Sideswipe: December 28: Auckland nuked

Life hacks for people with a strong gag reflex

"I couldn't swallow pills until a month ago and when I finally did it my mum applauded me with tears in her eyes and wrote it down in my baby book. I'm 23. Here's a trick: Many pills float. If you take a swig of water and look down when swallowing it's easier because the pill floats to the top so is closer to the back of your throat. Looking down also gives you more swallowing power. If you look up, your swallowing muscles are extended and cannot contract as much, providing much less ability to swallow well." (Via Ask Reddit)

Meanwhile in Iceland

Hangover cure STAT!

Bananas may be the best hangover cure. Alcohol blocks the production of a hormone that helps your body hold on to water, leading to dehydration and the loss of electrolytes like potassium and sodium. Bananas are especially rich in potassium and can help replenish your body's stores. Because of its high fructose content, honey may improve hangover symptoms and fructose may help rid your body of alcohol more quickly. And eating blueberries and salmon may help fight related inflammation. Millennials will be pleased to know that eating avocados can help raise low potassium levels from alcohol consumption and dehydration and contain compounds that protect against liver injury. So smash those on a ciabatta the morning after. (Via healthline.com)

Two things you need to know today

In Denmark, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is known as The Boy Who Drowned in Chocolate Sauce ... And smartphone users have filmed themselves being able to unlock their phones with their nipple, rather than their fingerprint. Nipples, like fingerprints, are unique.

This Jesus statue in Poland also provides internet to nearby villages