Sideswipe: March 16: Trooper takes dog for stroll

Sideswipe - ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz·NZ Herald·

15 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Stormtrooper out for a leisurely stroll. Snapped in Blockhouse Bay.

Blown away by lengthist app

With the cyclone pending, a reader tried to sign up for the Civil Defence phone app ... "I kept failing because it said my last name has to be at least 4 letters (my last name is 3 letters)! Many Chinese and Korean names are short like Lee, Kim, Tan ... I was really frustrated so I entered my last name as Princess and only then was I able to sign up."

About as funny as an Adam Sandler film ...

Pranking is a great way of being awful to other people and then claiming it was all in innocent fun. The Right Time prank pregnancy test is the ultimate in meanness. "Designed to give positive results under any circumstance and is a great gag for you to play on your husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents or anyone else that you feel like joking. The tests could be used as a joke at a bridal shower, bachelorette party, or any other shenanigans you may have in mind. Using urine on the test is not necessary because it was manufactured to turn positive using any liquid that is not too acidic."

Blue Light Disco on Harbour Bridge

"It is Auckland's 175th Anniversary and so someone decided to decorate the Harbour Bridge with flashing lights. Not a bad idea, but who was the absolute numpty who decided to make the lights the same red and blue used by police cars? Last Friday evening drivers approaching the apex of the bridge were suddenly slowing down, anticipating an existing incident and almost causing a new one."

Vote with your feet

"The council is actually using this as a method of determining whether Aucklanders are in favour of a 'basic' or 'advanced' transport plan," writes Nick D'Angelo. "Have a close look at the picture - they've effectively blocked off the footpath requiring you to go through one or the other. Fair enough if you want to get a result but what result are you getting? How many of the people walking down the footpath are paying attention to the aisle they're walking through - or even know its significance?"

Cats' unfair advantage

Scientists found cats didn't like human music so made music for cats which was set an octave higher than the norm ... Max Cryer writes: "Human adults in good health can hear noise of 20,000 cycles per second. Dogs' ears can identify cycles up to 40,000 per second. Cats leave them all behind - their ears sort out sounds up to 100,000 per second. This is an aid to tracking high-squeak creatures such as mice."

Tumblr: A site where snippets of real Hollywood casting calls are shared, shows what type of TV and films parts there are for women ..."She must be enough of a visual aesthetic to be a believably the prey of a stalker."

Trade Me: "Assorted jars with yellow lids" or ...

Lists: The 50 most sickening songs according to Dutch anarcho-punk band The Ex and described as, "most heard in gas stations and supermarkets, creating physical discomfort."

Picture this: Potential locations for a Super Villian hideout...

Video: Ambush fishing...