Sideswipe: March 25: The Lichen Look

The Lichen Look. Spotted by Kaye at Sunnynook Shopping Centre on Friday.

Strange but true

1. In 1997, 62 shipping containers full of 4.8 million Lego pieces fell off a boat and have since been washing up on UK shores. Coincidentally, many of the lost Lego were nautically themed.

2. The Chinese police have started cloning particularly effective police dogs in the hope that it will reduce training times and costs.

3. The iPhone App Store launched in July 2008. By December of that year, there were 50 different apps purely dedicated to making fart noises — some bringing in almost US$10,000 ($14,542) a day.

4. According to the British Museum, the character in Edvard Munch's The Scream isn't actually screaming — the person is trying to block out the piercing scream of nature.

5. Researchers at Bern University of Arts have discovered that Emmental cheese exposed to six months of hip hop while it is maturing has a stronger flavour and aroma than that exposed to Mozart or Led Zeppelin.

(Via Quite Interesting @qikipedia)

Sex education on the big screen

Malcolm Bell of Forrest Hill remembers this shared viewing moment in a movie theatre in London in 1968. "A group of university friends go to see an X-Rated movie. At one point the hero and heroine start to have sex in a particular 'position'. Not particularly explicit; very tame by modern standards. There is an older couple sitting in the seats in front of the students. The woman leans over to her husband and says in a stage whisper, 'We've never done it that way'. His reply of, 'When we get home', is followed by several minutes of raucous laughter from the seats behind him and a warning from the cinema manager to quieten down."

The joys of parenting

Who wants cup of vege?

Allan's experience of the 'No Food in Kettle' sign in the motel in NZ made me smile, writes Christine from Howick. "Forty-plus years ago while on holiday in Rotorua we struggled to find accommodation in the city. The only option available was a room in an annex of a well-known hotel, but the only cooking facilities was a kettle. We had been given some smoked trout by a friend and bought a packet of frozen mixed vegetables to go with it, now we had a dilemma, how to cook them. We used the kettle in the room with some degree of success until the vegetables started jumping out of the spout. Dinner was delicious. Did my best to clean out the kettle but it must have been in a sorry state."

Video pick

John Clarke was a genius. Here he is trying to sell Temuera Morrison a car in Never Say Die…

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz