Sideswipe Extra: Oct 22: Watch your step
Watch the fence. Photo / Supplied
Yeah, right.
Burger fraud fears
A reader writes: "Bought a couple of burgers last week at McDonald's - on my credit card - and because it was under $35 I did not need to sign or enter my pin. As stated on the bottom of the receipt. This is a little bit of a worry as anyone can use anyone else's credit card and go on a McDonald's binge up to this amount. Is there something I just don't get here?"
Blow dry or WiFi?
"I work in IT," says this reader. "My wife called me at work to let me know that the internet wasn't working. I asked her if she had any error messages, whether the wireless bar on the computer was showing up. Then I asked whether she had touched the router and was told she hadn't touched it. I then asked what lights were flashing. She said she didn't notice anything. Then I asked if it was plugged into the telephone line. It was. Finally, I asked when it was last working ... just before she washed her hair. She had unplugged the router to use the hairdryer."
Flammable sunscreen
We slop on the sunscreen to avoid getting burnt, but this sunscreen had the opposite effect ... CBS News reports that Brett Sigworth caught on fire while barbecuing after applying Banana Boat Sport Performance spray-on sunscreen. "I walked over to my grill, took one of the holders to move some of the charcoal briquettes around and all of a sudden it just went up my arm," Brett Sigworth said. Energizer Holdings, the maker of the Banana Boat sunscreen, is recalling 23 varieties of the spray-on sunscreen products.
Brothels sponsor soccer
A soccer club in cash-strapped Greece thought it had found a way to keep up with the bills by signing sponsorship deals with two brothels - but it is not being allowed to wear the shirts. Voukefalas Larissa's new kit is bright pink and emblazoned with the logos of Villa Erotica and Soula's House of History. By contrast, their rivals turned to kebab shops, a jam factory and a cheese maker to see them through the season. The club's president Yiannis Batziolas said: "Unfortunately, amateur football has been abandoned by practically everyone. This year, because of the more general financial crisis, that has affected us greatly."
Excuses, excuses
John Moran of Waiuku writes: "During the 1950s we all used trams in Auckland. I was at school at 10am one morning when a fellow pupil arrived late for class. The cane was the standard punishment for late-coming unless one had a very good excuse. This boy's excuse was that he got the heel of his shoe stuck in the tram track, and had to slide his foot all the way to the end of the tracks to free his shoe! The teacher was so overcome with laughter, as we all were, that the lad escaped the usual punishment."
Local: He's a bit tall for a hobbit, but Comedy Central's Stephen Cobert has still scored himself a part in our Peter's trilogy. Dude even speaks Elvish.
Sleep Zodiac: What does your sleeping position say about you?
Classic clip: This TV ad for Salon Kingsadore, Invercargill will be remembered by any male who had a perm in Southland in the 80s...A three of them.
Stocking filler: Poems written by cats? I Could Pee on This is the name of a collection of poems by various anonymous cats and includes: "Why Are You Screaming?", "This Is My Chair", "Some of My Best Friends Are Dogs" and "Who Is That On Your Lap?". Real book, but not really written by cats.
Video: First world problems as voiced by third world people...
It is worse than just $35. The amount the banks will let you pay at Macca's without a pin is $60. I went into the bank to ask them about it. They said that the chip in the card provides security so a pin isn't needed for >$60. Currently it is just at Maccas, though they hope to bring it into other places soon eg K-Mart where you can just tap the card on the side of the eftpos machine and it takes money. Next logical step was to ask whether I could disable the function, or lower the function and was told there is no way to do that.
I am still trying to figure out how the magic chip in the card knows it is me who hands over the card to be swiped rather than some delinquent who has stolen the card. I did get a verbal promise that if my card was stolen and used fraudently because I extra each week for card insurance I 'should' get my money back. Just a money making scheme from the bank if you ask me!