NEWSLETTER: SMEAGOL IN THE STREETS, GOLLUM IN THE SHEETS
This Week:
* GAME OF THRONES - as Mousetrap
* 90s MEMES - The Internet Citizenship Test
* DATA - The most Spurious Correlations
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________ ____ __ ___
____/ _)|_ // /_/ _ | "Have the
___/ _ |/_ </ __/ __ | clocks gone
__/____/____/\__/_/ |_| forward again?"
B3ta email 630 - 16 MAY 2014
Read these words on Saturday afternoon:
http://b3ta.com/newsletter/issue630
Upsub : [email protected]
Downsub : [email protected]
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: WHAT B3TA PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MAKING THIS WEEK
>> Mousetrap Game of Thrones <<
"It had been bothering me," confesses
brianftang, "So I put this together."
http://www.b3ta.com/links/1176716
>> War Worm <<
"It's like War Horse," informs Pig Face Turnip.
"But with a glow worm (which were apparently
used by soldiers in WW1 trenches to light
letters). Fact."
http://www.b3ta.com/links/War_Worm
>> Oblivious <<
"This is my daughter's final piece for her
media btech coursework," writes Black Moon.
"Give her some views, it'll make her happy."
Warning: SLENDERMAN.
http://www.b3ta.com/links/Oblivious
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: USVSTH3M
We make these things and some of them are good
* The Internet Citizenship Test - Think you
know about the 90s internet? A real treat for
old school b3tans who read the newsletter back
in the day here.
http://games.usvsth3m.com/internet-citizenship-tes...
* What Does Your PIN Number Say About You? -
Our numerologically-accurate and non-sinister
game will leave you enlightened.
http://games.usvsth3m.com/what-does-your-pin-numbe...
* Who’s Your Celebrity Birthday Double? - Tell
us when you were born and we’ll work it out!
http://games.usvsth3m.com/your-celebrity-birthday-...
* Eurosong Generator - Still piing for
Eurovision? Now you can live the magic forever.
FOREVER! Muhahahahaha! What, are you still here?
http://games.usvsth3m.com/eurosong/
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: QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Jobs - Expectations vs Reality
Nothing like starting a job to find out it's not
quite what was sold to you at interview:
http://b3ta.com/questions/jobexpectation/
* DECORATOR - "This is not my story, but I was
there, so I feel I can tell it. After living in
a shared house for some time, we were finally
leaving. The landlord had decided to do some
redecorating, and on our last day he turned up
with his decorator.
After going around the house and discussing all
the things he wanted doing, with the decorator
nodding and making notes, he then left to let
him get on with it. As soon as the door closed,
the decorator flipped his bucket over, sat down
on it, took out an impressively large spliff
and fired it up, then looked around at us and
said: 'So. Any of you lot know anything about
painting and decorating? 'Cos I fucking
don't!'" (moon monkey)
* POLICE - "Years ago, when I was at college in
Hendon, it was all 'pillar of the community' and
'chicks'll dig the uniform'. Not once did they
mention that I might get punched by a nonce."
(Joy Division Oven Gloves)
* PAPERBOY - "Expectation: riding a chopper down
a suburban street, throwing papers into people's
mailboxes, trying not to smash their windows,
then racing around a BMX track.
Reality: Trudging around in the rain listening
to S'Express on your walkman, taunting dogs
through letterboxes and trying not to get
fingered by old men in dressing gowns."
(browser)
>> This Week: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES II <<
Missed death and destruction by the slightest of
margins? Walked away with only soiled undies?
Tell us about your brush with death:
http://b3ta.com/questions/neardeathexperiences2/
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: SITES IN BRIEF
Stuff we like that wasn't made by our mates
>> Spurious things that correlate <<
Amazing collection of data that form a
similar-shaped graph with no obvious link
between them. For example: Age of Miss America,
graphed against number of people murdered with
steam and hot objects.
http://tylervigen.com/
>> Mynoise.net - Ambient noise generator <<
Choose a style of ambient noise then fuck about
with the sliders to create a perfect background
sound. You will not regret it. Unless you want
to dance.
http://mynoise.net/noiseMachines.php
>> BBC Micro Elite. In your browser. <<
Cult space trading game Elite, in the comfort
and convenience of your favourite browser
window? You're welcome.
http://bbc.godbolt.org/
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: VIDEO SCHMIDEO
>> Exorcism goes... unexpectedly <<
Shenanigans, as the evil spirits are on their
way to being cast out.
http://www.b3ta.com/links/African_Exorcism_goes_un...
>> Alternate Ending to Tyrion's speech <<
If you like Game of Thrones you will probably
like this, but you might also like a minor
(spoilers) alert too.
http://www.b3ta.com/links/Game_of_Thrones_LOLZ
>> Dancing bats <<
This is all of the lovely. If we had just one
wish? A million more wishes. But the wish after
that would be for more of this.
http://www.b3ta.com/links/Dancing_bats
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: B3TA IMAGE CHALLENGE
Results from the First versions challenge
Last week we wanted you to show us the
early prototypes of everyday objects.
Your favourites included:
* SPECTRUM: Everything a home computer
programmer could ever need (brown-wings)
http://b3ta.com/board/11076866
* CERN: The original design scientists used to
trap the mouse particle (DrCJBoduma)
http://b3ta.com/board/11077067
* PHOTOSHOP: Early photo manipulation, so good
you’d think it was real (monkeon)
http://b3ta.com/board/11077687
All these images, and so many more
can be found here:
http://b3ta.com/challenge/First-versions/
>> New challenge: Comedy History <<
This week's image challenge is to show us
the history of comedy. The birth of lols
and the stuff people laughed at before Fail vids.
http://b3ta.com/challenge/comedyhistory/
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WHAT HAPPENED NEXT:
* SINGLE-USE PLASTIC - "My blog started off as
a 40-day challenge where myself and a friend
gave up plastic for lent," explains
skeltonator. "You guys newslettered it, but it
continues beyond that and I thought you might
be interested to see how it's going. Thank-you."
http://singleuseplastic.co.uk/blog/
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THANKS:
This issue was written by Rob Manuel with
David Stevenson. Stuff sent in by sinisterduck,
RompaStompa, teh_raab, barryheadwound,
h3donist and evil_andy.
Image challenge by Fraser Lewry.
Mike Trinder is QOTW bloke.
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TOP TIP:
Send nice emails to yourself to make up for the
shit you usually get. (RebelWithoutApplause)