Sideswipe: April 1: Nerd night light

A glow-in-the-dark night light shaped like a Tardigrade (eight-legged segmented micro-animals) looks like a classy piece of science-nerd art during the day, but turn it on at night and it glows a reassuring green colour. (Via Archie McFee)

Plastic-sheathed cucumbers. Why?

Telegraph cucumbers - also called hothouse, seedless or European cucumbers - are generally considered superior to regular cucumbers. And priced accordingly. And while they are often several inches longer than their garden-variety counterparts, the differences go beyond size. According to The Spruce Eats, telegraph cucumbers have much smaller seeds and thinner skin, which gives them a sweeter flavour than classic cumbers. But that extra fine skin also means they're susceptible to getting nicked, bruised or otherwise damaged throughout the packing and shipping process. Which is why rapping them in plastic provides an extra layer of protection. In fact, plastic wrap can extend their shelf life, too - still be in great condition after some 10 days in your refrigerator. But um, single-use plastics are bad so alternatives are being sought. A company called Apeel coats produce with a lipid-based liquid that essentially mimics and amplifies what a natural peel does: seals in moisture while warding off air.

Nickname mayhem

1. "A kid came to our school. Said his name was Stephen. Someone said: 'We already have Stephens. We're gonna call you Bill.' It stuck so much that his three younger siblings were called Little Bill, Tiny Bill and Lady Bill their entire tenures at school."

2. "I played football with a lad who was called Moses by all his friends because he wore sandals once when he was 9. Another was called Barney for years after he wore a purple jumper."

3. "A guy I went to school with got the name Pickle when a teacher took attendance. Someone heard his name as Dill instead of Bill and they asked: 'What, like a Pickle?' That's all it took."

4. "At Uni there was a guy everyone called 'Tax'. He was an accounting major, so I figured 'ok, makes sense' … After he graduated, I found out he was Greek. His actual first name was Taxiarchis."

5. "I knew a guy named Kelly who tripped walking up a flight of stairs and broke both of his elbows. He was from then on known as Kelly Elbows."

6. "When my friend Elizabeth joined our rugby team, she showed up to her first practice wearing jeans. There was already an Elizabeth on the team so everyone called her EJ for 'Elizabeth Jeans'. She's gone by EJ for close to two decades now."

La de da school

Switzerland's Institut Le Rosay is generally considered to be the most expensive school in the world, with the annual tuition per student surpassing $130,000. Known as the "school of kings", King Juan Carlos of Spain, King Fuad II of Egypt and King Albert II of Belgium were all students here, as were the Shah of Iran, the Aga Khan and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, among others. Institut Le Rosay is the only boarding school with two campuses, a sprawling complex in Le Rolle, on the edge of Lake Geneva, complete with Olympic-size swimming pools, tennis courts, shooting range, an equestrian centre, and a £40 million concert hall, as well as a winter campus in Gstaadt, where students spend most of their afternoon skiing. There are 150 teachers per 420 students and the average class has fewer than 10 students.