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A German man who hurled his computer out of the window in the middle of the night was let off a charge of disturbing the peace by police who sympathised with his technical frustrations. Police in Hanover said they would not press charges after responding to calls from residents in an apartment block who were woken by a loud crash in the early hours of Saturday. Officers found the street and pavement covered in electronic parts and discovered who the culprit was. Asked what had driven him to the night-time outburst, the 51-year-old said he had simply got annoyed with his computer. "Who hasn't felt like doing that?" said a police spokesman.
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A good reason never to go to Salzburg - the hills are alive with the Sound of Music 24/7 since the launch of a TV channel screening The Sound of Music non-stop. The Julie Andrews classic will be shown in hotels and guesthouses in the Austrian city where it was filmed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round after 70 per cent of tourists said in a survey that they went to Salzburg purely because of the film. (Source: Ananova.com)
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The White Stripes wrapped up their tour of Canada with a pretentious stunt. They set up a full stage, got in a crowd and then played a show that was just one note long. Jack and Meg White played the note F to a crowd who fortunately had not paid to witness such narcissism, then the pair announced they had "now officially played in every province and territory in Canada" and left the stage. Hundreds of fans showed up for the last-minute event despite being warned that the show would be just one note. (Source: NME.com)
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Georgina Monro writes: "After reading Sideswipe the other day, I felt sorry for the woman who was on the motorway trying to fix her tyre while hanging on to a horse with no one coming to her aid. Then yesterday I found myself in a similar situation (without the horse). My car died suddenly in the middle lane heading south, traffic every which way, hazard lights not responding, totally stranded until a very kind Maori gentleman with a ponytail, driving a white ute and wearing a safety vest with 'Highrise Construction' printed on it, came to my aid. He stopped the traffic (with the help of a very nice policewoman) tied a tow-rope to my car and got me safely out of the way. What a hero!"
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A reader responds to the sign "Signals Livening Monday" in Sideswipe: "Transit New Zealand may have come up with an unusual usage of the word 'livening', but it has been around a while. The Oxford English Dictionary first reports it in 1705 and it means 'cheering' or 'brightening'. I assume some motorists at least will be cheered up when the signals start operating." Andrew Culley adds: "Are you suggesting that 'livening' is not a perfectly cromulent word? I have often said we would all be embiggened by more livening."
Today's Video Webpick:The White Stripes set up full stage to play a one note concert. Cheeky buggers. Watch it here
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room
