Official GTPlanet Member of the Fortnight [Member of the Week]

A good read, Cano.
You're certified insane-o.
This was quid pro quo.
 
I rarely read the news anymore, yet somehow I did this morning and turns out my compatriot, everyone's favorite Mexico City denizen is member of the week! I seldomly venture out of the PC sims and hardware forums anymore, but whenever I do I've always found your posts and photography threads interesting and captivating. Congrats on a well-deserved accolade, @Cano!
 
:0 dude you're alive! Haven't seen you in ages. Thanks a lot for the kind words, chuck đź‘Ť
 
Thank you all for the kind words. And still not sure about them "about time" part. I was really surprised by this.

I also still want to know who nominated me.
 
It took nearly a year, but we finally welcome the first Staffer into the Member of the Week madhouse. Welcome a member of the RatPack (no, really, you'll see), WRP001!

Yes, let the claims that I favor my fellow cohorts begin to flow in waves of ten. :P


1. First and foremost, you're officially the Member of the Week so what were your thoughts going into this and how does it feel to be recognized amidst the hundreds of thousands of other members here?

Surprised. So many cool and interesting people on the forum I'm honored.

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and what keeps you coming back?

Google. I remember typing 'gran turismo racing series' into the search field a few days after installing GT5, a GTP weekly racing series thread came up near the top and I was hooked. The WRS weekly competitions kept me coming back for more and a few friendly rivalries developed and eventually led to real world friendships.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

The online racing series forum and in particular the Weekly Racing Series sub-forums. I spend a lot of time working with other stewards organizing events there. I quite often use the "recent posts" function to expand my browsing to all areas of the forum and to see what's trending.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

I actually start playing the series with GT5, but my interest in racing games goes back way before Gran Turismo to Pole Position in the 80s. I played quite a few racing games between the Atari console and NES at that time, but obviously of the very low quality arcade variety, but nonetheless very entertaining. I took a very long hiatus from gaming in general and stayed away (can you say easily addicted) until my education, career and family life could afford the spare time I knew it would consume. I actually got hooked back into gaming via my iPhone on a business trip running time trial laps in real racing. Once the hook was back in it didn't take me long to find Gran Turismo as GT5 was recently released.

5. How did you come up with the name "WRP001"?

Some friends and I had a fairly fanatical windsurfing group in the San Francisco bay area called WindRatPack (WRP). I was the founder so got the handle WRP001.

6. Controversial question time: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport or both?

Gran Turismo. I've never even given Forza a go outside of a session standing in a department store with a controller that was barely functional so never gave it an even shake.

7. Because it's finally occurred to me that the question above doesn't allow enough freedom, do you play any other racing games that you perhaps enjoy more than GT or FM?

Nope. I have thought about iRacing for a while, but the GTP_WRS has me hooked in pretty well and at the moment it's strictly on the GT platform. GT7 better be good or I'll reconsider.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

I love the new forum platform on my PC and especially on an iPad where it looks stunning and is very functional. On my phone, I miss the iOS app which had it's quirks but was incredibly efficient.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

Enjoying the new content and particularly the new tracks. Brands Hatch is amazing. The day/night cycles offered at the tracks are stunning. Outside of the new content most of the rest is window dressing IMO. Some features I valued in GT5 have been taken away like proper splits in replays, the data analyzer, but hopefully they'll be back in an update. There wasn't much new introduced to support online racing, but I'm hoping the promised community update will address that. My biggest want/need for future versions would be to support more than 16 racers in a lounge. That's the thing that eventually will pull me to another platform if it's not offered by GT. Overall, I still think all the new content is well worth the $$ and there is a lot of potential for growth in GT6.

10. If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet what would you want?

I'd be director of sports broadcasting for a major network. That network would have the rights to F1 and NFL broadcasts on the alien world which would give me track/field access.

11. If you could live in any video game which game would it be and why?

Maybe a puppet boy in Little Big Planet. All those cool and weird adventures and so many lives.

12. If you could create your own motorsport series what would it entail?

A rally series in the US. Talk about a sure fire commercial failure. :lol:

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

That's a tough one. Small quiet town in a rural state (Maine) with not a lot going on which is why I moved, but it's 245 years old... that's very old on this side of the pond. I still love to visit, just not when it's 20 below zero.

14. One mod to another, how have you not gone insane yet?

Deep breaths.

15. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

Windsurfing, snowboarding, surfing and mountain biking. Living on California's Central Coast you just can't help but get outside.

16. Are you driving anything special at the moment?

1990 Volkswagan Vanagon. Wanna race?

17. What's your favourite video game, currently?

Gran Turismo is the only game I play on a PS3. I do enjoy playing games with my kids on their DS systems. The mario games are still a ton of fun to be honest, I prefer them over any of the shooter type games on the PS3.

18. What songs have been on repeat for the past few days?

I actually like trance mixes when I exercise, which is normally when I listen to music. I have been pretty inactive over the holiday season and thus reverted to old Bryan Adams songs or Ottmar Liebert.

19. Why did you choose that avatar, and why is it not a monkey? (Don't ask me, I had nothing to do with this. :lol:)

It's the WindRatPack logo. WindMonkeyPack doesn't sound right.

20. Games, how do you like them?

a) Pre-Order, I want them on day one.
b) Sealed at first price drop.
c) Used.

The only game I've ever pre-ordered was GT6, so generally "Sealed at first price drop".

21. With the next generation of all things video gaming upon us, have you made any plans to pick up a PS4, Xbox One or Wii U?

I will pick up a PS4 the minute GT7 comes out.

22. Mechanical or Membrane keyboard?

I don't care as long as it is ergonomic.

23. You've just been sentenced to death. What is your last meal?

Turkey with all the trimmings plus pecan pie for dessert. Can I watch an NFL game after I've stuffed myself?

24. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being likely to go to the nut house, how crazy would you rate yourself?

2 [or 10 if this reality is all in my imagination]

25. Who is your favorite race driver and why?

Mark Webber. He speaks his mind, is not obnoxious, has an ample amount of talent and generally seems like a good guy.

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

May 2011 or there about... It wasn't that long ago for over 10K posts. My style has not changed much:
  • I
  • still
  • love
  • bullet
  • points
27. How many of your controllers have died because of heavy physical abuse whilst playing a PS3 game?

Rarely use a DS3 so still have my original, but I'm on my third wheel in three years. Heavy handed I guess.

28. Have you ever accessed the website during an unusual time and/or place?

Every hour of the day/night and every place I go, but that's not out of the ordinary... right? Maybe re code me to 5 on the sanity scale to account for a GTP addiction disorder.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: Years, months, weeks, days, hours?

At most about a week, but for the most part I log in several times every day. I usually check GTP before my email.

30. Who (in your own opinion) is the most inspiring person / people here on GTPlanet?

From a career/professional angle obviously Jordan for building this site from the ground up and living out his dream. From an event organizer perspective EDK for his many years of dedication to the WRS. From a driving/game play perspective Aderrrm for an unbelievable amount of driving talent without a gigantic ego attached.

31. Is your body ready?

No. I want my 25 year old body back.

32. Now it's time for the "Daniel Special": If you could cross a hippo with any other animal - what will the animal be, what will it be called, and why? (Bonus points for creativity! And it can't be another hippo because that's incest)

Platypus. Hippoplatypus sounds good and just imagine a venomous animal that big!

33. What's the funniest thing you can remember from all of your time being a member here?

We have a rule in WRS time trials that you have to keep two tires on track at all times or the lap is considered dirty. A regular time trialer who was new to online racing joined us for an online race a couple years ago. About half way through a 20 lap race he pulls over, stops his car and says over the mic with an uncertain tone, "Sorry, I put 3 tires on the grass, I am going to quit now." After we figured out what he was going on about we had a pretty good laugh and told him to carry on.

34. Have you ever participated in any of the racing series' found here?

Many. Besides 3D3 Racing and the WRS, my favorite series was Gamesta's Super GT series back in the fall of 2011. There have been attempts to organize a reunion race and we still need to get that together for old times sake.

35. Have you ever considered developing your own racing series, and if you have where can we find it?

Indeed, that's what I do. I started 3D3 Racing with Gravitron and Hydro in 2011 and that series evolved into WRS-Online. You can find us in our own sub-forum under online racing series. We've hosted at least one or two races a week ever since September 2011. Drivers of all skills are welcome so check it out.

36. Anything else you'd like to say?

Well, thanks to the reader if they've made it this far. I love the GTP community and the passion here. A special thanks to all the stewards and admins that make the WRS run like a well oiled machine (that needs an oil change every 500 km). I'd have put GT on the shelf long ago if it weren't for GTPLanet so I guess I have you all to thank for my continued addiction.
 
Never crossed your way @WRP001. But that`s not important. You`re MOTW, means you`re cool!
Congrats, you are officially immortal now! :)đź‘Ť
 
That's dedication to online racing right there. I like the idea of more than 16 people at the same time đź‘Ť
 
Man, you think you know someone. :ouch:

I thought WRP stood for We Race Prius's, but we didn't race that "car" in GT5 and I doubt we'll bother in GT6. :dopey:

Congrats, buddy. :cheers:
 
We welcome yet another new face and our second GT Photomode regular to the MotW madhouse, everyone give a warm welcome to the newest inmate, Boabdulrahman!

1. First and foremost, you're officially the Member of the Week so what were your thoughts going into this and how does it feel to be recognized amidst the hundreds of thousands of other members here?

To be honest, I really didn't know about the whole "GTplanet MOTW" thing until I checked the news section a week ago. Then again, why didn't anybody think of it years ago? I guess it feels great to be recognized and it was a shock as I'm only active in the GT photomode forums. I'm honored to be among the MOTW wall.

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and what keeps you coming back?

I used to be a lurker in the GT4 days but never signed up. Then, one of my photography friends (is that a real term? ) told me about the GT5 photomode competitions. After that, I got hooked and began competing and creating sets for my GT5 and GT6 gallery.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

I guess it's obvious now that I visit the photomode forums more than others because of my interest in photography. I do however visit the automotive forums frequently.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

For as long as I remember, I've always been a gearhead. So, when I visited my cousin's house when I was little, I tried GT2 for the first time. And the rest as they say is history.

5. How did you come up with the name "Boabdulrahman"?

Now this will take a while to understand. In the Arab world, "Bo" means "the father of." And "Abdulrahman" is a common name in the Arabic language which means "Servant of the Merciful." Are you still with me? Good, now I'm not a father. So why do I use that Nickname you say? In our culture, almost every single name has some sort of a nickname that goes with it. My name is "Fahad" and my nickname is Bo Abdulrahman. I'll give you an example. Mohammed, which is a well known name to non-Arabs has a nickname which is "Bo Jassim." So when you………………you're already asleep I see. Don't worry I'll stop.

6. Controversial question time: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport or both?

Never owned an Xbox, but tried Forza at my friend's house. Love the level of customization in it but it was all useless if the gameplay is broken. Good for photography though. I feel people are hating on me as I'm writing this hahaha. But, seriously I love GT more.

7. Because it's finally occurred to me that the question above doesn't allow enough freedom, do you play any other racing games that you perhaps enjoy more than GT or FM?

No, not really. Never saw a console game beat these two in terms of pure racing. I say console because I never tried the games on PC.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

It's a love and hate relationship to be honest. It's swift and easy but it took away the option of hosting images in polls and that for me is a bummer as I participate frequently in the GT photo comps.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

I had low expectations and I was not disappointed. Although, it didn't make that same jump like Gt3 to GT4 but I'm not complaining.

10. If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet what would you want?

I would be that guy who owns a modest car garage near a modest track working on his old JDM projects. Add to that some European classics. That's weird for a middle-eastern huh. With all the stereotypes you would say I own everything I need. Well, that's not true although I'm grateful for everything I have.

11. If you could live in any video game which game would it be and why?

That stuntman game on PS2. What's better than driving all the great movie cars than crashing them? And the best part is that they pay you to do it. Although having a couple of broken bones is bad so that's not good.

12. If you could create your own motorsport series what would it entail?

I'm a big drifting fan. So it would definitely be drifting related. It's maybe the most affordable motorsport to get involved in globally and that's why it's so popular and growing fast.

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

Well, let's see. Kuwait is a boring country full of politicians. We have one of the biggest malls in the middle-east. And that's about it. Oh yeah we have oil, a bunch of it so we have that going for us which is nice. But seriously the most interesting thing about Kuwait is its sand storms like this one that happened 2 years ago. Be sure to check the last bit of the video.

14. When did GT's photomode first call out to you, and when was your first set put together?

I was first interested in photography way back in 2007. And when I first got GT5, I was stunned by its photomode capabilities and it just clicked. My first set was put together after I made my GT5 gallery in 2011. It was awful I must say.

15. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

Photography, Football (soccer because 'Murica), making compilations (you can check my bad videos here at my Youtube Channel ), and hopefully drifting when I get my first project car up and rolling.

16. Are you driving anything special at the moment?

I own a Ferrari F40, a 70' Hakosuka GT-R, a Toyota 2000GT………you really believed that huh, (Guess i'm not helping the middle-eastern stereo types :crazy:) But, seriously I own a '12 Golf GTI which is a ton of fun to drive. Hopefully I could get an old beater as a project to work on soon.

17. What's your favourite video game, currently?

I don't play a lot of video games to be honest, but if I could pick one it would be FIFA 14 at the moment. It's the only game where I get to play with my friends in the same room. RIP non-online Multiplayer Games.

18. What songs have been on repeat for the past few days?

I recently discovered a talented Artist called "Olafur Arnalds" Loving most of his music, but I had this and this on repeat the last couple of days. Absolutely love calm instrumentals.

19. Why did you choose that avatar, and why is it not a monkey? (Don't ask me, I had nothing to do with this. :lol:)

You mean a camel not a monkey (Again, I'm not the best guy to represent my region :dopey:) Yeah I chose this avatar because I used to be a fan of the early Dubstep music (Not the crap you hear these days, With all due respect) and there was a channel that had this picture on it and it was interesting enough for me to put it as an avatar. I really was rushed to use this avatar when I first signed up on GTP and I never changed it since. I guess it grew on me.

20. Games, how do you like them?


a) Pre-Order, I want them on day one.

b) Sealed at first price drop.

c) Used.

Never, in my whole life have I ever pre-ordered anything. I guess option "B" best suits me. Then again I don’t buy a whole lot of games, maybe 4 titles each year.

21. With the next generation of all things video gaming upon us, have you made any plans to pick up a PS4, Xbox One or Wii U?

Me and my friends each paid equally to get the PS4. I guess you're surprised by that but in Kuwait we got the PS4 priced at 200 KD, that's roughly 700$. We were pushed to get it because of the Next-gen FIFA 14 which is a great game.

22. Chips Ahoy! or Famous Amos?

What ?.......I just googled it. You mean cookies? we don't eat cookies. Nah, just kidding. Of course we eat cookies, we are the same as you guys but with a lot of oil. (Shut up with the stereotypes already:yuck:)

23. You've just been sentenced to death. What is your last meal?

Rice and Chicken.

24. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being likely to go to the nut house, how crazy would you rate yourself?

I guess I'm quite a chilled guy. So mostly I'm a 4, but sometimes I'm a 9 if the situation helps :lol:

25. What is your favourite car, why, and what do you think that it says about you?

You seriously can't ask a guy to choose only one car. If I had to choose 10 I mean 1 it would be………I can't do it , I'm sorry :guilty:. I'm the kind of guy who has a 20-car dream garage mostly filled with old JDM and European cars. (Datsun 510, Fairlady Z432, Ferrari F40, BMW 2002,….etc.)

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

My first post was actually an entry in one of the GT5 photo comps right here. And I actually got a compliment straight away. It's really not different from my recent posts.

27. How many of your controllers have died because of heavy physical abuse whilst playing a PS3 game?

As a fan of FIFA, I get frustrated pretty quick (especially if someone scores against you at the final minute.) But, fortunately I always aim my controller at the furniture next to me so that I get the satisfaction of throwing a controller but not breaking it into little pieces. Although sometimes it bounces off and heads straight to the floor, but no fatalities at the moment.

28. Have you ever accessed the website during an unusual time and/or place?

Usually unusual times or places are always accompanied by a mobile phone. So, to say that I don't use the GTP app really gives you the answer to the question.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: Years, months, weeks, days, hours?

I once lost interest in the GT5 photomode at the end of 2012 and didn't login on GTP for roughly 5-6 months. Then, what made me come back was GT6. Oh, you didn't know? I was the guy behind that GT6 thread where I got the copy before everybody else in GTP. Middle-easterns FTW! We always get games early. Although I got flooded with all the questions, but it's all good. All for the sake of the GTP community:gtpflag:

30. Who (in your own opinion) is the most inspiring person / people here on GTPlanet?

The most inspiring people are definitely the guys in the Photomode forums. It's not because they are the guys I talk to often, but really they are the best! Giving feedbacks, encouraging others, never saying anything bad about each other, these are only some of the highlights of being there.

31. Is your body ready?

That's Haram! But, seriously it depends on who is asking :sly:

32. Now it's time for the "Daniel Special": If you could cross a hippo with any other animal - what will the animal be, what will it be called, and why? (Bonus points for creativity! And it can't be another hippo because that's incest)

It would be stereotypically a Camel. Because Arabs……..

33. You wake up naked trapped in a broken lift with a celebrity - which celebrity would you choose and why?

Katy Perry…………………That's Haram!:mad:

34. Have you ever participated in any of the racing series' found here?

Nope. Mainly because my WIFI connection sucks, and because I don't like racing online. I'm a time trial kind of guy.

35. Have you ever considered developing your own racing series, and if you have where can we find it?

Nope.

36. Anything else you'd like to say?

Yeah I just wanted to say many thanks to you T-12 for your amazing effort in creating this thread, and in moderating. And I wanted to thank Jordan for gathering all these amazing people under one roof. Also, wanted to thank @SlipZtrEm and @Nato_777 for their efforts in making the photmode comps an amazing experience. Many thanks to those who nominated me, whoever you guys are I love you. And finally, thanks to the guys who read through all my grammar mistakes, yeah you. You're awesome. *gives Bro hug*
 

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