:46 PM
- Anonymous said...
where is NASCAR Now?
- March 28, 2008 at 8:02 PM
- Anonymous said...
NN ran couple minutes late because Marty Reid and Co had to ask Danica about her SI swimsuit layout.
- March 28, 2008 at 8:14 PM
- Anonymous said...
I assume my post was removed because I mentioned that Ryan Briscoe who is racing tonight is Nicole Manske's boyfriend. That is not a secret, it has been mentioned by some of her SPEED collegues when talking about the IRL on speed's website.
Can't ignore it anyway. What if he wins an IndyCar race? Are you going to ignore Nicole in Victory Lane? It is what it is.
- March 29, 2008 at 9:52 AM
- earl06 said...
SPEED and NASCAR have a real opportunity to make an exciting show on Fridays with the Go-or-Go-Homers portion of qualifying.
I know NASCAR wants to downplay the top 35 situation, but the fans have a lot of interest in who makes the race. Along with the pole winner and a few other guys, this is what folks tune in to see. So:
-SPEED needs to have a ticker just for these guys. Nobody cares 'where' they're going to start, they care 'if' they're going to start.
-Arrange the commercials so that they are limited during this portion of qualifying.
-Try to have more than a minute and a half of wrap-up before moving on to something irrelevant like truck practice.
SPEED has a real problem with redundant, boring programming, be it NASCAR or otherwise. They need to show potential (and former) viewers they're doing more than just phoning it in.
- March 29, 2008 at 10:40 AM


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The folks from Campbell's sent me this package a couple weeks ago and it just happened to arrive while I had all 6 kids home sick. What awesome timing was that?! Chicken soup and juice! It was just what I needed. I'm thinking it was supposed to be a nice school lunch kit with the lunch bag and water bottle, but I personally used it as a "Get Well" care pack. What's more comforting, when you're sick, than chicken soup?
Campbell's has 13 new kid friendly chicken soups, including Disney Princess, Cars, SpongeBob, and Goldfish pasta. Each of these new kids' condensed soups contain 24% less sodium than the regular Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup and all of the kids soups meet the government criteria for healthy foods, with controlled fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
And especially when you're sick and getting dehydrated through vomiting and/or fever, it's important to replace those fluids. We went through a ton of V-8 V-Fusion juice a couple weeks ago. We all really love this juice to begin with, but while the kids were sick and not interested in eating at all, I knew they were getting fluids, calories, vitamins, and fruits and vegetables through the V-Fusion.
Campbell's has a


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Registration open for Brewers Mini-Marathon and 10K
MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Registration for the "Brewers Mini-Marathon and 10K, Presented by Sendik's" is open and registrants receive the lowest price of the season to participate when signing up prior to this Thursday, August 1.
The 2013 race is scheduled for Saturday, September 28. New for the second year of the "Brewers Mini" is the addition of a 10K race (6.214 miles). Registration is at www.brewersmini.com.
Last year's inaugural Mini-Marathon (13.1 miles), which raised over $111,000 in proceeds to the MACC Fund, sold out over a month before the race date. More than 5,000 runners represented 32 states.
The half marathon and 10K begins and ends at beautiful Miller Park and offers a scenic and unique course that will take participants through many Milwaukee landmarks including the Miller Valley, the Harley-Davidson Museum, Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes), the Miller Park warning track and others. Prizes for the top finishers will be awarded.
All participants will receive a free Brewers ticket voucher good for select games at Miller Park in April or May of 2014, a participant medal and a "tech" shirt. A post-race tailgate party outside Miller Park with live music will also take place.
Great course support will be provided with aid stations featuring water and Gatorade, misting stations, and entertainment along the way. Spectators will have plenty of free parking at Miller Park and will have the opportunity to watch racers run through Miller Park while being shown on the scoreboard.
Fundraising proceeds from the Brewers Mini-Marathon and 10K, Presented by Sendik's will benefit the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc.) and childhood cancer research in Wisconsin. Participants can create their own fundraising page at www.brewersmini.com and donations can be made online. Individual fundraisers will have the chance to get their name entered in a raffle for great prizes. The top three fundraising groups will win a special prize.
The cost for the Mini-Marathon and 10K, respectively, $75/$55 for those registering between May 1 – next Wednesday, July 31, $85/$65 for those registering between August 1 – September 20 and $100/$80 for those registering on packet pick-up day (if space is available). Race packets can be picked up at Miller Park on Friday, September 27.
Complete race details, a course map and other information can all be found at www.brewersmini.com and www.brewers.com.


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Log in | Register
Thank you for your interest in joining REEF! Your membership will support the organization's efforts to conserve marine ecosystems by educating, enlisting, and enabling divers and other marine enthusiasts to become active ocean stewards and citizen scientists.
Basic REEF Membership is free. However, REEF cannot accomplish its mission without the financial support of our members. We encourage you to make a donation upon joining and become a contributing member.
All REEF members enjoy many benefits, including:
Contributing Member Level Benefits:
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There are some common signs that may indicate your computer has become infected with malicious software - whether its adware, spyware, trojans, viruses, or some other form of exploit.
Check your phone's security software. If you are using as smartphone, you need to have security software installed. Mobile malware has come to stay, and unprotected phones are vulnerable to exploits.
Smarten up about Spam, social engineering, phishing and scams: Spam and scams come at us from all angles; in the mailbox in front of your home (junk mail) in your email inbox, via IM, social networking sites, chats, forums, websites, and sadly, now also on your phone.
These steps cannot guarantee you will never fall victim to a new aggressive malware exploit, but they will keep your much safer.


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Hats seemed to be the main point of interest in this week's picture prompt, but earlier in the year I had posted an Array of Hats,
So I decided to go for a different theme - namely Portrait Props - the chairs, tables and artefacts used in studio photographs.
By her side, her granddaughter Annie Maria who made her home with Maria after the early death of her own mother. Annie was born 1905 and she looks to be around 10-11 years old in the picture, so I estimate it was was taken c.1915. Annie's father died in 1917 whilst at military camp.


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Here's a classic story of how a multimillion-dollar company gets started.
A young guy named Seung Bak is on a trip to China. He gets back to his hotel room late one night and turns on the TV.
"I'm flipping through channels, and in the middle of China they are showing Korean dramas all around the clock," Bak says.
It turns out Korean soap operas — like, say, Bachelor's Vegetable Store, about a bunch of sexy guys selling organic produce — are this global phenomenon.
"I went to a bachelor party in Cancun, and they are airing Korean dramas dubbed into Spanish," Bak says.
And it hit him. He was going to start a website to bring all these crazy soap operas from around the world to Americans.
The site is called Drama Fever. It has 2 million viewers and has raised millions of dollars from investors.
In the classic startup story, Bak would would take his company public — sell shares in an initial public offering, ring the bell at the stock exchange, have a big party. But Bak, like lots of young entrepreneurs these days, doesn't want Drama Fever to go public.
Jai Shekhawat, the head of a company called Fieldglass, feels the same way.
"People don't really see it as a badge of honor anymore," he says. "It's a hassle."
Fieldglass is a high-tech firm that helps other companies find workers. He gets calls all the time from investment bankers telling him he should go public. But he says there are three big reasons he's not interested:
1. Too many rules. Thanks to corporate scandals at places like Enron and WorldCom, there are a lot of new rules to protect shareholders. Companies that go public have to revamp the way they do their accounting. For a small firm, that can be a big burden.
2. Relentless pressure from shareholders. Investors demand constant growth, quarter after quarter after quarter. If you disappoint them too many times, you wind up at reason No. 3 not to go public.
3. You could wind up an orphan. A company becomes orphaned when institutional investors bolt, investment analysts stop following the company, and the stock plunges in value. It's a sad end to the IPO dream.
There are, of course, plenty of companies that still do go public.
Spencer Rascoff, who founded the real estate site Zillow, points to tech giants like Apple and Google. "It would be impossible to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish if they had stayed private," he says.
Rascoff took his company public last year. He says a lot of tech CEOs are like bachelors who swear they will never get married — and then, when the time is right, they commit.
It's been a discouraging few months for American companies that want to go public. The number of initial offerings in the U.S. is down 41 percent compared to the same time last year. Analysts are calling it the Facebook Freeze: No company wants to see their big debut in the stock market go as badly as it went for Facebook. But the numbers also show that IPOs were going out of fashion, even before Facebook tanked.
Robert Smith, from our Planet Money Team, explains why entrepreneurs have different dreams these days.
ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Here's a classic story of how a multi-million-dollar company gets started. There was a young guy. His name was Seung Bak, and he was on a trip to China. And he gets back to his hotel room late one night. He turns on the TV.
SEUNG BAK: And I'm flipping through channels and in the middle of China they're showing Korean dramas, all around the clock, right?
SMITH: Korean soap operas like this one called "Bachelors' Vegetable Store," about a bunch of sexy guys selling organic produce to older women.
SMITH: Seung Bak is Korean-American, but he never thought much about these soap operas until he noticed they were everywhere.
BAK: Like I went to a bachelor party in Cancun and, I mean, they're airing Korean dramas dubbed in Spanish.
SMITH: And it hit him. He was going to start a website to bring all these crazy soap operas from around the world to America. The site is called Drama Fever. They now have two million viewers. Bak and his co-founder raised a bunch of money from private investors. But this is where the old start-up has a completely different ending. Seung Bak doesn't want Drama Fever to go public.
BAK: Maybe it's just me personally, that stuff to me is all vanity, and it's just not that important.
SMITH: An IPO used to be the final step for a fast-growing company. Everyone wanted to be Microsoft or Apple or Google, sell shares to thousands of people, make a billion dollars, throw a huge party at your headquarters.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: All right everyone, are you ready?
SMITH: This is the scene outside the Facebook offices last month. There was hope in the markets that a huge successful IPO could tempt other high-tech firms to also go public. And even as Mark Zuckerberg rang that bell to open trading...
SMITH: ...other CEOs were thinking, not me.
JAI SHEKHAWAT: People don't really see it as a badge of honor anymore. It's a hassle.
SMITH: Jai Shekhawat is the head of a private company called Fieldglass. It's a high-tech firm that helps other companies find and manage workers, and he gets these calls all the time from investment bankers who want him to go public, but he says there are three big reasons that tech firms like his aren't biting.
SHEKHAWAT: Well, the first is that there's a tremendous compliance cost to going public.
SMITH: Thanks to corporate scandals at places like Enron and WorldCom, there are a lot of new rules to protect shareholders. Companies that go public have to revamp the whole way they do their accounting. The second reason to avoid an IPO, Shekhawat says, is that the stock market demands constant growth in revenues. It's relentless. And if you start to disappoint your shareholders too many times, then you have the final reason to avoid going public.
SHEKHAWAT: Then you are orphaned.
SMITH: Orphaned. A company can become orphaned when its stock plunges in value. Investment analysts stop talking about your company. Then no one wants to buy or sell the stock. It's a very sad ending to the IPO story.
SHEKHAWAT: Yes. It is sad, and you don't even get visitors. There's no relatives either.
SPENCER RASCOFF: There is a general attitude that the cool kids sell their companies rather than going public.
SMITH: Spencer Rascoff did the cool thing a few years ago. He sold his Internet travel site Hotwire to Expedia. But Rascoff has come around to a different view of the public company. When he started his next business, Zillow, a real estate information site, Rascoff had bigger dreams.
RASCOFF: Look at other giant technology companies. Look at what Apple has accomplished, or Google, or Microsoft. It would be impossible for those companies to have accomplished what they have accomplished, had they stayed private.
SMITH: And so Rascoff bucked the trend. He took Zillow public last year and he doesn't regret it, and he's not too worried that the IPO or the public company will die off any time soon. Rascoff says that a lot of tech CEOs are like bachelors who swear they will never get married, that it's too much of a hassle. And then the next thing you know, they're walking down the aisle.
Robert Smith, NPR News, New York.
MONTAGNE: We are going to take a break and then turn to the Supreme Court decision on the health care law. This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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http://praterposte.blogspot.com/2007/09/dang-im-it.html tagged me to answer this lame, er, umm, meaningful question.
List six quirks about yourself.
Come to think of it, that's really not a question at all. It's a statement. It's rather a demand, I should say. Maybe the fact that I'm so obsessed with the fact that this is not really a question should be my first quirk.
Actually, can I just list my six kids and be done with it?
1. I hate (yes, I know it's a strong word, but seriously, I hate) the sound of styrofoam. Packing peanuts give me the chills. I cannot open boxes that contain fragile items nestled in styrofoam to prevent breakage. I break out in a cold sweat. On Christmas, when everyone is unwrapping gifts and pulling styrofoam packing out of boxes, I sit there with my fingers in my ears singing, "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA" at the top of my lungs to drown out the hideous sound. I'd rather hear nails on a blackboard than hear the grating sound of styrofoam. Or balloons. The sound of squeaking balloons is worse than styrofoam. :::shiver::: What? I once knew a guy who was afraid of cotton balls. Seriously. Cotton balls! My quirk isn't that quirky.
2. I can't stand to go to bed with mail in my inbox. Well, before this auction anyway. I've since joined a 12 step program to help me deal with it because I haven't had an empty mailbox in over 2 weeks. In my pre-Ebay-auction days however, I would insist on reading every piece of mail before turning in for the night. If I started to log off and I heard the telltale click of incoming mail, I'd seriously log back on to read it. I know, it's a sickness. On the other hand, getting snail mail is the highlight of my day. Much like the dogs on my street, I wait at the window, expectant look on my face, and rush out to grab the mail as soon as my mail carrier walks on to the next house (don't want to look too desperate, you know). Even though I only gets bills, credit card applications, and assorted junk, it's somehow the highlight of my day.
3. I never wear shoes. Well, I wear them to stores and to church and such because of the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" signs, but I never ever wear them at home, outside, or at friends' houses. In fact, when the newspaper people came out to my house to interview me, I wasn't wearing shoes. I especially dislike uncomfortable heels. I wore Converse hightops for my wedding. Barefoot and pregnant - yep, that's me. Except that I'm not pregnant now. Really.
I have no idea what I was thinking. Probably the same thing my kids think when they wear underwear on their heads, or the same T-shirt for a month straight, or a Cinderella dress to the doctor's office. And yes, believe it or not, that dress was quite stylish back in the early 90s.
4. I cannot clean up vomit. I literally, physically cannot do it. I've tried. I pulled into the parking lot of my friend's office where I was meeting her for lunch when my son, then 1 1/2 years old, started throwing up in my car. I was 20 months pregnant with my 4th baby at the time. I got out of the car, waddled around to the side and, standing about 5 feet away from the car and looking the other way, carefully reached into the car in the general vicinity of my son and waved a diaper wipe around hoping that somehow I'd magically be able to clean him up this way. It didn't work. So I took a deep breath and held it. Determined to clean up my sick son, I turned to face him, and promptly threw up myself. This was followed by more attempts to clean him and more retching of my own. The parking lot was covered in a technicolor mess.
My friend came out of the building and was greeted by this sight. "Oh for crying out loud. What are you doing? Move out of the way," she said to me as she proceeded to pull my son from his car seat, strip him down, and clean both him and my car.
Can you imagine such a thing? She got the Most Awesome Friend Ever award from me that day. I still can't fathom how anyone can clean up a mess like that. Especially when it isn't even your child. I really am blessed to have the greatest friends on earth.
I won't even get into the horrible mess my sister cleaned up 12 years ago...
Hmmm, I can't think of anything else. I'm pretty sure I only have 4 "quirky" things about me. Yes, only 4. If I could come up with 6, that would make me very strange indeed. And I'm not. Strange, that is. I'm perfectly normal. With only 4, perfectly normal quirks. Really.


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About The Hip Talk Discussion Group
The opinions expressed on Hip Talk belong to each individual member. Patricia Walter is the Webmaster/Owner of Surface Hippy. She is not a doctor or medically trained. She provides information about hip resurfacing and expresses her opinion about many hip resurfacing topics. She does not provide medical advice since only a qualified hip resurfacing surgeon can provide a patient with medical advice.
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When your 10-year-old child complains that that all his or her friends already have a Facebook account, it might not be an exaggeration.
In spite of Facebook's terms of service that states users must be at least 13 years of age, a Consumer Reports study in July of 2011 found that at least 7.5 million kids 12 or under were using Facebook – and that 5 million of these kids were 10 or younger[i].
"Despite Facebook's age requirements, many kids are using the site who shouldn't be. What's even more troubling was the finding… that a majority of parents of kids 10 and under seemed largely unconcerned by their children's use of the site." says Jeff Fox, technology editor for Consumer Reports.
Another study, by MinorMonitor in April 2012, claims that 38 percent of minors on Facebook are now under the 13-year-old age requirement, and that 4 percent of these underage users are 6-years-old or younger[ii]. And this is in spite of Facebook's Chief Privacy Adviser Mozelle Thompson's statement that "Facebook removes 20,000 people a day, people who are underage."
Most of these underage accounts aren't a secret. Parents are not only well aware of their kids' Facebook accounts, but also in many cases they helped their children create the accounts.
The website is not designed for use by children.
For many parents, it is a lack of awareness about suitable social networking alternatives that finally gets them to cave into their underage child's wish for a Facebook account. Help your child discover a wealth of alternatives that are more appropriate for engaging younger audiences, by checking out this short list (in no particular order) of top tween social networking sites:
[ii] http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57413806-71/thirty-eight-percent-of-kids-on-facebook-under-13
[iii] http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2011/05/cr-survey-75-million-facebook-users-are-under-the-age-of-13-violating-the-sites-terms-.html
[iv] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120429085417.htm


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Alright, so the good news is (if you couldn't tell), I won a Beta key from NowGamer.com thanks to tweet from @NowGamer_Dave about the competition. They have 1,000 Beta keys to give away, and they're handing out 100 of them each day. Today, September 3rd, is only the second day so there are still 900 more just waiting for you to get your hands on them.
A heads up for some of you who I know had a problem with RealID because of the whole showing your real name thing – part of participating in this contest is giving them your full name, so if you're not willing to part with that information then you can save yourself a little disappointment ahead of time.
The question is simple, and so is the answer. All they want to know is which year World of Warcraft was launched. The US and EU versions were launched in different years, and the answer they're looking for is the US answer. So if you know the US year then you're good, and if you know the EU year then just subtract one from it. If you don't know the answer, then go spend 15 seconds on Google and you'll find it.
What this means for Psynister's Notebook
Right now I'm not entirely sure what it means as far as the blog is concerned. Am I going to jump head on into the Beta and leave the live behind? Not a chance. Am I going to spend a good deal of time over there? Well, that really remains to be seen and is heavily dependent on how frequently things do or do not work.
I do plan on playing around a bit with high level toons in the Beta, just to see what it's like to play the classes that I'm already messing around with to see all of the abilities, but I'm not going to do that for very long. I play to level, I blog about leveling, leveling is my gaming passion – so that's what I'm going to spend most of my beta time doing.
Now, the whole point of having a beta is to test, to document, and to report. It's not about getting a sneak peak at everything and getting to play around with the new toys before everyone else. Well, it is, but it isn't. The main objective is testing and that's what I plan on doing. I'm going to do my testing from a leveling perspective though, not from an end game perspective.
I'm still going to follow through with my actual Cataclsym plans of leveling those race/class combinations to at least level 20, but I'm going to do basically the same thing here with different combinations. I'm sure we're still going to see plenty of changes between now and the official launch, so I'm not worried about being redundant.
Beta Plans
I already wrote about what I plan to do in Cataclysm itself (here), so I'm looking at that now as I consider which characters I want to roll in the beta. Do I want to roll now what I plan to level then, only to redo it all again when the game actually launches? Or would I rather roll other combinations just for the sake of trying out this or that? I'm not the kind of person that doesn't like to do things over again, it doesn't bother me to roll a race/class, level them, delete them, and then reroll the exact same thing. At the same time, I don't want the live experience to be ruined by the beta experience (if that makes any sense after the previous sentence).
There are only 10 character slots per account, and only ten classes. There are 12 races, so two of them will have to be left out of the initial run, but that's fine because I don't mind doubling up on some classes.
Psynister: Blood Elf Death Knight (Frost)
Psynralyl: Dwarf Shaman (Enhancement)
Psynwise: Goblin Warlock (Affliction)
Psynexxia: Gnome Priest (Shadow)
Psynthato: Troll Druid (Resto)
Psyncazador: Night Elf Hunter (Marksman)
Psyningchaos: Undead Mage (Fire)
Psyndach: Tauren Paladin (Prot)
Psynarrens: Orc Rogue (Subtlety)
Psyneretio: Human Warrior (Prot)
Psynfitoom: Worgen Druid (Balance)
Psynzzlybear: Draenei Mage (Frost)
The only reason I'm rolling myself as a DK is because I want to see if there are any changes to the starting area. I don't really care to see the Cataclysm DK beyond that point as far as the beta is concerned. While my introduction to the Enhancement Shaman's greatness came from Stoneybaby, my wife Fynralyl is the first shaman that comes to mind. There's no question that I never would have bothered with a Warlock if it weren't for Cynwise. Gnomes were a toss up as I have two Gnome-loving, Priest-playing friends that jumped right out at me, but I had to settle on one so Anexxia got it.
When I think druid, I think Ithato and Lufitoom, with Ithato on heals and Lufi on kills. Hunters are kind of like the minions from Despicable Me, there's a million of them and they're all so much alike in so many ways, and yet so different. I scrolled through my twitter feed and started looking at them all until one stood out to me, so Nochecazador won the Hunter's spot. There are a lot of Mages out there as well, so I really had to do some serious deciding there, and in the end decided on Bringing_Chaos and Krizzlybear (apologies to Gnomeaggedon, but I just couldn't make you anything other than a Gnome and I'm not doubling up on races yet).
The Paladin class is where I started getting serious about WoW blogging, so my introduction into it came via several Paladin bloggers and twitter users. I had to settle on one though, and the big bad Pally daddy that stood out to me was Rhidach. Arrens takes the Rogue spot as one of the first WoW friends I found on twitter, but curse the undead sucker for having a name that just doesn't mesh well with my own. The first Warrior tweep I stumbled onto, who also had a big impact on my tanking early on, was Veneretio and I'm also doing him the favor of bringing him to the Alliance side since I know deep down that he loves us so much.
The rest of the choices up there are all based on people that I know from either twitter or blogs. I've taken their main class and spec, or at least the class and spec that I associate with them the most, and stolen pieces of the name that I know them by and slapped a new race on them. (I know a lot of people from twitter and in the bloggosphere, so when I thought of who/what to play I went with the first person that came to mind for the classes and specs that I picked, so if you don't see your name up there….well, deal with it as I've only got 12 slots here, people. :P)
And that will be my plans for leveling during the Cataclysm Beta. The goal is to get one of them to level 20 and then switch to another until I've got them all to the same place. Then I'll start over again at the top and push them towards 30. The first two that I'm unimpressed or bored with in the beta will be the two that get deleted to allow for the other two that won't fit in the default 10 character slots.
Once I've gotten the classes to level 30 I'll have to decide what I want to do from there. Should I switch to just playing one or two of them for the sake of seeing the leveling process over a larger range, or should I keep doing what I'm doing? I don't know yet, so we'll have to see how it plays out.
I'm not sure yet which will be more beneficial form a testing stand point. Do I think I can level 12 different characters to level 30 by the time Cataclysm launches? I have no doubt in my mind that I can do that. Do I think I can do that and remain active in my guild in the live game? Well, that's the part that's still got me thinking.