Sideswipe: Aug 24: Adult education

The unfortunate bus branding. Photo / Supplied

Unfortunately-branded bus picking up primary school kids in Arrowtown. Snapped by Mike.

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The Oxford English Dictionary has added new entries; some you may know if you're down with technology.

Retweet verb: (on social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a message posted by another user).
Sexting noun: the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone.
Cyberbullying noun: the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
w00t exclamation: (especially in electronic communication) used to express elation or triumph.
Textspeak noun: language regarded as characteristic of text messages, consisting of abbreviations, acronyms, initials, emoticons, etc ...

Soaking up a few radials

A lifeguard at Daytona Beach, Florida, ran over the head of a woman sunbathing on the beach. The woman wasn't badly hurt, but it was the third accident on the beach in about a year involving a patrol truck and a sunbather. Officials say they may stop using the big trucks on the beach. (Source: Reason.com)

Cross an Italian at your own risk

Paul writes: "I mentioned to the guy on reception in my hotel in Rome that the local drivers scared me by driving across the zebra crossing when I had the signal. He said: "We Italians are good drivers. We might come close but we will not hit you. Step on to the crossing as soon as you have the signal and walk at a steady pace. Do not stop, do not run and above all, never make eye contact with a driver. They might think you want to play chicken."

Pedestrian etiquette 101

The Road Code spells out motorists' responsibilities, says Bob. "It also provides pedestrian rules - namely if within 20m of a pedestrian crossing use it and don't dawdle or step out suddenly. Common sense also dictates that pedestrians stop at the edge, look both ways and wait for vehicles to slow or stop before crossing. Don't cycle, skateboard or stop for a chat on crossings and get off ASAP. Ignore this and increase your chances of being one of the 40 pedestrians killed or 1000-plus injured on our roads annually."

Countdown texts explained

Regarding Noel's Telecom pre-paid mobile being charged $7.75 each time he received a text from Countdown. Countdown has assured Sideswipe that all its promotional texts are "zero-rated" which means its customers are not charged for receiving text alerts. Noel was misinformed about the charges.