Jenny Archbold, of Bellingen, is not amused. She's fed up with reading or hearing the phrase "so fun". "What's wrong with 'such', 'great', 'good' â any number of alternatives, really? Even plain, unadorned 'fun' would suffice."
Does Sydney have a rat problem? Karen Carkner, of McMahons Point, agrees with Ian Campbell that it may (C8). "Rats around where I work in Surry Hills are quite common and I saw them three times in daylight in McMahons Point recently." She wonders: "Does the job of rat catcher still exist?" Perhaps, suggests Joy Cooksey, of Harrington, we need a Point "Pied" Piper to release his "sleeping magic" to rid us of the rodents.
More anti-scammer tactics. Glynn Stiller, of Bowral, listens to the scammer's spiel, then asks lots of questions. "Keep them on the phone as long as possible (my record is 23 minutes), then say, 'With all these problems, I'm glad I don't have a computer'." Camilla Barlow, of Mona Vale, tells the caller she's fetching the head of the house. "Leave him/her hanging on the phone. They always hang up after a minute or two."
Another request for C8 PhD calculators. Edith Crowne, of Turramurra, asks: "If 25 minutes' exposure to the sun provides the required daily dose of Vitamin D, what percentage of skin should be exposed to receive the required dosage?"
When it comes to calculations, Sandy Loyall, of Bangalow, loves not having to work out how much coal is used to make a cup of coffee (C8). "I pay a small premium to my energy provider so 100% of my power is from renewable sources. A cup of coffee has never before produced such a warm and fuzzy feeling." At the age of 74, Paul Hunt, of Engadine, says his favourite lines about ageing are: "Don't buy green bananas; don't buy any long-playing records; and don't start reading War and Peace." And he adds a little momentum on tea bag squeezing (C8), recalling radio presenter Bob Rogers' interview with Bee Gee Barry Gibb, who told of having tea at Barbra Streisand's home. "When he said he'd like a second cup, Barbra chose a just-used bag and squeezed it into Barry's cup." Perhaps he didn't bring her flowers.
And Stephen McMullen, of Wagga Wagga, adds: "Another use for tea bag squeezers â getting anchovies out of the jar."