Sideswipe: March 30: 'Pimp your rides'

Catchy copywriting spotted in The Bay Chronicle.

Catch of the day

Robyn writes: "My 9-year-old son Ben went fishing on the weekend. We have since enjoyed two meals of snapper thanks to the clever boy. But his catch included a cellphone. I very much doubt it would ever work again but Ben is convinced the owner could still get it fixed, so ... if anybody has lost a black Nokia clam phone overboard on the Auckland side of Rangitoto, Ben would like to return it to its rightful owners (bless). If he hasn't returned it he hopes to sell it on Trade Me for $30."

Meat-cleaver massage?

Some Chinese believe being struck with a meat cleaver is considered good for you. Tapping the sharp edge of a cleaver on the flesh is said to benefit the skin and muscles and to be relaxing. The Huayuan St night market in Hsinchu, Taiwan, this month promoted the healing method, attracting large crowds to this often spectacular performance. The "doctor" holds a cleaver like a pork butcher and strikes the patient with the sharp edge ... (Source: http://www.whatsontianjin.com)

Turning Twitter into toilet paper

A couple of Aussie blokes have come up with Shitter - a startup that, for just $35, will turn a tweet stream into four rolls of toilet paper. The homepage tagline reads: "Social media has never been so disposable." Said founder David Gillespie: "Obviously this is fairly tongue in cheek, but we're reasonably pleased we monetised Twitter in a way that avoided advertising." A great way to transform and improve @LawsMichael.

Rules are rules

A few years ago, I went into the nearest Ticketek office to buy show tickets, only to be told they were sold only by phone. I said: "My car is right there at the door, so if I go out there and call on my mobile, I can get the tickets?" I was told yes. I headed towards the door, but the woman said I could use the phone on the wall. So I picked up the receiver and as she called out the phone number's digits, I dialled them. She answered, just a few feet away and I told her I wanted to buy tickets for the such-and-such show. Absolutely deadpan she said, "Sorry but that show is all booked out".

Hidden dangers of paper cuts

"I too was surprised when my employer told me to fill out an ACC form for a paper cut," writes a reader. "Turns out it was well founded; another worker had to have their finger amputated due to a paper cut getting infected. Had she filled out an ACC form, she could have had a much easier ride. I guess you just never know!"