Sideswipe: March 11: A vision of dog

"Best example of untouched natural art I have ever seen," says Don Mackereth. "Husky in the wood of the door of a friend's hunting hut."

"Best example of untouched natural art I have ever seen," says Don Mackereth. "Husky in the wood of the door of a friend's hunting hut."

You looking at me? I don't think so
Computer security company AVG has developed two kinds of anti face-recognition eyeglasses, to help protect your visual identity in the digital age. One uses infrared LEDs in the frame to dazzle video cameras. The other uses retro-reflective materials to bounce back a camera's flash. This means the eyes will be surrounded by a halo of light that will also make it hard for computers to tag a face. Currently at the concept stage, the need for such devices is only increasing. On Google Maps' StreetView you can already see people on the street with their photos pinned in the public domain. Facebook's DeepFace technology will soon introduce a much improved system for identifying faces and give private corporations power to not only recognise us, but also cross-reference our faces to other data found online.

Mmm... breakfast in bed.

Senator an email virgin
Republican Lindsay Graham does not have to worry about becoming mired in any sort of personal email scandal. The 59-year-old senator from South Carolina not only doesn't have a personal email account, he says he's never sent an email in his life. Graham was talking on NBC's Meet the Press about Hillary Clinton's exclusive use of a privately operated email account to conduct business as Secretary of State.

Wondered why it was a bit tough on the teeth...

Aussie who posted himself back home
According to News of the Weird, in the mid-1960s, Reg Spiers posted himself from London to Australia to cheaply return home in time for his daughter's birthday. "The cost of a plane ticket was cheaper than the cost of shipping such a heavy crate, but Spiers knew he could send the crate cash-on-delivery, so that payment would only be required once he was in Australia. His plan succeeded. When he arrived in Australia, the crate (with him inside) was put in a shed from which he managed to escape and hitchhike home. He never had to pay the shipping fees."

Video:

The hula hoop craze hit New Zealand in 1958 and this clip from the Hocken Collection shows a family trying them out while on holiday in Otago. The kids make it look easy, but the grown-ups... not so much...

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