Today's the 14th of March, or 03/14, and that means: It's Pi Day! Yes, it's a made-up holiday, and yes, it's silly, but it's also a great excuse for the geekier among us to celebrate one of our favorite numbers ever, as it's one of the most important to our scientific and mathematical understanding of the world. Pi is an irrational number, meaning it will continue on for infinity without ever repeating. More accurately it's about 22/7, which when rounded down to three digits is always represented by 3.14.

Pi fans can show their love for Pi by sporting any of the t-shirts available in the Pi Shop by or picking up books like "The Joy of Pi" and "Pi: A Biography of The World's Most Mysterious Number," or even by watching the movie "Pi." If that isn't enough Pi for you, retailer ThinkGeek is celebrating Pi Day with more t-shirts and goodies, including this one, which has the symbol for Pi spelled out with the numbers across the front. I own it already and can tell you it's not just geeky--it's also comfortable.

How are you celebrating Pi Day, if at all? Maybe you'll have some pie at 1:59 PM today? Or try to memorize as many digits of Pi as possible? If you choose the latter, you'll have a tough record to beat, 60-year-old Japanese mental health counselor Akira Haraguchi was reportedly able to remember and state Pi out to 100,000 digits in 2005, but has not submitted the required documentation to Guinness to be included in the record book. Chao Lu, a Chinese chemistry professor, managed to recall 67,890 digits, and currently holds the Guinness World Record. If you're looking to set an American record, you have a ways to go: Philadelphia's Marc Umile recalled 12,887 digits in 2006. Happy Pi Day!

Post by Alan "Pi Boy" Henry