Sideswipe: January 6: For a flat white ... that's not right

We've all been in need of a coffee fix - but parking on a median strip for 10 mins in a busy city? Er, no, writes Brian.

Brian couldn't believe the scene unfolding before his eyes at 9am on Sunday at Ellerslie town centre. He writes: "Along comes a young, obviously very important couple in a new-looking Subaru, who were so desperate for a coffee that all normal common sense escaped them or they are so arrogant they felt actual parking spaces are only for lesser mortals. The car stops on the central flush median, doors open and the pair of higher beings head to a cafe for their morning fix, takeaway of course, because blocking the road for a brief time seems quite reasonable to them. One bus came through and had to slow right to a crawl and squeeze by. I watched the car for nearly 10 minutes in amazement that two people could think parking there for any amount of time was okay. When I suggested that this was inconsiderate and their actions were a traffic hazard ... they looked amazed at my impudence. As I was at their stupidity."

Police still on the wrong track

A reader writes: "I read recently that the AA believed the zero tolerance road-speed policing policy was counter-productive. I would agree. Would you not think that there would be a focus on high-crash areas, but the number of police catching people doing 53km/h on low-crash city streets (especially on the Shore) proves they still have it wrong."

In case you don't want to dip your toe in the water

Photo / AP

The Vigilant LilyPad pool thermometer and UV sensor at the CES show in Las Vegas links to your smartphone or tablet.

Plea to obscure speed cameras

In Australia a campaign to block mobile speed cameras from nabbing speeding drivers has launched. The "Block Their Shot" Facebook page, which already has more than 34,000 likes, wants drivers to obscure their view of approaching cars. The site features photos of motorists parked behind vans with their car hoods up pretending to have broken down, some more blatantly set up sun umbrellas, park boats, caravans or trailers, and even a cyclist fixing a punctured tyre, directly in the camera's line of sight. The site's founders claim that mobile speed cameras are not run by police but are a business run by private contractors in Australia. Between January and October 2014, the amount collected in speeding fines from mobile cameras in NSW jumped from about $310,000 to $1.35 million a month. Critics fear the campaign will make the speed-camera spots, already danger spots, even more treacherous. (Source: Telegraph Group Ltd)

Good read: If you are going to have an opinion about racism in the US you would be well-served reading this...

Picture this: They sure do love Downton Abbey in the US. A cake artist in Atlanta spent 18 hours making this elaborate cake - a bust of the Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess played by Maggie Smith ...

Video: "Perhaps it's just me," writes Damian. "But the NZTA has just released their first TV ad for 2015 and the whole thing seems to contradict itself: If the woman driving the car was going a little bit slower, wouldn't she have hit the teenage girl instead of just her bag? Hasn't speeding saved the day here?"

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