NEWSLETTER: ISSUE 60: "PATRICK MOORE PLAYS THE XYLOPHONE"
This Week:
- Patrick Moore Plays the Xylophone
- Skiffle Kittens
- Unusual childhood beliefs
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___/ _ |/_ </ __/ __ | "We're saving the
__/____/____/\__/_/ |_| web ... together"
B3ta email 60 - 10 Oct 2002
Read this issue online:
http://b3ta.com/newsletter/issue60/
Subscribe: [email protected]
Unsub: [email protected]
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: PATRICK MOORE PLAYS THE XYLOPHONE
Our entry for Eurovision
B3ta editor, Rob writes -
"It's been a lifelong dream of mine to get
UK astronomer Patrick Moore onto Top of the
Pops playing the xylophone.
"When Jonti - of Weebl & Bob fame - moved
into B3ta HQ, I seized the chance to draw
him into my hare-brained scheme.
"This is the closest I'll get to realising
this ambition. Unless Patrick sees this ..."
http://www.b3ta.co.uk/patrickmoore/
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: SKIFFLE KITTENS SING DESTINY'S CHILD
Independent Woman - the xylophone version
Imagine if Destiny's Child were Northern and
made of cat.
You don't have to - Joel's done it for you.
The music is by indie band Elbow and the
kittens? They're rathergood.
http://www.rathergood.com/independent_woman/
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: B3TA HALLOWEEN
Friday 1st November 2002, Kentish Town UK.
As promised last week, here is the flyer for
our Halloween party. It will be ace. There will
be pumpkins and everything. And booze. Come.
http://www.b3ta.com/images/b3ta/halloween.gif
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: WHAT B3TA PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MAKING THIS WEEK
Waxworks, Kitten Game, Childhood Beliefs, NTK
>> The things we used to believe <<
"My brother told me rice crispies were really
fish eggs we gave to the goldfish. I never ate
rice crispies." B3ta chap Mat has built a
sweet website devoted to childish beliefs.
You can add your own too.
http://www.iusedtobelieve.com
>> Who's that waxwork? <<
Blackpool has a rubbish waxwork museum. See if
you can guess who the dummies are meant to
represent. (Thanks Barkingstars - you're a star!)
http://members.lycos.co.uk/barkingstarscom/blkpool...
>> Kitten game <<
Like cats? Enjoy pattern matching? Then you'll
love "Kitty Flips". WARNING: Do not attempt
this with real kittens - it's mean.
(Cheers Tomsk)
http://tomandphil.myby.co.uk/kittyflip/
>> NTK nonsense generator <<
NTK send out a weekly newsletter rounding up all
things technical. Fraser writes: "It baffles me
completely, and I wondered whether it would make
more sense if I jumbled all the sentences up.
Sadly, it remains exactly the same. Sigh."
http://www.blogjam.com/ntk.not/
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: SITES IN BRIEF
Stuff we like that wasn't made by our mates.
>> XiaoXiao Volume 9 <<
The mysterious XiaoXiao returns in yet another
adventure. This time the beat-em-up action takes
place on a computer desk, and you control the
eponymous stickman hero.
http://www.red-east.net/www/flash/xiaoxiao/9.htm
>> Strindberg and Helium <<
In the great tradition of double acts,
Strindberg is a gloomy, Poe-ish depressive
while his sidekick is a happy little balloon.
Hilarity ensues.
http://www.skumpy.com/eha/iron.html
>> Lego harpsichord <<
A few weeks go we examined the phenomenon of
really advanced Lego stuff. This week's most
noteworthy discovery is a working harpsichord.
We have to admire anyone who can devote so much
time and energy to something so foolish. Be sure
to listen to the mp3.
http://www.henrylim.org/Harpsichord.html
>> My Dissertation - the Album <<
"The members of Science Groove want to shake
scientific types out of their left brain and
onto the dance floor." We don't know about that,
but this is the loveliest little tune about
the distribution theory for the sibling
recurrence risk ratio we've ever heard. Yay.
http://staff.washington.edu/dopeter/Now/titleslide...
>> Unappetising egg separator <<
Making a soufflé? Then you'll need one of these.
It's an unpleasant-looking jug with a human face.
Put an egg in its head and the whites run out of
its nose. Eww. Jamie Oliver has one, of course.
http://snurl.com/6n3
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: B3TA IMAGE CHALLENGE
Results from the 'Great Moments in History
(that have been curiously overlooked)'
Each week we run a competition to test your
creative skills. We set a challenge and you
open Photoshop and mess with our heads.
Last week we wanted you to depict historical
events you felt have been strangely overlooked:
http://b3ta.com/challenge/greatmomentsinhistory/
We asked B3ta boarder 'Artamnesia' to judge the
entries - here are her 3 faves.
Artamnesia writes -
#1 "Sloppy Egyptian Tomb Designers - Perfectly
done. There's something beautifully beguiling
about the broken image icon set in stone.
(Dr. Wadd)
http://www.b3ta.com/board/3/8/8/1/7/7
#2 "The American Very Civil War - I think it's
in the way the guy falls down at the end.
That and its perfect timing. (Slim)
http://www.b3ta.com/board/3/9/7/6/5/5
#3 "The Invasion of the Viking ducks - The damn
thing made me laugh! Who hasn't been chased
by a duck or goose at the park and been
gripped with all-out terror?" (Mushroom)
http://www.b3ta.com/board/3/9/0/6/7/9
>> This Weeks Challenge <<
This week, the oddly named (but very-easy-to-type)
mnb098mnb suggested, "This is how the world will end"
http://b3ta.com/challenge/howtheworldwillend/
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: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Follow-ups on previous stories.
* JOHN B's AMERICAN GIRLS - Joel has been asked
to change one of the girls in the vid, after
she recognised her picture. Rumours suggest
that Joel will be replacing her with a kitten
playing a trombone.
* KOIT'S MUSIC CDs - Koit has been making
tunes based upon lyrics submitted by B3ta
readers. He's now stuck them onto a CD and
you can buy it here.
http://www.koit.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/b3tabuy.htm
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: STAR IN NEXT WEEK'S ISSUE
Make something cool and tell us about it. If
you are in it then people will see your stuff.
Stuff we'd really like to see includes
* Feedback from Patrick Moore
* Invitations to join sinister think tanks
* Your links and silly projects
Send contributions to http://www.b3ta.com/mailus/
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Subscribe: [email protected]
Unsubscribe: [email protected]
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Thanks: Dan, Stuart McGregor & Dan Halligan,
and Fraser for links. Fraser Lewry and David
Stevenson for helping edit this issue.
Mike Trinder for running the image challenges.
B4ta for proofing. And thanks to Canadian
arts magazine Shift, for putting us in their
list of "75 movers and shakers in the digital
era." We're big in Canada. Go us. (47757)
