Sideswipe: December 14: Wednesday gets Lego immortality

The two characters from the new Adams Family spinoff, Wednesday on Netflix. Photo / Supplied

Passing Lego

In 2018, a science experiment went viral because it involved six doctors swallowing Lego heads just to see how long they would take to pass through their digestive systems. The most common thing ingested are coins, followed by plastic toys. There was already research in how long it took to poop out a coin, but none on plastic toys. While the research is semi-worthy, the real motivation for the study has just been revealed: The thrill of an article that might be published in the famous December issue of the British Medical Journal, where odd and often funny studies are highlighted. The group of paediatric doctors agreed on co-ordinating their bowel movements and their methods of searching through them. And they had to choose their toys. And with a Lego head, you want one that looks kind of shocked and scared as it goes down.

The two characters from the new Adams Family spinoff, Wednesday on Netflix. Photo / Supplied

Brazil fans go large at Fifa

Brazilian fan goes large at Fifa. Photo / Supplied

Intuition saves lives

“My former teacher was in Japan on vacation and about to go home. He got to the airport and just felt that he shouldn’t get on his flight — something told him to push it back to a later time, so he rescheduled for a later flight. He had a bit of a stomach ache and nausea, but just figured it was from something he had eaten. Nothing to be concerned about. Two hours later, his appendix burst. He was rushed via ambulance to the hospital for emergency surgery. If he was on that flight, it would have burst while they were in the air over the ocean.”

Shared viewing is dead

The BBC is preparing to go online-only over the next decade. “Imagine a world that is internet-only, where broadcast TV and radio are being switched off and choice is infinite,” says Tim Davie, the BBC director general. “I imagined — it sounds like hell,” says Pete Lavender.