geekosystem

Hailing from Washington, I can happily confirm that yes, as you may have heard, it rains quite a bit there. Somehow, though, we mostly get by just fine. Now, a University of Washington meteorologist has run the numbers to find that our NFL team has not only found ways to live with the rainy, wet conditions that are par for the course in the Northwest -- they actually thrive in them. The playoff bound Seattle Seahawks are more likely to win home games in rain or snow, and not by just a little.

No need to bring in the FBI or Mel Gibson, because these intricate, crop circle-like patterns in the snow weren't left behind by aliens with a knack for artistic design. British artist and competitive orienteer Simon Beck has been making these trampled snow art pieces since 2004 at the Les Arcs ski resort in France. Relying on computer mapping and the years of orienteering skills under his belt, Beck is able to create precise geometric patterns in the snow based on his projections and local landmarks in the area. And the only tools that Beck uses when out in the field is the pair of snowshoes on his own two feet. Too bad the only thing we do with snow is throw rock salt on it which, last time we checked, is an unappreciated art form.

While Curiosity has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention lately, it's worth remembering that everyone's favorite rover isn't the only one doing cool stuff with Mars. When it's not getting some glamour shots of its ground-based cousin, the Mars Reconaissance Orbiter (MRO) is still finding out all sorts of neat things about our nearest sibling in the solar system, like confirming the suspicion that Mars has instances in which it snows dry ice -- carbon dioxide that has frozen at temperatures below -193 degrees Fahrenheit.

There's a pretty incredible story floating around the Internet today about a 45 year-old Swedish man who was rescued from his car after apparently being trapped inside without food for months. Some snowmobilers came across the vehicle buried in snow on a forest path, not far from the northern city of Umea. His rescuers were surprised to find someone inside, wrapped in a sleeping bag, and even more surprised when the man managed to gasp out that he'd been in the car since December 19th.

Residents of the northeast U.S. coast got a bit of a surprise this past weekend when a freak snowstorm dumped a load of heavy, wet snow well in advance of November. The storm, dubbed Snowtober, apparently broke records across the coast, dropping 32 inches of snow in some areas and leaving over 3 million homes without power. Amazingly, this storm actually did more damage in some areas than Hurricane Irene did. Now, a totally different view of the weather comes from NASA's Terra satellite, which captured the above image on October 30th. Doesn't seem so bad from up there.

You've had a hard day and a harder week. Fortunately there are these completely adorable red pandas to make everything better. (via urlesque)

Here's a metaphor for the two-way relationship between new and old technology if ever we saw one. One snowy day in Pennsylvania, a tanker truck got stuck in a snowbank and couldn't move. The truck was rescued by the unlikeliest set of allies: An Amish man and his four draft horses. (Jalopnik via TDW)

It's been a rough winter, and it's only going to get worse. See that big, white, fluffy mass that looks delicious dessert topping smeared over most of the Easter and Midwest United States? Keep that positive thinking going because that's a massive snowstorm that is making life very difficult for the next little while. NOAA and the Weather Channel are calling for snow, freezing rain, blizzard conditions, and have even issued a tornado watch for portions of Louisiana. 'Thundersnow" is so last week. Welcome, friends, to Tornadsnow. (via Gizmodo, image from NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center)

Anonymous attacks things from time to time; to make a point, to flex e-muscles, for whatever reason that takes Anon's fancy. Well, take this, snow. Being someone who hails from the sunny, snowless beaches of south Florida, I can get on board with Operation Frozen Vengeance. Down with snow!

(Wonder-Tonic via Laughing Squid)

London, Ontario is presently being whammied with a whole lot of snow. Canadian Press reports that parts of the city have already been hit with 70 cm of snow [27 inches] since Sunday, and that another 40 cm [16 inches] are expected tomorrow, for a total of over 40 inches of snow. Wow. The city has held off on declaring a state of emergency, however.

Russians jumping off of a five-story building, into an enormous pile of snow, and then getting up and running around. What sport! Until the police show up.