A couple of weeks ago, we posted an interview with Frank Warren of PostSecret, where we asked Neatoramanauts to submit their own questions.

Here are the four questions and a comment that were picked - these people will get a free autographed copy of the PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God:

1. Reflecting upon all the Post Secrets you’ve received, and the contents therein, what would you say is the underlying – yet unifying – character(istic) of humankind? (Asked by Sanyu)

Frank : All the secrets I have seen, almost half-a-million, have revealed a hidden landscape that we all recognize but don' talk about. They have made me aware of our rich inner lives and the stories of heroism, human frailty and humor happening in people's lives. Those stories and secrets allow me to feel more empathy toward others and greater self-acceptance. They make me feel more connected to strangers. They make riding the subway more interesting.

2. How do you tell a fake secret submission from a genuine one? Or does it matter to you if they’re genuine confessions from the person who sent them or not if they might resonate with someone who might read them? (Asked by Melissa)

Frank: I think of the postcards as works of art that may have several layers of truth. Perhaps the secret we think is true becomes false when we share it. Maybe the secret you "make-up" actually reveals a kernel of truth that you are hiding from yourself.

3. What is the most commonly sent ’secret’ to Postsecret? (Asked by Mowog)

Frank: The most common secret I get is, "I pee in the shower". The most common kind of secret I get are the ones describing that condition I think we all can relate to; our search for that one person who we can tell all our secrets to. The journey toward greater intimacy with others and understanding of ourselves.

4. Have you ever received a secret you didn’t think you should publish? (Asked by Jenny)

Frank: A year ago I received a call from the FBI about a secret. It was about a secret I did not publish. Maybe someday I can post it.

5. Comment that won the book:

Oh my goodness… The last postcard up here “Rationally, I think the idea of God makes no sense, but I cannot get rid of my faith no matter how hard I try” has tears streaming down my face. I have been reading PostSecret for the last 3 or so years and this hasn’t happened yet. Funny that it’s on Neatorama and not PostSecret though, but i digress.

I have felt this way my whole life and it has caused a huge number of conflicts for my spiritual self. I have such a hard time praying and praying after telling people I’m an atheist or that I don’t believe in God, but I still always say stuff like that. I’m so happy there is someone else who is having the same conflict. (Comment by Paula R)

Congratulations to everyone who won the book (you'll get an email from me soon)! My apologies to those whose questions didn't get picked - they're all great questions, but time limitations did not permit every single one of them to be answered. Thank you to Frank and all you Neatoramanauts who participated ;)

It's bound to happen: someone created a Halloween costume inspired by the Melon Hat Cat (AKA Limecat) Internet meme. Our very own Jill Harness wrote about this and many more weird Halloween costumes at Inventor Spot blog: http://inventorspot.com/articles/8_weirdest_halloween_costumes_2009_33736

Stereomicrograph: Fabrice Parais of DIREN Basse-Normandie

I'm a big fan of Nikon Small World, an annual photomicrography competition (featured before on Neatorama in 2007 and 2008). The winners of the 2009 contest have just been announced.

I particularly like this one above, the Atherix ibis (watersnipe fly) aquatic larva magnified 25x by Fabrice Parais of DIREN Basse-Normandie in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, France.

Link | Check out the whole gallery here: Link

Sure you can insure your house, car, precious artwork ... but how about taste buds? Turns out that you CAN insure parts of your anatomy, especially when those parts generate income. For example:

John Harrison

No wonder he’s smiling. John Harrison is, and has been for many years, the official ice cream taster at Dreyer’s Ice Cream and on a daily basis approves or rejects ice cream according to its many different varieties of flavour, colour and texture. It’s a difficult job but someone’s got to do it, and that someone just happens to be John, a man who uses a gold spoon (there’s no aftertaste) to judge ice cream in order to pay the bills. Unsurprisingly, his taste buds are insured for £700,000.

More about the strange world of taste insurance: Link | John Harrison's website at Dreyer's - Thanks Dave!

Ah, I almost forgot to mention! We have a new selection of last-minute Halloween T-shirts. If you're at lost as to what to wear for Halloween, why not get one of these comfy T-shirts? You'll look great and support the blog as well! If you order in the next day or so, the shirts would definitely arrive by Halloween (USA orders).

From the Neatorama Shop: Halloween T-Shirt (limited quantity)

Woohoo! It's time for our collaboration with the What is it? Blog - can you guess what this strange tool above is for?

Place your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment please. You can, however, guess as many times as you'd like. Post no URL or links - doing so will forfeit your winnings.

Two winners this week: the first correct guess and the funniest (but ultimately wrong) guess will win Bacon Soap from the Neatorama Shop. Check out the Bacon Store for more bacon goodness!

For more clues, be sure to visit the What is it? Blog. Good luck!

Move over, Hummer - there's a new bad boy macho car (or masculine overcompensation, your pick) in town. Behold the Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition armored car, developed by Russian carmaker RussoBaltique. How bad is this bad boy? Let's just say that it has seats covered with "whale-penis leather":

On its official website, the company says the whale-penis leather is the same as that used by Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis on the yacht Christina O.

Onassis is rumoured to have had some of the barstools on the yacht, the world’s most expensive at the time, covered in the controversial leather.

The leather is not the only tacky accessory on the Prombron, which Dartz claims is the world’s most expensive SUV.

The bulletproof windows are gold-plated, the exhaust is made of tungsten, the gauges are encrusted with diamonds and rubies and the exterior has a Kevlar coating.

The car also comes with three bottles of the world’s most expensive Vodka, RussoBaltique, although the website does warn prospective buyers not to drink and drive.

Link

If you think a pop-up book is impressive, check this one out: a pop-up diorama of the Kinkaku-ji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, made entirely out of LEGO blocks! YouTube user talapz created this out of 4,500 bricks.

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via The Brothers Brick

Saya, a fembot developed by professor Hiroshi Kobayashi of the Tokyo University of Science in 2004 can recognize and respond to human speech well enough to direct customers in the Takashimaya department store, where she currently "works" as a receptionist:

... the speech-capable robot can provide about 700 programmed responses to questions and commands — enough to direct customers to the appropriate floor, make small talk, and answer a few basic questions about herself and her background.

Pneumatic actuators in Saya’s head allow her to move her neck, mouth and eyes while she speaks. She can produce facial expressions ranging from happiness and surprise to sadness and anger.

She may be a technological wonder, but her creepy face isn't exactly what I'd expect from Japan. Come on, guys - it's 2009! Leave the badly molded face to Disney's Pirate of the Caribbean animatronics - where's the hot fembots we'd come to expect from you?

Link - via BotJunkie

Photo: bldgblog

For his thesis project, Thomas Hillier created stunningly detailed papercraft artwork inspired by the woodblock prints of the famous Edo-period Japenese artist Hiroshige. Thomas' project, called The Emperor's Castle, is a fantastic combination of illustrations and 3-dimensional paper sculptures that you just have to see for yourself:

The Emperor’s Castle originates from a mythical and ancient tale hidden within a woodblock landscape scene created by Japanese Ukiyo-e printmaker, Ando Hiroshige. This tale charts the story of two star-crossed lovers, the weaving Princess and the Cowherd, who have been separated by the Princess’s father, the Emperor. These characters have been replaced by architectonic metaphors creating an urban theatre within the grounds of the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo.

Link | Flickr set of The Emperor's Castle - via Make

Tim Quax of ByteMods combined a PC with a coffeemaker to make this Coffee PC case mod. Best of all, the coffeemaker is controlled by software:

The relay gets it's power from a molex connector on the power supply; a small amount however, just enough to not flip the relay. Second connection to the relay is a cable to the COM port on the PC. Thirdly, the relay is hooked up to the power cable to the PSU that powers the coffee maker. I wrote a script in Visual Basic Scripting, that uses a module to enable the COM port on the PC. The power on the COM connection is enough to flip over the relay, thus giving the coffee maker it's much needed power, which makes the coffee maker do it's thing. The script enables the PC to make coffee with the push of a button!

Link - Thanks Tim!

Previously on Neatorama: Case Mod: The Ultimate List

Rosie the Riveter Bookends (set of 2) - $34.95

Here's something quite neat for your bookshelf: a pair of matching Rosie the Riveter bookends, made from heavy-duty stone resin. The bookends, created by Chris Collicott commemorate the spirit of the machine age and honor the hardworking ladies who worked in war factories during World War II.

You can count on Rosie the Riveter bookends to work diligently in keeping your books organized and neat!

From the Neatorama Shop: http://shop.neatorama.com/product-info.php?rosie-riveter-bookend-pid591.html

Balloon Fiesta in USA

Willy Kaemena took this 360° panorama of the 2009 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Hot air Balloons have certainly gone a long way in terms of shapes. Oh, and as far as I know, no Balloon boy hoax is involved in this event ;)

The embed is nice, but the panorama is meant to be exprienced at full screen so head on over to 360 Cities for a much better view: Link - Thanks Jeffrey!

Photo: d.billy [Flickr]

Shaun Usher wrote a nifty post about a few unusual air conditioners from around the world - from the high-brow art/AC unit from LG to the Dunstable Wind Catcher, which is based on ancient Persian technology.

I, on the other hand, am immediately drawn to "Televox," a clever camouflage of a window unit by street artist d. billy in Brooklyn New York: Link - Thanks Dave!

Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event in which participating bloggers post about a particular issue to raise awareness and trigger global discussion that will - hopefully - bring about positive change. This year's topic is climate change - which, shall we say, is a wee bit controversial.

We'll get to some Neatorama-worthy posts on the blog today, but first I'd like to ask YOU what you think about global warming/climate change. Do you believe that it is happening? Or is it just a passing hysteria, much like the concern over global cooling in the 1950s to 1970s?

It's an open mike - let's hear your opinion.