- 31,162
- Edinburgh
- GTP_Mars
...after more than 50 different avatars, 110 avatar changes (!), 19 Premium subscriptions, 38 threads without a single reply, 2 new jobs, 3 new homes, and one week and a day shy of 7 years, I'm finally making my 10,000th post here at GTPlanet!
Over the years, I've got to know many people that I wouldn't have otherwise, for which I am eternally grateful. I've been lucky enough to meet many GTPers - mostly at Famine's UKGTP5, UKGTP6 and UKGTP7 events, and Smallhorses' and itgirlxx's SFGTP2 event - as well as the odd rendezvous in London, Glasgow, San Francisco or even sunny Motherwell!
Many others I know only through their words, opinions, thoughts and musings, but either way, the membership of GTPlanet has influenced me and my way of thinking about many issues in many ways, not least because it's given me the chance to debate topics with knowledgable and thoughtful people who sometimes have radically different viewpoints from myself. Old favourites are the Creation v. Evolution thread, and more recently the Global Warming Discussion Thread, where I've had some fairly heated (but the question is, who is responsible for the heating?!) but polite debates over the years. In these two threads alone, I've enjoyed some spirited discussions, sometimes on the same side as respected friends, and sometimes on the other side... either way, I've spent many an hour reading some awesome posts. Speaking of debating threads, I was also part of the team, with Blake and Casio, who lost to Danoff's team in the final round of GTP's debating contest, proving once and for all that Danoff is indeed more of a mass-debater than I am (Sorry Dan 
). I can honestly say that participating in these threads has helped me in my day to day life, as it has forced me to keep up to speed with many important issues... It has also helped me to phrase my thoughts more clearly, which is really helpful in my line of work as a research scientist and part-time lecturer! So to everyone who has taken the time to read and respond to my posts, a massive thanks and I hope that I can continue to read and respond to your posts in the future 
As well as being the place to be for all things Gran Turismo, I also enjoy GTPlanet more than any other forum because of the contribution of its many dedicated members, who put alot of time and effort into their posts and threads - like Diego's prog rock thread, the many great GT4 Photomode galleries and competitions, or every creative reply in the WikiWonderWall thread to name but a very few. Likewise, I have always admired those who have volunteered so much time (and expended so much effort) in running, participating in, and documenting the WRS and more recently, the strange new world of Gran Turismo online racing! But I am always impressed by and admire the time and effort expended by long-term members, whose efforts make this forum worth visiting every day, as well as the moderators and admin staff, whose efforts keeps things running smoothly for everyone.
As for some of my current favourite pastimes at GTP, I guess the F1 Picture Caption game thread has got to be one... originally created by Bee, I took over the reins for a couple of years, and had alot of fun with it... since then, Sureboss has done a great job (esp. given how busy he is offline these days!!), and over the years it's been a great source of fun and enjoyment. Indeed, I've been busted at work many times, caught staring at some strange F1-related picture, for no apparent reason..! I'm also enjoying a third season of Fantasy Football, defeated by DQuaN in 2007, taken right to the wire by Smallhorses in 2008, and now in a bigger league than ever in 2009! And aside from such non GT-related nonsense, like most people here at GTPlanet, I'm always interested in hearing the next exclusive hint regarding the next GT game from our man inTrail Mountain Croatia, Amar212 
So, to everyone who has made this place so meaningful to me over the years, a big 👍... I'd particularly like to cast a vote of thanks the rest of the mod team, be it for their Swift assistance, or Sagely advice, without whom I probably wouldn't have stayed at GTP for anywhere near as long - and also to Jordan, Duke and DA for affording me the great honour of being a "GTP Moderator" and for expert guidance throughout. To everyone who I've had the pleasure of meeting in person so far (from those who climbed scaffolding in an attempt to break in to my hotel room in the middle of the 🤬 night, to those who drove me over the Golden Gate bridge in a Porsche, or who let me use their driving rig in a primary school near Nottingham, or who have won a prestigious MCFPCotW award), many thanks, and I'm honoured to be on your friends list.
👍
TM
Over the years, I've got to know many people that I wouldn't have otherwise, for which I am eternally grateful. I've been lucky enough to meet many GTPers - mostly at Famine's UKGTP5, UKGTP6 and UKGTP7 events, and Smallhorses' and itgirlxx's SFGTP2 event - as well as the odd rendezvous in London, Glasgow, San Francisco or even sunny Motherwell!
Many others I know only through their words, opinions, thoughts and musings, but either way, the membership of GTPlanet has influenced me and my way of thinking about many issues in many ways, not least because it's given me the chance to debate topics with knowledgable and thoughtful people who sometimes have radically different viewpoints from myself. Old favourites are the Creation v. Evolution thread, and more recently the Global Warming Discussion Thread, where I've had some fairly heated (but the question is, who is responsible for the heating?!) but polite debates over the years. In these two threads alone, I've enjoyed some spirited discussions, sometimes on the same side as respected friends, and sometimes on the other side... either way, I've spent many an hour reading some awesome posts. Speaking of debating threads, I was also part of the team, with Blake and Casio, who lost to Danoff's team in the final round of GTP's debating contest, proving once and for all that Danoff is indeed more of a mass-debater than I am (Sorry Dan ). I can honestly say that participating in these threads has helped me in my day to day life, as it has forced me to keep up to speed with many important issues... It has also helped me to phrase my thoughts more clearly, which is really helpful in my line of work as a research scientist and part-time lecturer! So to everyone who has taken the time to read and respond to my posts, a massive thanks and I hope that I can continue to read and respond to your posts in the future As well as being the place to be for all things Gran Turismo, I also enjoy GTPlanet more than any other forum because of the contribution of its many dedicated members, who put alot of time and effort into their posts and threads - like Diego's prog rock thread, the many great GT4 Photomode galleries and competitions, or every creative reply in the WikiWonderWall thread to name but a very few. Likewise, I have always admired those who have volunteered so much time (and expended so much effort) in running, participating in, and documenting the WRS and more recently, the strange new world of Gran Turismo online racing! But I am always impressed by and admire the time and effort expended by long-term members, whose efforts make this forum worth visiting every day, as well as the moderators and admin staff, whose efforts keeps things running smoothly for everyone.
As for some of my current favourite pastimes at GTP, I guess the F1 Picture Caption game thread has got to be one... originally created by Bee, I took over the reins for a couple of years, and had alot of fun with it... since then, Sureboss has done a great job (esp. given how busy he is offline these days!!), and over the years it's been a great source of fun and enjoyment. Indeed, I've been busted at work many times, caught staring at some strange F1-related picture, for no apparent reason..! I'm also enjoying a third season of Fantasy Football, defeated by DQuaN in 2007, taken right to the wire by Smallhorses in 2008, and now in a bigger league than ever in 2009! And aside from such non GT-related nonsense, like most people here at GTPlanet, I'm always interested in hearing the next exclusive hint regarding the next GT game from our man in
So, to everyone who has made this place so meaningful to me over the years, a big 👍... I'd particularly like to cast a vote of thanks the rest of the mod team, be it for their Swift assistance, or Sagely advice, without whom I probably wouldn't have stayed at GTP for anywhere near as long - and also to Jordan, Duke and DA for affording me the great honour of being a "GTP Moderator" and for expert guidance throughout. To everyone who I've had the pleasure of meeting in person so far (from those who climbed scaffolding in an attempt to break in to my hotel room in the middle of the 🤬 night, to those who drove me over the Golden Gate bridge in a Porsche, or who let me use their driving rig in a primary school near Nottingham, or who have won a prestigious MCFPCotW award), many thanks, and I'm honoured to be on your friends list.
👍TM
