Sideswipe: January 8: Natural lawn mower

"Two sheep tied to a tree, working hard to keep Glen Innes' berms beautiful and tidy!" says Priscilla Bilby.

Flash gear can't replace commonsense
A sniggering wife writes: "Kevin takes his new boat out for the first time. It has all the flash gizmos like an automatic anchor winch because he's tired of pulling up the anchor manually. So, he presses the button and the anchor goes down. Works beautifully. Unfortunately the end of the anchor rope isn't tied to anything ..."

That looks strangely familiar ...

A reader writes: "I just watched an episode of Criminal Minds on TVNZ OnDemand. Tragedy unfolds when a jet, filled with passengers, crashes in a remote area near Durango, Colorado. Cut to shot of hospital entrance [pictured right] where the survivors were taken ... hang on, isn't that Auckland City Hospital? Long way to bring someone from a plane that crashed in Colorado."

False eye helps fend off bullies
A yellowtail rockfish at the Vancouver Aquarium was being bullied by other fish because it has only one eye. So head veterinarian Martin Haulena sewed a bright yellow prosthetic eye in. "We find that when fish are blind in one eye, and there's no visible eye, other fish will recognise that and actually attack them from that side," he explains. "Cosmetic, for sure, but there's definitely an animal welfare component to putting in the prosthetics." (Via Scientific American)

Good Samaritan goes fishing
Deb Preston writes: "On Sunday at New World Birkenhead, I saw this man digging in the drains looking for a set of keys that were not his, but those of a very distraught woman who had lost them. I went and did my shopping and when I came back he was still digging. He had fashioned a scraper tool and then someone came with a rake. Finally he found a set of keys, but alas they were not the woman's, so he kept going. After picking through all the slush and yuck from the drain he found them. What a good guy. Oh, and if you have lost a set of Kia car keys, you should check in with Birkenhead New World - they have been rescued by this great Samaritan."

Michael saw this in a restaurant in Rotorua. "I know 1.5 to 2 per cent is the norm, but 10 per cent? Ouch."

Local: Buzz writes: "Check out this massive billboard Westfield, Albany put up near my work." The sign is the size of a house yet they missed this er, digital enhancement?"

Video: This guy is a lawyer in Santa Rosa California. A real one. He probably thought 'I'm a funny guy, I can make a funny a web ad..How about with a talking dirty-talking novelty doll? It's bound to go viral'...It did, but not in the way he'd hoped...(NSFW)

Video: With the third movie in the franchise released this week, Taken gets the honest trailer treatment...

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