(Photo credit: Simon Beck)Are aliens giving up cornfields for cold, mountain air?

Nope. Turns out these incredibly awesome snow designs are the work of decidedly human artist Simon Beck, who takes the concept of a crop circle to new heights by strapping on a pair snowshoes and getting to work.

(Photo credit: loos.fm)

By Tim Hornyack, CNET

"Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves." (Exodus 5)

Imagine trying to build structures out of Lego-style bricks without being given plastic ingredients, and you'd appreciate what life was like in Old Testament Egypt. In modern-day Netherlands, however, Lego enthusiasts built themselves a block church that most kids would freak over.

By Jamie Stengle, Associated Press

Note: This an updated version of an earlier story

(AP Photo/Courtesy of Heritage Auctions)

DALLAS (AP) — The bulk of a man's childhood comic book collection that included many of the most prized issues ever published sold at auction Wednesday for about $3.5 million.

A copy of Detective Comics No. 27, which sold for 10 cents in 1939 and features the debut of Batman, got the top bid at the New York City auction Wednesday. It sold for about $523,000, including a buyer's premium, said Lon Allen, managing director of comics for Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction house overseeing the sale.

"This really has its place in the history of great comic book collections," said Allen, who added that the auction was high energy, with "a bunch of applause at a couple of the top lots."

You didn't expect Nintendo to let the launch of the PlayStation Vita go unanswered, did you?

The Sony competitor held a pair of online presentations Wednesday to tout new software that's on the way to its 3DS system (as well as the Wii) and deflect attention away from Sony's new, bleeding-edge gadget.

In Japan, company CEO Satoru Iwata unveiled the latest in the Brain Training series. The formal name of the game (as well as the release date and platform) wasn't revealed, but the company did show off a taxing segment dubbed "Devil Training" that focused on concentration and memory.

Showtime, Sony.

The company newest video game handheld, the PlayStation Vita, officially launched in North America, Europe and Latin America on Wednesday. Sony hopes the powerful device will strike a chord with portable gamers who want a more robust experience than what they're currently getting from rivals Nintendo and Apple.

Do you have a closet full of dusty old board games? Ever wonder if any of them are rare enough to set up you up with a nice pad on Millionaire Estates? Or should you just assume they're only worth Monopoly money? Read on for some tips to tell the trash from the treasures.

Usually, there aren't a lot of deals to be found on a system's launch day.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Sony)As early adopters and die-hard fans scramble to be the first on their block to have the latest gadget, companies capitalize on that fervor and have no trouble commanding full retail price, usually for several weeks or even months.

But the launch of the PlayStation Vita is a bit different than other devices.

Sailing into the headwinds of a hyper competitive market and plenty of skepticism, Vita's launch on Wednesday will be accompanied by a buy 2, get 1 free sale at GameStop locations nationwide -- and it doesn't just include what you might think of as "second tier" titles.

You know a game is a hit when it sells on eBay for higher than its retail price. You know it's a smash when pieces of that game are commanding premium pricing on the auction site. But when six of those pieces sell for well over $1,000? That's when you've officially got a monster on your hands.

Activision is in that fortunate position as six Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure figures in the U.K. have sold for £797, roughly $1,260. And the winner will have to toss in another $50 or so for shipping.