A COLLEAGUE of the Insider readily admits that she has adopted the distinctive Jozi style of driving — where traffic rules are flouted at every turn — and so no one was particularly surprised when she racked up R1500 worth of traffic fines in quick succession.
Luckily the kind Metro Police do have some sympathy for their victims and provide a 50% discount for payment within 32 days.
So off she went to try and pay her fines before the 32-day period expired. And that’s where the problems started.
First she went to the police station, where they took a long look at her notice of infringement and shook their heads.
“Try Pick n Pay or Checkers,” they advised her, explaining that they didn’t yet have the proper system to facilitate payment of the fines .
The Pick n Pay cashier squinted at the form and also shook her head.
“There’s no EasyPay number,” she said, and suggested the Post Office.
The Post Office, too, turned her down.
And logging on to payfine.co.za, she found no results for her search.
However, with Christmas fast approaching, the Insider’s poor colleague is feeling a little cash-strapped.
She believes it might just be possible to ignore her fine altogether.
Get health tips from a toilet
A GROUP of Taiwan university students invented a flush toilet which not only accepts human waste, but also gives something back.
The toilet bowl, invented by students from the Kun Shan University and Southern Taiwan University, measures the user’s weight, body fat and heart rate, Reuters reports.
The measurements, taking only 30 seconds, begin as soon as a person sits down. A small printer on top of the water tank behind the bowl prints out the measurements.
The measure ments are taken by sensors embedded in the toilet seat, and are linked to a computer which sends the information to the printer.
The idea of a multifunction loo came from a Taiwanese professor who is not in good health, and must monitor his blood pressure daily, but found it troublesome.
The printer on the water tank can also play recorded music. Multifunction flush toilets have already been invented in Japan and China.
In 2005, Japanese sanitation equipment maker Toto and Daiwa House Industry jointly launched a multifunction toilet, which not only recorded the user’s weight and blood pressure, but also analysed urine for potential health problems.
Keep Santa from the kids
SANTA Claus should avoid kissing children and shaking their hands to prevent spreading the flu and should get vaccinated against the illness, Hungary’s state health authority says.
In a recommendation issued at the weekend and posted on its official website, www.antsz.hu, the authority did not ban traditional Santa Claus activities but warned of increased risks due to a flu epidemic.
Wise words
“The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.” British (Canadian-born) physician Sir William Osler (1849-1919).
More wise words
“There’s no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn’t tell you about it?” US cartoonist, humorist and journalist Kin Hubbard (1868-1930).
n E-mail gossip to: insider@bdfm.co.za