Sideswipe: May 13: Council car park

Council car park.

"Saw this creative parking by Auckland Council on the North Shore," writes Martin. "No-stopping lines have recently been covered by new seal and there is a side road with ample parking less than 50m away. I guess there are two sets of rules when it comes to our city leaders."

Nuked beverages still a blast to drink

According to a 1957 US government study entitled The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages, canned and bottled sodas and beers "could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion". The Atomic Energy Commission placed caches of consumer beverages around the Nevada Proving Grounds, then exploded one 20-kiloton and one 30-kiloton device there. The surviving beverages within a quarter mile of the blast were slightly radioactive, but "well within the permissible limits for emergency use".

What's the worst advice you've received?

1. "Hairdresser told me to put my hair in a pony tail and cut it on a full moon if I wanted it to grow faster. Never went back to her."

2. "Take out as much in loans as you need to for your dream school. You will instantly get a high-paying job out of college and pay them right back."

3. "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you WANT". It's really tough to work the McDonald's fryer in full astronaut regalia.

(Via @Home-Halfway)

Creative painting

"Saw this creative parking by Auckland Council on the North Shore," writes Martin.

Lost and found

"I hope your correspondent who left a camera on an Air NZ flight has it returned," a reader writes. "Last year my wife flew from Menorca on British Airways to London City Airport. She left her kindle in the pouch of the seat in front of her. Within 40 minutes of landing, she received a call from the airline telling her they had found it. Apparently crew search the plane for left-behind items before cleaners come on board."

Dog waste alert

Photo was taken yesterday at Waiatarua Reserve dog-walking area on Maria Rd. How long since that was emptied?