Newsletter 8 -
Hi de hi one and all, I hope all's well with you and you aren't too gutted about Woolies going down the swanny.......rather unfortunate timing as it scuppers the annual jaunt to get some £5 bargain jobbies to keep the nieces and nephews happy on the feast of St Nick's. Can't say I'm too miffed about it all going Pete Tong for the boys and girls down at MFI, as they weren't exactly top-drawer were they now? It does, however, wipe out my repertoire of MFI jokes but when you've got.....'Waiter! This Chicken Chow Mein's rubbery'...'Thank-you very much sir'...up your sleeve then who gives a stuff....
Update
You can now subscribe to the 'link of the week' by clicking on the 'email link of the week' tab (funnily enough) on the RHS under 'Watch the introduction video'. You have the option of receiving it once (on Friday) or twice a week (Tues & Fri). Each link will be aided by a cartoon scribed by Stotty baby who, for a sagalout, does know the rules, it has to be said.
Some of you may not be aware that there is a facility on the site if you want something personally linked whether it be an individual fact or a category – the site is a place to share each other's wisdom.
Thinkalink was 'out & about' last week at Colet Court, the prep school of one of the UK's hothouses, St Paul's (in Hammersmith). I was in front of all 430 boys at their daily assembly and taught them the 12 Chinese New Years and the 10 Biggest Countries. It went down very well with them, which is great news, and I had them linking away like a bunch of good'uns. I also set them a competition to link the following two facts over the following few days and an 8 year old (!!!!!) came out with these little gems.........
The capital of Malta is Valletta.....I like Maltesers in my Vienetta
Ninian Park is Cardiff City Football Club's home ground......Don't be a ninny Ann, they prefer rugby in Cardiff.
This guy's a natural linker and at 8 years old, no less!!!! You top 10 linkers should enjoy your 15 minutes of fame because prodigies, like this guy, are going to take over the linking world.
How many other undiscovered talents are out there??? I have just suggested to the Times that they set a competition, alongside their Spelling Bee one (launched last month for March 09), to find the best linker for any fact whatsoever which they are considering. Oh we love this linking malarky don't we???
The video recording of the visit to the school is here and you can also view it on Youtube.
I'm not blowing my trumpet but I do recommend you see me in action, as it gets the message across very well and it's a lot of fun. I am a hyper freak but that's all part of the deal, I'm afraid.
Your chance to get involved
The site is a meeting-place for linkers & learners alike. So if you have a link for anything, absolutely anything, regardless of how random the fact is, then submit it and let's see what the punters think. If it's a rip-snorter of a link then it will go in the book (as will your name).
Feedback
I would love to get your thoughts and observations on the site, good or bad. This has been a passion of mine since 1995 and it's finally come to fruition which is hugely exciting. It's new territory for me so any guidance or tips on what does and doesn't work will be warmly received - please let me know at andy.salmon@thinkalink.co.uk .
Top Linkers
Congratulations to the following 10 linkers for having the highest average score, per link, for November.
The linker in the number 1 spot, come Dec 31st, will be crowned Champion Linker for 2008 and receive a trophy!
Claire is looking good for being crowned inaugural champ. The silverware will sit very nicely in her trophy cabinet, alongside her runners-up badge for the 'girls only' sack-race when she was 11 and her
'I completed it in under 30 seconds' sticker for the junior school sponsored 50 metre walk around the playground for Comic Relief in 1998 which raised £28.47......her loved ones will be so proud.
Bear in mind that this is how you will be known in the book. So it maybe worth changing your user name to your real name (& city) to prove to your friends that it is actually you! You can always keep the mystery going for a while....
1. Claire Adams, West Sussex, GB
2. Alan Newell, Bracknell, GB
3. Phil Isaac
4. Lester Fernando
5. alanjb
6. Charley Park
7. Shane Fernando, London, GB
8. Dominic O'Brien, World Champion Memory Man
9. Phil Stubbs, Derbyshire, GB
10. Jan Fowler Norwich, Norfolk, GB
Competition
Congratulations to Phil Isaac for winning a ton of cash for getting the four correct answers to the poser in the last newsletter which were:
Surrey, Afghan, Drake & Carmen
Here is the next competition
http://www.thinkalink.co.uk/content/competitions/competitions/competition-7-dec-08-open
Email me the answers (andy.salmon@thinkalink.couk ) and you will be entered into the draw for another 100 sheets.
Future Newsletter
Please let me know if you would prefer me not to contact you in this way and I will take you off my newsletter circulation list. If that is the case, please accept my apologies.
I’ll leave you with a couple of recent netbusters.....
Antonym means Opposite (usually word meanings i.e wet & dry)......Every year, Ant an' him fly to the opposite side of the globe to host 'I'm a celebrity....'
Port au Prince is the capital of Haiti........Mourinho: From Porto 'Prince' to the most Haitied man in football.
Misdemeanour is misbehaviour or a minor offence.......I think Mr Meaner (a lesser known creation of Roger Hargreaves) never being generous, is an offence, albeit minor.
Have a wey-hey of a weekend, one and all.
Sir Linkalot
