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NEWSLETTER: ISSUE 60: "PATRICK MOORE PLAYS THE XYLOPHONE"

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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)

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