The BBC starts selling the Micro Bit, Vladimir Putin parody gets booted off Twitter, Simply Hired is simply no more, OkCupid assigns you flavors, and Tinder spawns its first superhero.

The BBC Micro Bit Is Available to Buy

You can no pre-order your own Micro Bit, with the BBC turning its micro computer into a commercial product. The Micro Bit is a tiny computing device similar to the Raspberry Pi. The BBC has already given 1 million Micro Bits away to schoolchildren, but is now making them available to everyone, for a price.

The Micro Bit is available to buy from the manufacturer element14, as well as a number of other licensed resellers. The main Micro Bit board, which contains a 32-bit ARM CPU, 25 LEDs, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, programmable buttons, a USB port, and Bluetooth capability, is priced at £13 ($19). Other starter packs and add-ons are available.

Just like the Raspberry Pi, the Micro Bit is designed to get people coding. To that end, the Micro Bit supports Microsoft Touch Develop, JavaScript, and Python, giving youngsters a chance to try some programming languages out for themselves. There isn't currently a U.S. reseller, so those of you outside the U.K. will have to get hold of a Micro Bit another way.

Twitter Protects Putin from Parody

Twitter has suspended an account parodying Russian President Vladimir Putin, and another parodying Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Parody accounts have always been a thing on Twitter, and as long as they clearly state they're a parody to avoid any confusion, Twitter lets them be. But not this time.

The Putin account, @DarthPutinKGB, posted tweets lightly mocking Putin and the Russian authorities. Radio Free Europe posted a collection of its tweets, including such gems as, "Russia has cut defense spending. Attack spending remains unchanged," "As it's International Women's Day, ladies that don't reject me won't be sent to the gulag," and "Leonardo DiCaprio isn't good looking enough to play me".

The author of the parody account posted a response to the suspension on the accompanying Darth Putin's Blog [Broken URL Removed], saying:

"This is a Russophobic stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists! I will be back. (insert swear word that won’t offend @support)!!"

It's not yet clear why these two parody accounts have been singled out for attention. Someone clearly complained in order to put them on Twitter's radar in the first place, but Twitter hasn't yet explained its reasoning behind the suspension. And it probably never will. In the meantime, other parody accounts may want to make sure they're complying with Twitter's rules.

Simply Hired Is Simply Shutting Down

Simply Hired is shutting down, with the job search engine disappearing on June 26. Simply Hired currently has around 30 million monthly users across 24 countries, but this wasn't enough to keep the company in business.

According to TechCrunch, at least part of the business is being acquired, but we don't yet know who's behind the acquisition. Simply Hired is simply telling interested parties to "watch for a press release," which is exactly what we will now be doing.

In the meantime, you can always use Facebook to find a job, use LinkedIn to find a job, or even come work for us here at MakeUseOf!

OkCupid Knows Your Favorite Flavors

okcupid-flavors-screenshot

OkCupid has conjured up a new way of narrowing down the field of potential dates, letting you choose the "flavors" of people you might want to grab a drink with. Quickmatch Flavors being groups of people with a couple of things in common.

The first round of flavors includes "Hardcore Cuddlers," "Cunning Linguists," and "Hipster Vegans". The idea being that one hipster vegan is much more likely to find love in the arms of another hipster vegan.

Quickmatch Flavors is available now to OkCupid users logged in on desktop or iOS.

Tinder Spawns a Superhero

And finally, what if the last app you accessed spawned a superhero? Well, if the last app you used was Tinder then you're in luck, as the Rooster Teeth crew have brought Tinderman (for want of a better moniker) to life. If he swipes right on you you'll end up in bed together, but if he swipes left you're in trouble.

Tinderman starts out using his powers to enact vigilante justice. But he then stumbles upon a plot to take over the world using bots. And eHarmony is behind it all. Will Tinderman succeed? Maybe, as long as his friends Bumble and Grindr are on board. And Grindr is definitely on board. [H/T Reddit]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Will you be buying a BBC Micro Bit? Should politicians be fair game for parody on social networks? Have you ever used Simply Hired? Which OkCupid's flavor appeals to you? Can you think of another superhero inspired by modern technology?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

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