Sideswipe

The debate on the sundial outside Remuera Library continues (see first article below).

The debate on the sundial outside Remuera Library continues, with Jim Sprott replying to criticism from retired associate physics professor Dr J. Brian Earnshaw. Sprott says the good professor missed his point.

"The direction of the gnomon on a sundial must be such that the shadow cast by the sun falls on the hour scale engraved on the face of the sundial and parallel with the direction of the engravings. But on the Remuera Library sundial, the gnomon points the other way. So the sundial doesn't work. See the two photos attached, taken at midday Tuesday. As the gnomon on the library sundial is currently positioned, there is no shadow at all on the hour scale - in bright midday sunshine! The gnomon is pointing the wrong way. When I went to the library today to take the photo, a group of people clustered round. A grateful library staff member rushed off to get a screwdriver, and asked me to fix the sundial then and there. However, the dial is cemented down, and more than a screwdriver will be needed! But I did demonstrate to the staff member how the gnomon should be positioned, by means of a protractor set at the correct angle (see photos above). Note that the time on the sundial at midday actually reads 11am. The reason for this is that (as many people are unaware) New Zealand has been on permanent half-hour daylight saving since the 1940s."

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Whatever you think of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, it's hard to fault them for raising awareness of the plight of the poor.

In a move bound to create a media frenzy, "Brangelina" have agreed to sell the rights to the eagerly awaited photos of their newborn daughter to raise money for charities aiding African children.

The photos, expected to fetch millions of dollars, will be licensed to media worldwide by Getty Images, which says it will make no profit from distributing them.

Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt was born on May 28 in a hospital in the southern African nation of Namibia, where an army of paparazzi descended in the hope of capturing their own photos of the child.

In a joint statement, Pitt and Jolie said: "While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognise that two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives. These children can be saved, but only if Governments around the world make it a priority."

Despite their movie star ways, you can't really fault these two when it comes to helping the less fortunate.

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Reader Erin Surtees writes: "I have just finished reading your column.

My daughter is 6 years old today. 6/06/06 and turning 6! I don't think she's the devil though. More of an average child with an extraordinary birthdate. It will happen for her again when she's 66!" Oh well, it's only a numbers game.

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Daniel Cruickshank writes: "I am quite baffled that Rodney Hide keeps advancing through Dancing with the Stars despite being an object of ridicule. I am now convinced that either David Benson-Pope or Richard Worth is operating 'war dialling machines' to keep ringing up the hotline so poor Rodney is forced to stumble through another week of dancing, embarrassing himself. It's beyond comprehension that the sane public would repeatedly vote to keep Hide on the show, unless they have a thing about inflicting pain on politicians between elections."