They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The lion part is correct, at least where I live, as we've had snow and high winds. It's going to be an eventful month, as we have Daylight Saving Time beginning in a week, then St. Patricks Day, the vernal equinox (and not a moment too soon), Passover, and Easter. Speaking of holidays, Alex did what he said he'd do, and gathered all the NeatoShop St. Patricks Day clothing, accessories, and gift items into one place. I guess you could call it the St. Patricks Day Shop. And all the Easter items are easy to find in one place, too! Meanwhile, take a minute to catch up on what you may have missed this week at Neatorama.
Eddie Deezen told us A Few Things You May Not Know About Seth MacFarlane.
Over at the Spotlight blog, we saw Jewel of the Universe, the fanciest world map you've ever seen.
The Annals of Improbable Research gave us Biology of the Family Chiaceae (Chia Pets).
Death on the Mississippi was the story of the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history, from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.
And mental_floss magazine gave us A Long, Strange Trip, about research into the medicinal value of psychedelic drugs.
We also saw More of Ol' Jay's Brainteasers, a bonus from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.
In this week's What Is It? game, the mystery object is a fly fisherman's line stripping basket. In fly casting, there is a lot of loose line, and one of these baskets on your waist holds the extra line and keep it from getting tangled. Anker was the first with the correct answer, and wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The funniest answer came from Kevin George, who said, "Early combination soap dish and ashtray. Later models included a cocktail umbrella to keep the cigarette from going out." I guess that would be necessary if you're going to smoke in the shower! So he also wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop. Find the answers to all the mystery items of the week at the What Is It? blog.
The post that got the most comments this week were Man Commits a Crime to Get Healthcare
which tied with Is It Possible to Be Too Beautiful? followed by Why Atheists Need A Temple.
The comment of the week came in the V-shaped toaster post, when Joseph Francis reacted to the spreading knife (shown): "I hated that knife, but every time I tried to throw it away it kept coming back to me." Ha!
This week's stories that were viewed the most were Three Exotic Necktie Knots to Try: The Eldredge Knot, The Trinity Knot, and The Cape Knot, followed by Bed Bath & Beyond's Stack of Towels is a DAMNED LIE! and Death on the Mississippi. And even though it was a story from over a week ago, Medieval Manuscript Peed on by a Cat went viral and was read enough to have made second for this week, too.
Usability tip of the week: You can suggest items for inclusion at Neatorama by emailing tips@neatorama.com and we really appreciate it, even if we don't use it. Really! However, if you see the item without a thank you, or credit to someone else, it's because we were already working on it or have it in the pipeline. Don't let that discourage you -we can use all the help we can get in finding neat links to share!
When you get caught up on what's here at Neatorama, go see what's happening at Facebook and Twitter, where we put extra stuff for those who care to follow. Tell your friends to follow us on Pinterest, also! And mobile users: Flipboard makes it easy to keep up with Neatorama. Oh yeah -look for Neatorama in Instagram, too!