Sideswipe: Feb 16: The reason he's not texting you

Maybe that big red telephone from last century is not text-capable.

Larva has last laugh on toad

Wired.com has a feature called "Absurd Creature" and their latest living thing is a toad devouring a larva of a much-smaller beetle, but the "absurdity" is that the larva has all the power and the toad will soon be beetle food. The larva's evolutionary advantage is that while inside the toad allegedly being consumed, it paralyses the hapless "predator" with its hooked jaws and then secretes enzymes to begin decomposing the toad's tissue (making it edible) - and provoking it to vomit the still-alive larva.

Crowd protects relics

St Valentine triggered a bitter row in Italy when a bishop tried to remove his remains from the church in which they have been kept since the 17th century. The Rt Rev Giuseppe Piemontese planned to temporarily transfer the saint's relics from the San Valentino Basilica in Terni, Umbria, to a cathedral 4.8km away, prompting an outpouring of anger from parishioners. Dozens of angry churchgoers descended on the basilica, positioning chairs around the glass coffin containing the remains, and holding hands to form a human barrier. After pressure from the local community, the relics remain in San Valentino Basilica.

(Source: Daily Telegraph)

Motorcyclist's crater ride documented

In response to Doug, who wanted information on a motorcyclist who rode into the Mt Eden crater, Paul sourced this: "A good performance was put up last Friday (September 23) by Roy E. Champtaloup, who climbed up the inside of the crater of Mt Eden on a 2 o.h.v. Rudge motorcycle. It was not a test of riding ability so much as to prove the power which a small, high-efficiency engine can develop. The ride was made straight up the side of the crater, a distance of 120ft., the angle being 62 degrees."

(Hawera & Normanby Star, September 27, 1924)

Chris was shopping at the big red shed yesterday. "Somehow I feel that even at a 'reduced to clear price' of $2.97, books on weather in 2015 are not really a bargain?"

Picture this: "I was trying to make it look like we were kissing through the lamppost. I bent my legs so our faces were about the same height. It didn't come out so well."

Video: The fallen of WW II is a data driven documentary which tallys up the tens of millions of people whose lives were lost in the war. And see how these stack up to other wars in history , including recent trends in recent conflicts. Utterly fascinating and a great visualisation of difficult-to-comprehend numbers...

Video: Massive wave hits ship... (NSFW language)

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz