In a few words

We need baddies

Without ‘‘baddies’’, the world would indeed be a boring place. There would be no interesting plays, operas, movies, novels or even most musicals without them. We need to relate to ‘‘evil’’ people so that life is more spicy. I thought I would never say this, but bad can be good. Peter Bool

Halswell

Coining a phrase

Bitcom craze is upon us, even in these far-away islands. I understand that some smart or lucky speculators have made heaps of money, playing the Bitcom. Those lucky fellows must be liable for local income tax, so wonder how much money the old IRD will make out of it. I am sure that PM Ardern and friends would like some more money to give to needy, and not so needy, causes. Hans Andersen

Ilam

If not rodents . . .

I am sure much-maligned rats everywhere will be relieved to hear that they were probably not responsible for the Black Death (The Press, Jan 18). I believe the plague, which reached Britain in 1348 from Europe, was contained in flea-infected secondhand clothing brought into the country, since at that time such items were frequently worn by the poorer classes. Vic Smith

Halswell

Artificial intelligence

When robots answer back, and say ‘‘I want to talk to a real machine, not a person’’, then we’re in trouble. Glen McAdam

Kainga