I've been aware of the Hitchhiker series from a young age, from both snippets of the TV Series and discussing the show in my middle school English lessons. I'd never had any interest above that in either the series or the book (or the film as I have just discovered) until I saw this Reddit post. It gave me a little chuckle so I thought "Hey, I'm in my summer holidays from work, might as well do something useful" so I got myself a copy of 'The Complete Trilogy of 5' and started on the first book in the series.

The first thing I noticed was how little the book has aged. It doesn't seem dated and its ideas of what futuristic space travel may look like are the same ideas that you would expect from a modern-day space-opera. You don't find yourself laughing at what the author, Douglas Adams, thought the future of the universe may look like as it's very modernly written even though the novel was published in 1979.

“Ford!" he said, "there's an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they've worked out.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

This is the first book I have read that gave me a good few chuckles here and there. Douglas Adams portrays typical British humour through the novel in the form of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox. A third of whom are human with the other 2 being alien life-forms. Dent is whisked away from Earth by his close friend, Ford Prefect, who is aware of a plan to destroy Earth in favour of an inter-galactic bypass. The book follows the pair's hitchhiking through space upon escaping the ashes of where the planet earth once was, using Prefect's trusty copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

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I found myself reading this book for a chapter a night due to time constraints but it was the sort of novel that you could easily pick back up and know what was going on, in spite of a few unfavourable lengthy words here and there. It's a cheery take on an over-done plot in film; the destruction of Earth by alien life.

The ending of the book seemed a bit too abrupt for my liking but since the second novel was published the following year I'm not too fussed as it's sequel 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' was published the year after the original novel so I'm sure it was meant to be immediately followed upon in the next instalment. I for one cannot wait to get onto the next book and bring you my thoughts yet again.

There are another four books in the series by Adams for me to read, plus a sixth published posthumously in 2006, so there's plenty more for me to get my teeth into now that I've finished the novel. I plan to slowly but surely work my way through the huge universe that Adams created, which all began from a 1978 BBC Radio 4 comedy show

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to venturing further into the series, perhaps having a go at watching the series, film and maybe even the original radio show.

Have you read this novel? What did you think?

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5) - Us

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I was a bit sceptical when I first went to see this film since it was written and directed by Jordan Peele, the same director from Get Out (2017) which, despite its fantastic reviews, I thought to be a bit of a bore with not much substance. To my pleasant surprise, Us was a fantastic film which had its own original story and fantastic twists here and there. I would thoroughly recommend this film if you're looking for a modern horror this Halloween.

4) - Halloween III: Season of the Witch

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The Halloween franchise is usually seen as one of the standards in Halloween films, and not just because they share a name. Many people consider the third Halloween film one of the most disappointing of the series since it doesn't feature the franchise's poster boy, Michael Myers. The thing is, Halloween was originally aiming to be an American Horror Story-esc anthology series of horror films. If you look past the absence of the title character you will see that Season of the Witch is a tense thrilling horror film filled with masks just as creepy s Myers'.

3) - Cube

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I came across Cube by chance on Netflix when I was looking for some kind of different horror film to watch. It follows a group of strangers who wake up inside a series of coloured and connected cubes which no idea how they got there. Some of the rooms contain Saw-like traps which a mathematician in the group can predict based on serial numbers on the gaps connecting the cubes. If you're looking for a weird cult horror film to watch have a go at Cube.

2) - The Collector

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A run of the rill Horror film. The Collector follows a family and robber who's house taken over by a masked serial killer 'the collector' who booby-traps the house with morbid, lethal contraptions in a bid to prevent the family from escaping. A sequel to the film was released which I have yet to watch but I'm looking forward to the sequel and the recently announced 3rd film.

1) - Jigsaw

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Jigsaw is the latest instalment in the Saw franchise and serves as a kind of rounding-off of the first 7 Saw films before the franchise is rebooted with Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson in 2020. Not that well received, I kind of mean my top spot to go to the entire Saw franchise as a whole. I used to think that Saw was nothing but a bloody-gory mess with not much substance but after paying attention to the story it involves I must admit I was wrong. Saw is a story of tragedy turning into murder. I don't think I need to push these films to anyone as I'm sure most people have seen one of the instalments themselves.

What's your favourite horror film?

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1) If population growth continues at the same rate (1.1%) then we will have used all the particles in the known universe within the next 8,604 years

It's hard to believe. There are not enough particles in the visible universe to support the rate if human growth for more than 8,604 years. This number doesn't even take into account other types of life on our planet and possible other planets. This was a figure recently calculated on Numberphile by Tony Padilla.

2) The sum of all natural numbers (1+2+3+4+5...) is equal to -1/12

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/01/the-sum-of-1-2-3-4-5-until-infinity-is-somehow-112/

This is a bit of a controversial one. It's a bit of a counter-intuitive idea. The proof is...strange? To say the least but it does work. Check out the proof for yourself, again from Numberphile and let me know what you think.

3) A Googol (1 with 100 zeroes after it) is a larger than the number of particles in the universe

It is also where Google got their famous name from. A Googolplex is written as 1 with a googol number of zeroes after it. There is literally not enough space in the universe to write down the number in it's long form. It is just too large.

4) If you stretch out all of the DNA in your body you would have enough to reach Pluto and back 17 times over

Why would you not want to?

5) The number 0.999... is the same as writing 1

This carries one of the quickest proofs I have ever seen.
N = 0.999...
100N = 99.999...
99N=99
N=1
0.999... = 1

6) You can fit all of the other planets in our solar system between the Earth and the Moon

Providing you take the distance where the Moon is at it's farthest from us then you can fit every single planet in the gap if you were to place them pole-to-pole.

7) The coldest any substance can be is -273.15 C

Otherwise known as absolute zero this is the lowest temperature that any substance or object can reach. This is because the atoms have no energy at this point, meaning it is impossible to lose any more energy (heat). Absolute zero is set at 0 in the Kelvin scale and equates to -459.67 F.

8) The sum of any 3 consecutive numbers is divisible by 3

For example: 3+4+5 = 12 which is divisible by 3. The same also works for the sum of any 5 consecutive numbers being divisible by 5.

9) Venus is the only planet to spin in the opposite direction to Earth

It also takes 243 days to rotate, the longest in the solar system. This makes a day on Venus longer than a year on Venus (225 days).

10) If someone is asked to pick a number between 1 and 10 chances are they will pick 7.

This is because they wouldn't choose 1 or 10 cause that's too obvious. 5 is in the middle so that's out. it's not going to be an even number so 2,4,6 and 8 are gone, leaving 3 and 7. 3 is too small of a number so 7 takes the gold.

5) Phantom Hourglass

The 2007 DS release may not be objectively one of the best Zelda games but it was one of my favourite DS games growing up and probably one of the titles I put the most time into. This game does a great job of appealing to both the casual/new fan as well as the experienced Zelda player. Full of diverse Islands to explore this game is a great follow-up to the 2002 release The Wind Waker.

4) Majora's Mask

Being the darkest game in the series, 2000's Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to 1998's Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask offers a darker game full of depressing references and a terrifying moon face. The game is only the second game in the series to not be set in Hyrule. It gives you a completely different feel to other games in the set and attracts a different style of gamer. The game was such a fan-favourite that the game was updated and released on the Gamecube I 2003 and the 3DS in 2015.

3) Breath of the Wild

Released in 2017 on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch, Breath of the Wild was the first non-handheld Zelda for 6 years since the release of Skyward Sword in 2011. The game quickly became regarded as one of the best titles of any game of all time, rated at #5 in IGN's all-time top 100 list. The game is the first fully open-world title in the franchise and one of the few titles to not hold your hand and guide you through the story. I completed the title's main storyline in just a few days when I first got it on the Wii U. It's an addictive title that rewards testing all the different mechanics in the game.

2) Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time was the first in the series to follow the art-style and 3D semi-open world that it did. The game is considered one of the most important and influential video games of all time. The game forms the basis of the whole timeline of the series where the timeline is split in three, after which the majority of the games take place. The game eventually takes a dark turn and then continued this trend into its Majora's Mask sequel. Ocarina of Time is again considered by some as the greatest of any game of all time, but of course, this has since been taken over by some more recent releases.

1) The Wind Waker

Photo by Ryan Quintal on Unsplash

My personal favourite, and my childhood game, The Wind Waker. I played this game a fair amount on my GameCube when I was younger, only being able to complete it when I was older. The game is the first feature of the new cell-shading style along with 'Toon Link'. This new art style was risky and was originally considered the downfall of the game. Eventually, fans came around to the idea of the new, beautiful style and supported further sequels involving this style. These include The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. The Wind Waker received an HD remake for the Wii U in 2013 which only further improved the visual style of the game.

Do you agree? Tell me your top 5 in the comments.

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What is it?

Game Off - Celebrities is one version of a set of games created and promoted by Captain Fats. The game is centred around a group of family or friends having to perform different tasks in order to collect each of the 5 types of card in the game. This version of the game is based around British, or well-known in Britain, celebrities or historical figures. Other versions on offer include Adult, German/Spanish Celebs, as well as of course the original game.

These 5 types are Mind, Body, Courage, Skill and Luck. I won't be listing out the full rules of the game 1-by-1 here but the objective is to challenge someone else in the group, determined by a dice roll, to play against in order to obtain one of these cards.

Each card relates to a certain type of challenge which can be summarised as:

Mind - Coming up with the best idea or answer to a specific scenario.
Body - Doing something physical or in a race against your opponent.
Courage - Performace sort of challenges. Singing, doing impressions.
Skill - Challenge along to lines of draw something, make something, think of something.
Luck - As the name suggests, it's luck. You don't have to do anything to win this card, you simply get it if you beat our your opponent in whatever characteristic is on the card.

The rest of the group take a vote on the person they think completed their challenge the best and that person wins the card. This is why 3 players are needed as a minimum. In the event of a tie, a luck card decided the winner. The first to collect one of each type of card wins!

What did I think?

Now, I managed to play this game with the minimum of 3 people, I would have preferred more but for obvious reasons that aren't workable currently. (Note: If you're reading this from the future, google the history of 2020). Anyway, the game definitely had the feel of a party game.

The rules were quick to pick up and the 3 of us were promptly getting competitive in an attempt to beat out the others. As with most games, of course, some cards offer more fun than the others. My personal favourite that I had to do was the 'Ronnie O'Sullivan Off' where my opponent and I had to take turns hitting the dice with pencils into the game's box, like in snooker. I won this of course.

The Mind cards were especially fun too as they allowed to debate and argue your case, vying for the judge's vote. I can see a few heated discussion cropping up among a larger group of friends and a few drinks.

The game doesn't take too long, it depends on how many players you have and the speed at which you perform the tasks. For our game, it took up about 20-30 minutes since there were a lot more opportunities to win the 5 cards and there was only 1 vote needed to decide the winner each time.

Once able to start-up my group's Friday night table-topping session I will certainly introduce the game to the mix, I would love to see how this plays out among a group of 6+, all of whom are have a 'jolly' time of it.

I believe this game would be perfect for students at university looking for something to spice up their pre-drinks or for a family get together at Christmas.

Due to the nature of the game, replayability is not an issue unlike with question0based card games, making the price point acceptable in terms of how much game time you can get out of the set.

You can pick up the game for the price of £12.99 on Amazon by clicking the link below.

Click here or below to get yourself a copy of Game Off - Celebrities from Amazon!

Note: I was sent this product to review. I try to write all of my reviews as honestly as possible but it's important to be transparent when I was given the product for the purpose of this review.

Follow @MrAdrianJones

via Coindesk

Hello! My name is Steve from stevesincomestreams and Adrian has been kind enough to invite me to talk with you all about Cryptocurrencies. I'd like to explain how they work and how they can be part of your financial strategy.

You may have heard about these mysterious things called "Cryptocurrencies" in the news - anonymous money that seems like it can quadruple in price over night! Luckily, it's not as complicated as sensationalist media may have you believe. A cryptocurrency is any form of currency whose transactions are cryptographically validated by a decentralised network. More simply put, it is a type of money that derives its “authority” as real money from a mathematically proven history of transactions rather than the arbitrary say-so of a centralised authority. This kind of money gives power to everyday citizens to control our currency.

The first technology to use this concept on a large scale was the famous Bitcoin. Since its transactions were validated by math and not bankers, there was no way for the government or anyone else to track who owned which Bitcoin when. This anonymity revolutionised online economics and naturally lead to a black market, while also having legitimate uses. After the government’s crack down on the largest Bitcoin vendor, the Silk Road, Bitcoin went largely clean and is used for legal purposes in the vast majority of transactions.

The mechanics of Bitcoin involves two groups: the miners and the users. Miners are the people who connect their computer to the Bitcoin network to validate transactions. Since these transactions must be mathematically unable to forge, validating transactions requires an enormous amount of computing power. When the network was small and there were few miners competing among each other to validate a “block” of transactions before other miners did, many people just mined with laptops. But as more transactions flowed in and more miners entered the game, people switched from graphics cards to specially built mining cards and eventually were forced into pooling their resources among miner allies. Miners get rewarded 25 Bitcoin for validating a transaction, a vast sum that now ends up getting split among 1000 or so pool mates.

This serves the dual purpose of introducing new Bitcoin to the system as well as validating transactions. Miners tend to sell their rewards off for fiat currency or other cryptocurrency and the newly mined Bitcoin enter the system of users, being traded and used for purchase.

As an open source project, Bitcoin opened a world of opportunity for developers and to a whole world of altcoins all claiming to make improvements off of Bitcoin’s model. These improvements include new validation algorithms, new ways to distribute coins and coins revolving around drawing support to special causes. I hope to take you through all these altcoins over time, but for now I hope you have a solid understanding of cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin.

For more tech insights, financial advice, and general tomfoolery check out stevesincomestreams.com and @StevesStreams on Twitter!

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Every writer wants their work to be read. If you’re a writer, you’d surely want to share your ideas with the world. You want to see what the world thinks and how they receive it.

Your tweets in Twitter are an excellent way to voice your thoughts and communicate, but they have a character limit. You don’t get a chance to showcase your blogs. There are so many people with their work out there that yours gets hidden within the pile.

Below are a few ways you can increase the audience of your blog through Twitter.

1. Cleverly using #Hashtags

The use of hashtags originated from Twitter to categorize messages. They’re a way to keep updated on the latest trends by using keywords. You can also engage with your audience with the use of hashtags. People love to read about trending items. They also love to comment on them. Hashtagging your keywords is a great way to keep your blog under radar.

Hashtags also help the search engine pick up your keywords. They’ll be showcased above others and you’ll get more engagement. Brands follow this strategy and use unique hashtags to increase their following. You can do the same. A point to remember, make sure that the hashtag and the keyword is written without space. For example, # assignment services UK isn’t correct. #lovemyblog is the correct version.

2. Catchy Headers

Be sure to come up with a catchy title which will make a follower want to click on your blog. It doesn’t help if you have a boring or generic headline. Even if your content is amazing, a follower might not want to click on it, judging by its title.

People also like to read about things not usually talked about. Certain provocative articles have a larger audience. It would attract a lot of attention to your blog if you talk about a taboo topic or something contrary to popular belief.

People also like to read about self-help tactics. So if you wrote an advice sharing blog, it would help if your article started with “How to” or “nth number of ways” etc.

3. Quotes by well-known people

List a quote spoken by a famous celebrity or some popular name. It makes your content sound more believable if a famous party has acknowledged a topic and spoken about it. Retweeting something a celebrity said is also a way to get attention of the fans as well.

Mention quotes in your blog and hashtag the celebrity. People will be curious to see how you portrayed a famous person. You can also use “@” mentions to include other Twitter users or celebrities in your tweet.

4. Verified Accounts

You will have a lot more followers if you have a verified account. If you have an official web page for your blogs, you can link your twitter ID to your page. Twitter will contact you to verify your personal ID.

Once you are verified, you gain a lot more credibility. A blue checkmark appears beside your name, verifying the originality of your account.

You also get an ability to view information about your followers and monitor their activity. You can receive direct messages from your followers. In this way, you can see what your followers are interested in. You can also talk about issues your followers are interested in. You’ll get more popularity if you are known to listen to your followers.

5. Images and Videos

Social media has proved that the usage of visuals is a great way to keep your followers engaged. People love to see pictures relating to the topic. You can also create GIFs, a format which supports animated images.

Make sure the image is attractive and related to your blog. Write a teaser to your blog, and ask fans to click on the link if they’re interested to read more.

Twitter is a great way to generate traffic to your blog. What’s more, if you are a particularly active user, you’ll gain even more attention. Post regular tweets about your topics in the forms of teasers to gather more curiosity. Your followers just won’t be able to get enough of you!

About: Kaelynn Bailee is a part time social media blogger, extremely passionate about technology, digital and social media trends. She’s also a passionate writer and loves to write on culture.

5) - Us

4) - Halloween III: Season of the Witch

3) - Cube

2) - The Collector

1) - Jigsaw

What's your favourite horror film?

1) If population growth continues at the same rate (1.1%) then we will have used all the particles in the known universe within the next 8,604 years

2) The sum of all natural numbers (1+2+3+4+5...) is equal to -1/12

3) A Googol (1 with 100 zeroes after it) is a larger than the number of particles in the universe

4) If you stretch out all of the DNA in your body you would have enough to reach Pluto and back 17 times over

5) The number 0.999... is the same as writing 1

6) You can fit all of the other planets in our solar system between the Earth and the Moon

7) The coldest any substance can be is -273.15 C

8) The sum of any 3 consecutive numbers is divisible by 3

9) Venus is the only planet to spin in the opposite direction to Earth

10) If someone is asked to pick a number between 1 and 10 chances are they will pick 7.

5) Phantom Hourglass

4) Majora's Mask

3) Breath of the Wild

2) Ocarina of Time

1) The Wind Waker

Do you agree? Tell me your top 5 in the comments.

What is it?

What did I think?

Click here or below to get yourself a copy of Game Off - Celebrities from Amazon!

1. Cleverly using #Hashtags

2. Catchy Headers

3. Quotes by well-known people

4. Verified Accounts

5. Images and Videos

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