Light after the storm

The weather has been very moody lately, sunshine, rain, storm, sunshine, clouds, sunshine, thunderstorm, rain, rain, sunshine, clouds... But I love the way the colours of the world are illuminated by the returning sun.

Photo courtesy: shenqiflow.gaia.com

Buienradar Nijmegen

When to cycle home? Have a look at the Buienradar.nl

Weather for Roskilde Festival

Every year there is a fear of rain (check out some muddy pics from 2004 or 2007 and you know what I mean), but the perfect weather for Roskilde Festival is not just to have sunshine for the whole week. With just a few consecutive dry days the festival becomes one big dusty cloud - imagine 100.000 people walking aroud on dry dirt for a day or two. For the festival weather, we rather want some raindrops once in a while, to cool the people down he he, and to keep the dust on the ground. Above you see the current weather forecast that includes the first couple of days (Sunday through Wednesday) and in my opinion, it looks like very decent weather for the purpose. :o)

See you at Roskilde Festival!

Cool in NY

NY is cool, in many ways, especially in the early spring. So I wear my bonnet to keep my ears warm. But NY has not failed to realise that spring IS here, so the sun is shining bright most of the day. I bought myself a pair of BIG fancy sunglasses for $3, which not only save my late-night-dancing-eyes from the merciless sun, but also make me look almost as cool as New York.

Hold været

Four days more, and I will be off to Norway for my skiing holiday. Lets hope the weather will behave and be none of the hot or cold extremes we experienced the past two years. Check out the local Norwegian weather on TV2 Vær.

Seasonal tea

The cold and wet weather invites to drink more tea than usual, not only to stay warm, but also to maintain the cosy atmosphere of the seasonal preparations. I like to try out the different seasonal teas that are currently available in the shops, not only mass-produce like the nice 'Autumn Storm' from Pickwick, but also different christmas blends and the 'Spicy chocolate chai' from Simon Levelt.

Arrived in NY

What a bummer to arrive before the hostel check-in opens (I _really_ need a shower after the eight hour flight). And the weather here is extremely hot - 29 degrees feels like a day for ice creams and non-stop ice tea.

Meanwhile in Copenhagen: The Copenhagen Cooking Festival

The coriolis myth

You may have heard, or you might even have been taught by your physics teacher, that the coriolis force is the rotational force that makes water rotate down the drain in one direction on the northern hemisphere and in the other direction in the southern hemisphere. However, I am sorry to tell you, it is a myth.
There is indeed a coriolis effect, and it does indeed affect particles in opposite direction on either hemisphere, but it is not strong enough to make the water run down the drain in a particular direction. The direction in which the water poured into the tub, the shape of the tub, and even small perturbance by objects in the tub all have a larger effect on the direction of rotation.

Read more about:
The Coriolis Effect - by wikipedia
Bad Coriolis - by Bad Meteorology
Does the water go down the drain...? - by Everyday Mysteries

Bright idea

Philip got struck by a bright idea during lunchtime today: He will start a lightning company. Customers can approach the company with orders of lightning to strike at specific locations at specific times. The cost of the service will depend on the charge and precision of the strike. Expected customers are fun fairs (in competition with firework events) and private people who wishes to surprise or scare a friend with teeny weeny lightening charges that make your hair stand out in a funny-looking way.

Of course, the company needs a flashy name, maybe something like Thor Inc...

Photo courtesy: Will and Guy's Favourite Lightning pictures

560km traffic jam

Holland has a serious traffic problem. Too many people commute by car every day, leading to very dense traffic on the highway and frequent traffic jams. When the weather changes rapidly or turns bad, like in the winter, it is even worse. Yesterday, after one and a half month of no rain, the sky opened for a refreshing day of rain. The traffic was affected by this to a total of 560km of traffic jam in the morning, where there is usually 'only' 180km on a normal day. The 560km of trapped cars made it to the top ten of the worst traffic jams ever in Holland.

Read more: Topdrukte op wegen door regen
Photo courtesy: sandaigprimary.co.uk

Last chance to see

I went off the beaten track, just one more block west, and walked down 9th avenue. The streets were not very busy and the sun was shining. At a local flea market I found one more New York souvenir: a small box of NY photos from the 1930's. By the time I finished browsing the stands, I was freezing cold, so on my way further I stopped into every deli on the way to get a cup of tea. Now it is snowing and I am on my way home.

Titel courtesy: Douglas Adams

After the storm

One week ago there was a big storm over Europe, including the Netherlands. Trees were slain, houses damaged, people killed. The weekend after the storm, the weather was mild with sunshine and spring temperatures. Then at the beginning of this week, there was no wind, the temperature dropped, and several places the traffic had problems with the slippery roads. But the weather was silent and still.

... and now it is snowing.