We've seen in the past pit-stop errors having a huge effect on the outcome of the race - think Felipe Massa leaving the pits with his fuel hose attached in Singapore last season - so you can see why practice makes perfect.

BBC: Turkish GP qualifying as it happened

Topsy uses Twitter's high-volume fire hose of data to look at every tweet in the world, and establish a neutral baseline.

CNN: How do you feel about Romney and Obama? Ask the 'Twindex'

Lillehei solved that problem with cross-circulation, in which a donor, linked to the patient by plastic hose and a simple pump, acted as a living heart-lung machine.

FORBES: Brave heart