geekosystem

There are quite a few people out there who are quick to point out that slipping on ice is never a laughing matter. Admittedly, they're half right in their belief, but what those killjoys fail to grasp is that it all depends on the context. See, when you fall down flat on your face when trying to traverse an icy surface, it's not at all funny. Now if someone else, on the other hand, takes a spill, then by all means, feel free to giggle a little bit -- even if this brief moment of relishing in another's public humiliation is frowned upon. Better yet, whip out the camera and start filming the poor saps getting acquainted with the icy concrete that, up until a few seconds ago, was beneath their feet. That's what one person did when some hapless pedestrians thought they'd make it across a frozen sidewalk with their dignity in one piece.

If you're travelling through Siberia in the depths of winter and your transportation breaks down, you pretty much have two options. 1)Freeze to death rather quickly. 2)Break out the vodka, start pounding shots like a frat pledge, and probably still freeze to death, but more slowly and with a better attitude about it. You can consider that second method now officially endorsed by elephants after a trailer carrying a pair of pachyderms from a Polish circus broke down in the bitter cold of the Novosibirsk region of Siberia, forcing their handlers to feed them cases of warm water mixed with vodka to keep them warm. The tricked  worked, and the elephants are fully recovered from their chilling ordeal, if probably a little hungover.

Located in New York, the Geekosystem team has been wondering why this winter doesn't seem very wintery. It has only snowed once in New York City so far this year, at an oddly early time toward the end of October, compared to this time last year when it literally snowed in 49 states. Right now, it is 45 degrees outside in New York City in the middle of January, with a high of 52. That's not very cold considering what happened in New Jersey a little over one year ago. Last year around this time, snow cover was at 50% across the country, compared to a measly 19% now. Why is it so not cold this year? Wunderground meteorologist Jeff Masters explains it has to do with an unusual jet stream over the last few months.

The city of Bergen County, New Jersey, is slated to become the most delicious smelling city in America. Provided, of course, that you are a fan of deli pickles. In the wake of a rough, stormy winter season on the east coast, the affluent enclave has turned to pickle brine as a cheaper alternative rock salt to keep their roads clear and navigable. From the Time Magazine newsfeed blog:

And the price can't be beat: the briny mixture costs just 7 cents a gallon, compared to $63 a ton for salt. Quick math works the pickle juice out to roughly $16 per ton [...]

This is just one more use for pickle brine after it's recent resurgence on the cocktail scene. If it can keep our roads clean and chase our shots, is there nothing that preserved foods can't do? Next up: 101 uses for putrefied shark fin. (via Time newsfeed, image via TeaWithBuzz)

Sitting around while moving nothing but your fingers all day can leave you with the shivers. Well, now you can continue your marathon of inactivity by controlling your thermostat from your phone! Oh, America. I shouldn't be quite so flippant about what actually sounds like a pretty useful application. Available for computers as well as iPhones (no word on an Android app), the Filtrete program is designed to set "temperature changes, four times a day, every day of the week. That’s 56 individual data points to configure on a small display with a minimum of input options." Which might be a bit much to deal with on a phone's touch screen. But think of it as a remote start for your car - if you're coming back from the airport in the dead of winter (say from a warm, sunny environment) the least you deserve is coming home to a warm house. So this would allow you to turn up the heat in the cab on the way home or even before that.