Pi Day, March 14, is long gone, but Serious Eats has only now released the winners of their Pie Day Contest. The one above won first place, but I love the Pi Within A Pie.

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It's one thing to teach your parrot a few words, but to teach him to sing -that's impressive.

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While houses may look entirely different on the outside, most of them contain very similar products on the inside. Sink cleaners, microwaves, dishwashers, air fresheners and hand soaps can be found in all kinds of homes across the world. But just because something is a household name doesn’t mean it is boring. Here are some fascinating histories behind a few common household products. Of course, if you don’t have any of these products or brand names in your house, then you’re probably either a hardcore hippie or you’re living in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

20 Mule Team Borax

Admittedly, many homes find themselves without borax these days, but there was a time where it was one of the most common cleaning products around. Of all borax brands, 20 Mule Team Borax is most certainly the best known, in part due to their distinctive packaging depicting a mule team carrying a number of cargo containers. The name was created all the way back in 1890 and the distinctive logo was created in 1891. In that time period, twenty-mule teams were actually used to carry borax from the desert where it was collected to the closest rail station. To help promote their brand image, the company even sponsored a radio and television program called Death Valley Days. The program, which was broadcast on the radio between 1930 and 1945 and on television between 1952 and 1975, dramatized real stories of the Old West. Source, Image via dok1 [Flickr]

Air Fresheners

I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that people have been covering up odors with pleasant fragrances since the beginning of time, but our modern concept of an air freshener is much more modern than that. In fact, the sprayable air fresheners we’re all familiar with weren’t introduced to the public until 1948. The original spray bottles used were based on military developments that were originally designed for dispensing insecticides. Of course, this major technological advance used a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellant, which was later discovered to wreak havoc on the ozone layer. Modern air fresheners all use different technology, but the concept is still the same. Source, Image via Roadsidepictures [Flickr]

Colgate

These days, Colgate is known for making toothpaste, which is why it just might surprise you that during the first 67 years the company was open, they didn’t touch the stuff. Instead, they sold soaps. It wasn’t until 1873 that the company introduced their first toothpaste, which was originally sold in jars. Tubes of Colgate weren’t released until 1908. Source, Image via thelampnyc [Flickr]

If you keep up with Neatorama, then you probably recall Miss C's post about the Urine-Free Charity Auction. Essentially, D.H. Morgan posted a used wetsuit on eBay and to emphasize that it had never been peed in, he included this brilliant image. The picture went viral and Morgan volunteered to give 90% of the proceeds to the Red Cross's work in Japan. Soon, the auction started getting a lot more bids and sponsors started throwing in free surfboards, concert tickets, shoes, a brand new wetsuit and more.

In the end, the auction ended up pulling in over $15,000 in bids...unfortunately, the winning bidder refused to pay up and the second place winner wouldn't take the Second Chance Offer. That left Morgan with tons of free stuff that wasn't really his to keep and left the Red Cross out of a huge donation.

In order to correct the problem, he has opted to host a massive charity raffle for the prizes. Tickets are only £2.50 and the prizes total more than $1000. The only down side is that this time he's only giving 70%, apparently because the raffles cost more to run and he needs money to fix the exhaust on his car.

Even so, it's still a good chance to donate money to a good cause and possibly win a boatload of free stuff. Plus, included in the raffle prize is the opportunity to hang out with Morgan and a bear (presumably someone in a bear suit, not an actual bear).

I don't know about you guys, but ever since I got a digital camera, I've never looked back. Film is so unpredictable, expensive and the limited quantities are always frustrating. That being said, there is something comforting, artistic and nostalgic about photography using film -the same thing that made so many people carry a soft spot for Polaroids years after they became impractical.

Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated with this awesome post on Photojojo that shows you 20 different ways to use a disposable film camera and end up with something wonderful. My favorite project is the one pictured above. Apparently, if you tape two of the cameras together at just the right angle and take a photo with them simultaneously, you can superimpose them together to create a 3D image. Pretty cool, right?

And that's not the only hack worth messing about with. Some of the other tricks involve damaging the lens or film, which can result in a surprisingly artistic or nostalgic look depending on how you do it. Another great suggestion is the idea of putting a colored or patterned filter in front of the lens or flash in order to add a little excitement to an otherwise mundane shot.

The ideas are so cool that I'm inspired to grab a disposable camera and try out my luck with their suggestions. Have any of you tried this hacks or discovered your own methods to enhance your disposable pics?

If you like to wear your heart on your sleeve, but your heart just happens to rock a set of taped up glasses and a bow tie, then these fashion pieces are guaranteed to compliment your geekiest sensitivities. I’m sure you’ll notice that most of these are for women, but as I’m sure you know, that’s just because fashion is focused around females.

1. Etch-A-Sketch Skirt

The idea of this Etch-A-Sketch skirt by Etsy user SewOeno is pretty cool, but what really puts it over the top is the use of embroidery to create a picture that looks perfect for the subject in question.

2. Game Boy Dress

That same Etsy seller, SewOeno was also responsible for this exceptionally popular Game Boy dress.

3. Nintendo Controller Dress

For those who like old school Nintendo over Game Boys, you’re sure to love this awesome Nintendo controller dress by Liz Tan.

4. Mario Sweater Vest

This knitted sweater vest by Happy Seamstress is an accurate replica of a screenshot of the original Mario Bros game.

By now, I'm sure you've all heard that archeologists are claiming to have discovered the city of Atlantis in a mud flat located in Southern Spain, but there are plenty more "lost" civilizations out there just begging for discovery. While most of these societies did not lose their entire culture due to a massive tsunami that wiped them off the face of the earth, they instead disappeared for unknown reasons that have yet to be discovered.

Top Tenz has a fantastic article about the top ten civilizations that mysteriously disappeared and the stories are all fascinating. While you may recognize some of the group's names, like the Olmec (whose land was depopulated, most likely due to environmental changes or volcanic activity, although they may have been invaded) and the Mycenaeans (who may have been invaded, destroyed by class wars or destroyed by a natural disaster), many of the names of these cultures will be unfamiliar to all but the most dedicated history buffs.

The stories are not only fascinating in a historical context, but also a reminder that nothing lasts for ever. It's always interesting to reflect on the fact that no matter how much power an individual society wields during its peak, it is still prone to collapse -often so suddenly that the cause of the destruction is lost to history.

Fernando Reza created these wonderfully designed business cards for fictional companies from television and movie plots.You can buy a print of the work for $25 on his site.

How many can you name?

http://frodesignco.com/post/1043549735 via Laughing Squid

When I was working on my geeky cross stitch article, I happened to come across this amazing piece, but I couldn't include it because it just wasn't nerdy. Even so, I thought that you guys would appreciate this stunning rendition of the Sistine Chapel done in cross stitch. There's more detail at the link.

http://www.lopianowski-roberts-sistine-chapel.com/photo_album.html via Craftzine

I know the Orlando Star Wars celebration is long past, but when I found this picture of two toddlers dressed up as droids for the convention, I couldn't help but post it here to share it with all of my fellow Neatogeeks.

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Imagine trying to prosecute someone who could only respond with oinks and grunts. Believe it or not, trials of this type did happen many times in the middle ages and continue to take place in non-Westernized countries. Mental Floss has a great collection of these stories, including a pig who was executed in people clothes, a donkey who escaped a bestiality charge through a number of character witness testimonies, and a lawyer who was able to help fight off the charges against every rat in Autun, France.

If that's not enough animal tails trials for you, then check out Crack's article on the same subject that includes some of the same stories, but also a few different court cases including a cat fighting for its right to free speech and a chicken who was charged with laying an egg without a yolk -which could obviously result in a basilisk baby if it was hatched. In case your wondering, both of the animals named lost and while the cat simply had to stop meowing on the sidewalk for money, the chicken was burned alive on the stake with her egg.

Of course, animals have been known to be on the other end of proceedings as well. There's always Tabby Sal, the cat who was called for jury duty. While the issue was eventually resolved and the cat didn't end up serving on a case, I can only imagine what kind of horrible revenge would be in store for us if animals did start to serve on juries.

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I'm sure many of you are familiar with the German superstar bear, Knut. He rose to stardom when his mother abandoned him at birth. A keeper at the Berlin Zoo stepped in and raised the cub from childhood, feeding him from a bottle, cuddling him, playing with him and otherwise rearing the little one. The issue really came into the public attention when PETA and other animal rights groups argued that the cub should have been left to die, as it was nature's course and these activists believed animals shouldn't be kept in zoos anyway.

Knut passed away on March 19 and while activists are still crying foul, blaming the zoo for Knut's death, his fans will remember the adorable little bear that passed away far too soon -at only four years old. The zoo will be performing an autopsy, but results have not yet been released. In the meanwhile, we can console ourselves by remembering Knut kindly through this great memorial over at Cute Overload.



On a more positive note, the circle of life always continues and as the star of Berlin's zoo passes on, Rotterdam recently introduced their newest addition to the public for the first time. Little Vicks (seen above) was born on December 6 and is every bit as cute as little Knut once was.

All children need toys, but not all toys are created alike. While most bad toys are simply a bit boring, these eleven are the absolute worst of the worst. In fact, you’ll notice a lot of these are so ridiculous that they have actually taken on a cult collector’s item status and now cost quite a pretty penny.

1. Toy Tazer

There are toy guns, toy bow and arrow sets, toy swords and more, but somehow a toy tazer still seems to take things a touch too far –particularly considering the “Police Electric Baton Shock” actually gives out real shocks.  On the upside, it’s only $3.50, so it’s much cheaper than most kid’s toys.

2. The Kaba Kick

Russian Roulette is a ton of fun, but it’s unfortunately completely permanent. If you want to practice the game without those deadly consequences, then you’d better go ahead and start out with the Kaba Kick and the more gentle pink hippo kicks that replace bullets.

3. Cleaning Trolley

It’s totally normal for kids to pretend to do grown up jobs, after all, some kids play house, some play doctor, some play superhero and some play with chemistry sets, but who wants to be a janitor? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like a better idea to push your kids towards an intellectual pursuit than a job in the cleaning industry.

You've gotta love how happy these little babes are in their kiddie pool.

Video http://www.viddler.com/cheezburger/videos/1282/.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but is seems to me that creating an inspired dedication is much more flattering than just copying it. That’s why artistic takes on classic movie posters are so cool, they combine true creativity and adoration to the original. We even sell some of these posters in the Neatoshop (like the one seen above), The Zombie Wars posters by Matt Busch. Here are some more excellent artist renditions of classic movies and television shows.

Star Wars: The Villains

In anticipation of the Star Wars 25^th Anniversary, the same Matt Busch responsible for the brilliant Zombie Wars poster also created a poster that depicts only those fighting for the Dark Side.

Brouha on Mustafar

You’ve gotta admit, an epic battle between Anakin and his master, Obi Wan Kenobi would be completely worth a $49.95 Pay Per View fee. The guys over at Old Red Jalopy did a great job at capturing the spirit of a classic boxing poster while incorporating plenty of Star Wars touches.

Imperial Recruitment Propaganda

Like our earth armies, the Empire needs to constantly advertise in order to keep recruitment numbers high. Especially while the rebels are busy destroying whole Death Stars full of troops. These posters by Feng Zhu are sure to help get the enrollment numbers rising.

Minimalist Planet Travel Signs

These minimalist planet posters by Justin Van Genderen are beyond cool both for their travel-style designs and the art deco inspired images used for each planet.

Rebel Transport, Inc.

I adore Steve Thomas’ art and his delightful travel posters were one of the biggest inspirations for me to do this post. While this Rebel Transport poster is my favorite of his Star Wars works, there are plenty more on his site, so please view the rest at the link.

Lord Of the Rings

If you like the artwork from Steve’s Rebel Transport, Inc., but prefer Tolkien over Lucas, then be sure to check out his website anyway to enjoy travel posters for The Shire and other wonderful places from the Lord of the Rings universe.