The Daily Blast

My Twitlist: Who I still follow on Twitter, and why

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:57:00 +0000

A few days ago, I had a clearout of the people I'm following on Twitter. I was left with 63 people, all of whom I follow for different reasons. I notice myself being followed and unfollowed on Twitter all the time; many people, I think, unfollow me because I don't just automatically follow them back. They have to be interesting. I have to log on to Twitter, see that they've posted something, and want to read it. Here are the people who made the final cut, and why they made it:

Friends ~ @amykpeanut, @twinklethistle, @ronniejoice, @sscrltt, @jordanjoice, @nickdaniels, @melanietong, @MarkBorkowski ~ all people I know from school/college/university/somewhere; all friends of mine, all fantastic people.

Colleagues ~ @unrulymedia, @UniofOxford, @johng, @scottbutton, @HollyClarke, @jaydeedoubleu, @VideoChart, @UnrulyLindsey, @timpickles, @MatthewPCooke, @geebit, @Geeklikeme, @UKYP, @renju87 ~ all people/companies I work or have worked for or with.

Famous People ~ @RealBillBailey, @dresdendolls, @QueenRania, @SarahBrown10, @amandapalmer, @jasonwebley, @neilhimself ~ all followed for different reasons: some musicians, one comedian, one author, two politicians; all tweet interestingly, informatively, and most importantly of all, personally.

Academia ~ @researchdigest, @MarcusduSautoy, @timeshighered, @UniofOxford, @brightonbooks, @books, @MindGrad, @newscientist, @JaneannDill, @Sucedo ~ all interesting people or companies who write about books, science, education, philosophy or academia in general.

News & Politics ~ @bbcquestiontime, @guardian ~ the only two I follow (except from Sarah Brown), because I get most of my 'news & politics' from elsewhere, but BBCQT and The Guardian tend to tweet interesting nuggets of information.

Websites I like ~ @bydls, @womenintech, @YourCatMagazine, @Reporterssource, @productbody, @LivingSocial, @facebooknotes ~ sites I might forget to visit regularly if I didn't read their tweets.

Miscellaneous people ~ @deanhunt, @melissa_marr, @notfrmroundhere, @bastardgirl, @caffeinatedkate, @ramit, @bencasnocha, @sherryfm, @religioustattoo ~ people I've met online, people whose profiles I've decided to follow, people recommended by other people, people who've followed me, etc. Interestingly, @sherryfm is the only one of her kind I'm still following - and this is because she's good at what she does, she's nice about her students, and she tweets back when I tweet at her.

Worthy causes ~ @theNSPCC ~ because it really is very important.

Just plain fun ~ @big_ben_clock, @dullestblog, @newsbiscuit, @phdcomics, @polljack, @TheOnion ~ people/websites I follow purely because their tweets make me smile/laugh/giggle.

So, any suggestions for similar fantastic people I should be following?

Get your twitter mosaic here.

The Google Earth Alphabet

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:31:00 +0000

More Than Medication - Breathing Is Good Too

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:59:00 +0000

In an unusual yet intriguing new advertising campaign, Pfizer reminds us that it takes more than medication to be well - remembering to stop, sit back and breathe sometimes can be a good idea.

Aliens, Predators, Death... It must be Christmas

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:37:00 +0000

New Alien Vs. Predator game out well in time for Christmas. Go on, make your bloke's day:

The Naturism Debate

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:33:00 +0000

More fun stuff from Dave TV:

Alan the Guitar Hero

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:32:00 +0000

What a fantastic video. If this song isn't being sung in schools all over the country by the end of the month, I'll be very surprised. Come on, we've all got a tiny Alan living inside us, right?

PHD Comics

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:34:00 +0000

It's been a quiet couple of weeks, and I've needed extra things to distract me from finishing the papers I'm working on. Luckily, I already knew about PHDComics, but had never had chance to read all ten years' worth. Not until last weekend, anyway. Suddenly, I discovered the storylines behind Tajel, Cecilia and friends. Whilst I don't necessarily advocate spending two entire days browsing the archives, you should go over there and take a look, especially if you're actually on some kind of academic research team.

Here are a few of my favourites:

The Dead Animal Game

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:24:00 +0000

Today, I was reading my friend's blog, which always amuses me, when I found something exciting. It's called the Dead Animal Game, and I can't believe I've never played it. Basically, when you go on a car journey, you add up points for who sees the most dead animals, and at the end of it all, the person with the highest death toll has won. Fantastic. Here are the rules:

The Dead Animal Game - point structure.

Birds - 1 pt (this is all birds, I dont care if it's an eagle or a sparrow)

Small wild - 2 pts (rabbits, squizzers, etc)

Reptiles - 3pts (a crocodile is a reptile. Sorry)

Domestic - 5pts (this includes dogs, cats, also farm animals such as cows and horses)

Medium wild - 7 pts (badgers and foxes)

Large wild - 10 pts (this usually only counts for deer, but if you play the game in the New Forest you could claim a horse on a technicality. Also camels, if you play in the desert)

Human - 25 pts (automatic win, but it's up to you if you want to claim them or not)

You can not claim the points if you kill the animal yourself.

And, for more fantastically weird stuff, head over to Carpe Dentum and read all about the exciting life of an aspiring wig-maker.

Probably Bad News

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Yet another hilarious and unavoidable website: Probably Bad News, which documents all those slip-ups that sometimes manage to make news reports and adverts hysterically funny. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Conmixed

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Oh no. The guys behind Failblog and Lolcats have now made Conmixed, which is just as ridiculous and just as addictive. Dammit. There goes all my spare time. Just when I was getting my Farmville addiction under control...

The Social Media Revolution

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:27:00 +0000

Waste

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:03:00 +0000

The photographs found at Tristram Stuart's site are enough to make all of us think about how much we throw away. He's also written Waste, a book detailing how we have created a global food crisis, and what we can do about it.

The book is available to buy on Amazon.

Seductive Caffeination

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Arriving home from work yesterday evening, I found a black envelope addressed to me lying on the doormat. This struck fear into my veins: 'Brown envelopes are bad enough', I thought, 'but what could I possibly have done to merit a black one?'

I had to sit down and have a nice cup of tea before I could summon up the courage to open the envelope. And when I did, it was from the lovely people over at Carte Noire. Enclosed was a sample of their coffee - which I already buy, being the best instant stuff I know of - and a bookmark directing me to the Carte Noire Readers website.

Visiting the site, I discovered that Carte Noire is living up to its 'Café Nommé Désir' reputation by having seductive types read scenes from romance novels. You can choose from Dominic West, Greg Wise or Dan Stevens to do your reading; there's a whole host of books to choose from, both classic and modern; and then all you do is sit back with your mug of Carte Noire, listen and watch.

Personally, I prefer to read my own books, and I'm not much of a romance fan, but it's a pretty cool idea. Head on over there if you're interested.

Egg Bacon Chips and Beans

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans is a site worth mentioning purely for its novelty value. A man travels around the country, having egg, bacon, chips and beans at different places and writing reviews about them. Pretty much all there is to be said about it, but somehow it's very intriguing.

Put-Pocketing

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:16:00 +0000

'Put-Pocketing' represents a new initiative brought into play by a team of ex-pickpockets who are now not only reformed but unusually generous. They use their old skills to travel around and place money back into the pockets of the public.

People who have been Put-Pocketed will find money - ranging from £5 to £20 - in their pocket or bag, along with a card from TalkTalk, who are sponsoring the scheme. It has been piloted in London since July 1st, and will continue there until the end of August before being rolled out across other UK cities.

And here's how they do it:

Texts From Last Night

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:20:00 +0000

Texts From Last Night is in a similar vein to F**k My Life in the addictiveness stakes. Its byline is: 'Remember that text you shouldn't have sent last night? We do.' Striking fear into the hearts of partygoers and their friends, TFLN is well worth a bookmark. It's hysterically funny, so long as you're not the one who ends up on there... a few examples below.

Are You Sure That Shouldn't Say 'Google'?

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:05:00 +0000

My First Dictionary

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:34:00 +0000

My First Dictionary has to be one of the most hilarious sites on the web. Set out like a kid's dictionary, it explains basic letters in words in a way that can only be described as novel. Below are a couple of examples, but it's one of those desperately addictive sites you'll be visiting again and again...

Social Media A-Z

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Redeye have compiled an A-Z list of how to get along with Social Media. It's worth a look; here are the first few letters to get you going:

Automate: Nothing wrong with setting up tweets in advance. Try http://su.pr.

Blog: Maintain one as a hub to get your point across. Then supplement with social media.

Comment: On any platform, a quick comment is good for your social media karma.

DM: On Twitter, it’s customary to send a direct message to thank a new follower. Never use automated messages.

E-mail: It’s not dead yet. Sign up at posterous.com and be reminded how powerful it is.

Follow and friend: When someone follows you, follow back. It’s social media. Be social.

Get busy: Building a large network requires hard work, unless you’re Ashton Kutcher.

Read the rest at their site.

DJ Mick

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:11:00 +0000

DJ Mick is a fantastic place to spend time. By 'spend', I of course mean 'waste', but no matter: it's fun, sometimes it's informative, and often it's damn sexy. With sections including Girls, Sport, Music, Travel and Tech, there's something there for everyone. Personally, I'm addicted to the 'Laughs' section, which is often the reason behind me snorting at my desk. One of the most hilarious recent posts is this one about signs that get lost in translation, examples of which can be found below:

...And How Not To Use Social Media At Work

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Via DJMick

Using Social Media to Get a Job

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:53:00 +0000

A handy tutorial on how to use social media to help you find a job. In other words, an excuse to play on Facebook all day...

There are some useful tips though; and with more and more companies moving a lot of their work online, it's important to be aware of the impact your social media profiles can have on helping (or hindering) you when trying to find work.

Recipezaar

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:04:00 +0000

Recipezaar is just heaven on the Interweb for anyone who's a bit of a foodie. As many of you will know, I spend most of my time deciding what to make for dinner in the evening; it's the thing the back of my mind works on while the front of it is working on... well, work.

Anyway, head on over there and have a look; there's a thriving community and a lot of exciting things added daily. So far, I've done the Salmon & Brie Pie, the Garlicky Spaghetti and the Endive Pasta. All were roaring successes.

And look! You can add things to your Cookbook, so you don't have to faff around with bookmarks and things:

Want to Know How Popular You Are?

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Popuri.us is an excellent little site that gives you all sorts of useful info about any site whose URL you type in the little box, including the Google Page Rank; Alexa Rank; Quantcast Rank; Google, Yahoo! and Technorati backlinks; Del.icio.us bookmarks and Bloglines subscribers.

So, if you're a curious type, head on over there and see what your site is worth!

Buzzhunt

scarlettdecourcier@googlemail.com (Scar) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:36:00 +0000

If, like me, you spend a lot of your time trawling the Interweb for news of the latest fails, weird stuff and general funnies; or, indeed, if it's your job to do so (also like me), you'll find Buzzhunt absolutely fantastic. All sorts of amusing pictures, videos, and news, as well as some witticisms that will keep your cynical side smiling.

Go on then. Off you go.