Sideswipe: June 14: Riders in a swarm

Photo / Supplied

Cyclists always seem to complain about cars driving too close, says Jo who encountered this scene on Waitakere Rd, in Taupaki. "I had slowed down from 100km/h to 70km/h then down to 40km/h to sit behind them. The guy on the outside had seen me but didn't even attempt to move over. My daughter took the picture because it is such a common sight in Kumeu."

Keeping viewers in the dark

A reader from Howick writes: "One News has a practice of showing us live scenes of the main centres during its nightly weather reports. This is understandable during summer (daylight) hours when the weather can be observed (cloud, wind, rain etc). However, during the winter all we get are pictures of a dark city, with twinkling lights. Why do we need to see the same boring picture every night?"

Sceptics don't understand

"There are people who really believe that things like the BioDisc [in yesterday's Sideswipe] actually work," declares this reader. "My father-in-law has a Perspex device about the size of a shoebox, with an imbedded gold network that he 'charges' from mains power. It's supposed to do all these wonderful things. To go with it he has a palm-sized replica that is 'charged' by standing next to the original. He carries the replica with him wherever he goes to keep him healthy and give him energy. He swears by it and scoffs at my scepticism, but then there are people who believe in UFOs."

Pays to count the sheets

Good to know: "Confuse-the-consumer works with toilet rolls," says one reader. "Some jumbo packs with 18 rolls have 190 sheets, whereas the 12-or-less have 220. Definitely paying more for less."

A pause to pay tribute to a life

The question of the most environmentally friendly way to deal with a dead body was raised on the site Ask MetaFilter and a nurse talks about how valuable a cadaver is: "She had been a very small lady, and so we had to be so careful. In the end, there is a very simple ceremony students can attend honouring the life, contribution, and cremation of our subjects. It was overwhelmingly emotional and I remember my lab partner reached over and held my hand, and [in a way] we felt like her family. She had shared so much of herself. It wasn't something we talked about, but it was a palpable feeling." (Via kottke.org)