That’ll teach ‘em
Hidden Agenda is a contest to program a stealth education game. i.e. a game for kids where they don’t realise that they’re learning.
I like this idea, partly because computer games can be so much more than just entertainment, but mostly I want to spend my working hours “testing” Quake IX – algebra edition (or similar) instead of working out why office is screwed _again_.
Play the Blaine Game
Demonstrate your hatred/apathy of David ‘Even an IRA hunger-striker could beat me’ Blaine by playing the Blaine game – the ending’s great.
Speak n Spell
Last time I checked this site, the author hadn’t yet managed to sample his Speak n’ Spell – looks like he’s cracked it now – he’s got the entire machine reproduced in Flash. Cool.
The Power of 10
From 10 million light years away, zoom in until you reach the earth, then onward until you’re face to face with a single quark in an atom. Its pretty hard to describe, so better see for yourself. Never has zooming-in been so impressive, humbling and of course educational.
Standing Room only
A Turkish mayor has announced plans to dig up all the bodies in his cemetery and rebury them standing up to make more room. In unrelated news, the special effects unit of Troma have temporarily moved to Turkey. (Troma link contains some NSFW images)
Killer Keyrings
These keyrings aren’t your normal cutesy piece of plastic shaped like an animal to keep your car keys on. They’re actually a lethal weapon (or a ‘defensive aid’ as Ted Nugent would probably say). Blokes might want to be careful about keeping these in their front pockets.
What are you?
I’m a malignant cab driver who loves to explore hellhounds, allegedly. What are you?
Special Pirate Keyboard for today
In case any of you could possibly have missed it, today is International Talk Like a Pirate day.
World site
UK Site
If you do nothing else today, hum the theme from Captain Pugwash to yourself (or set it as your ringtone), address your workmates as ‘me hearties’ or ‘scurvy dogs’, greet them with a ‘Yarr’ or maybe a simple ‘ahoy!’ or just use it as an excuse to drink a lot of rum (although somehow a Bacardi Breezer won’t quite make you look like a true pirate).
Don’t forget to get yourself a pirate name
If you want a pirate ringtone then point your phones & wap bookmarks to http://www.midletroad.com/index.wml
And most importantly, you need a special Pirate Keyboard
listen to movies at work
Nice experiment which streams audio from a variety of movies so that you can listen to them at work.
I’m going to listen to South Park the Movie this afternnon.
Walking naked around town.
5 years ago, Jim Whitaker came up with a brilliant fundraising idea – he offered to walk naked around his town if a certain amount of money was raised for the local animal shelter. He raised the the money before the revealed that naked was the name of a stray dog. Genius!
Oh yeah, the dog’s dead now.
Behold the Rocklopedia Fakebandica!
The fine waste of time that is the Rocklopedia Fakebandica is a meticulously documented list of ficitonal bands. Or more precisely, bands who exist only in the movies or on tv. From the Soggy Bottom Boys of ‘O Brother Where art Thou’ via the Banana Splits through to Spinal Tap, it’s a site I could spend hours on.
David Minge
I have absolutely no comment about David Minge‘s name.
Student builds nuclear fusion reactor out of old AOL cds
OK so I’m guessing about the AOL cds but someone must have found a decent use for them. Craig Wallace on the other hand, has built a nuclear fusion reactor out of scrap metal and parts from junk shops.
How Much is Inside …
The genius that is Rob@Cockeyed has updated his How Much is Inside section to include Sharpies (Yank name for a marker pen), paper towels and a Christmas tree. This is truly what the internet was invented for.
Lego Blaine
Far more interesting than the real ‘live’ David Blaine is the new Lego Blaine suspended mere inches above the Legoland Thames.
Be a Technical Virgin
Here’s a site to send to your partner. Taking it’s lead from all of the patronising “Love Waits” websites, Technical Virgin.com doesn’t preach total abstinence, it takes the common sense approach that, although intercourse should be avioded until marriage, orgasms are so good that you should be able to do everything else while your waiting. As much as possible.
Check out the tv adverts if you don’t go anywhere else.
There Is A Strange Noise In My Engine!!
Be careful opening your bonnet next time you think there’s something wront with it or you might get a nasty surprise!
People I Hate
This is Tim’s page. He hates a lot of things. He has a lot of photos of things he hates. He’s a bitter, funny man.
J-Dogg cyber sessions
This is a fairly old link but still an absolute classic. (sorry if it’s a repeat)
The J-Dogg cyber sessions are a (possibly) real series of transcripts of chat sessions between J-Dogg and unsuspecting victims. Kind of like the prank calls of the internet. They are hilarious. Really, really hilarious. Every few seconds people all round my office are sniggering to themselves as they read them (which is quite disturbing)
(Caution – NSFW image on first page – go straight to the first chat to avoid it)
Canyon Glider
I just realised that I hadn’t posted any games for a while so here’s a good simple one – Canyon Glider – shouldn’t take you too long to suss it out.
The Worst Jobs in Science
Every type of career has at least one part of the job that no-one else wants to do. Scientists cover such a large area that they have more than their fair share of bad jobs. So what exactly are the Worst Jobs in Science? How about an Isolation Chamber tester? Fistula Feeder? Or how about a role as a Prison Rape Researcher – that job must be a right pain in the ass!
At home with hitler…
Hopefully this link will stay up long enough for people to see it since the original site has already been taken down.
At home with hitler… was a magazine article published in 1938 in Homes and Gardens Magazine and was a fawning article on design tastes of one of the most evil hmans who ever lived. Surreal.
Arrest over Blaine box ‘sabotage’
Close but no cigar for the guy who tried to up the stakes in the lame Blaine’s endurance test. Cutting the cables of his box would have stopped all the fun we’re having in taunting this guy. He thought he was just going to have to worry about lack of food and isolation, not having to avoid people deliberately keeping him awake 24 hrs a day or lowering naked models down next to him or my current favourite – flying a remote controlled helicopter around his cage carrying a hamburger. I never thought I’d enjoy it this much. Anyone got a spare paintball gun?
LOTR Exhibition, London
Everyone who knows me, knows that I’ve got a real soft spot for the Lord Of The Rings films. Now there’s a fabulous Exhibition at the Science Museum, London. Hurrah! Time for a weekend break, methinks.
Miracle! In a Panty Liner!
Jesus has got so desperate for attention that he’s now making guest appearances in panty liners. As the site says, ‘It’s things like this that reinforce our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. Who but Jesus could have made his image appear like this, and of all places on a feminine hygiene product!’
I couldn’t agree more.
(this is a spoof and the rest of the site contains NSFW material)
Trouser Semaphore
Trouser semaphore is a handy new way to communicate in a practical way in situations when you might not always be able to talk. At the racecourse or a crowded cocktail party. This could only be a tip from those jolly sensible men at Chap magazine, the gentlemen’s reading matter. (muchos gracias Carlos)
Ham and jam and spamalo-ot
Something deep and geeky inside me is just screaming Noooooooo at the thought of a musical coming to broadway based on Monty Pythons Holy Grail. But Eric Idle has had a hand in it, so it might not be bad at all.
Another day for the calender
These day’s the world + dog has some cause that they feel should have a “national day” to raise awareness. So it’s good to see one that’s not quite so serious. Aaarrrr!
Online Morse Code translator
Here’s one of those sites that you’ll never, ever need now that you know about it but if you didn’t know it existed then you’ll probably need someday. (Sorry, it’s late and I’m too tired for this!)
It’s a complete Morse Code and Phonetic Alphabets resource which also has a morse code translator. Handy for cryptography as well. (cheers Angus)
Johnny Cash 1932-2003
Johnny Cash has died.
I hope he’s reunited with June now.
Rest In Peace Johnny – thank you for the music.
