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Non-citizens and the Constitution

As background, here is some selected text pulled directly from the Constitution of the United States, as amended. Please pay close attention to the highlighted portions.

 

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

 

Article I Section 2

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

 

Article I Section 3

No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

 

Article II Section 1

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

 

Article IV Section 4

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

 

Amendment 15

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

 

Amendment 19

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

 

Amendment 24

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

 

Amendment 26

1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

 

The Preamble says that the people of the United States ordains and establishes the Constitution. To ordain is "to order by or as if by decree", in other words, the people of the United States are the "owners" of the Constitution.

 

The 15^th, 19^th, 24^th and 26^th amendments clarify who can vote: any CITIZEN over 18 years old, male or female, regardless of race or whether you paid taxes.

 

Article I sections 2 and 3 limit Representatives and Senators to CITIZENS only, but seven and nine years respectively.

 

Article II Section 1 says the President (and the Vice President, because he or she can become President) MUST be a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN of the United States.

 

According to Politico.com:

 

U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that the government cannot present testimony from a key witness against Ahmed Ghaliani, a Tanzanian national transferred from Guantanamo last year to be tried in connection with the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998.

Using what appears to be a fruit-of-the-poisoned tree rationale, Kaplan said that because the government learned of witness Hussein Abebe during the CIA's aggressive interrogation of Ghailani, prosecutors could not use Abebe's testimony at trial.

"Abebe was identified and located as a close and direct result of statements made by Ghailani while he was held by the CIA," Kaplan wrote. "The government has failed to prove that Abebe's testimony is sufficiently attenuated from Ghailani' s coerced statements to permit its receipt in evidence."

Kaplan, a Clinton appointee, has issued a series of rulings against Ghailani on other matters, including the delays the government caused by holding him abroad and at Guantanamo. However, the judge said Tuesday that he was unwilling to water down Constitutional standards in order to accomodate the government on the significant issue of Abebe's testimony.

"The Constitution is the rock upon which our nation rests. We must follow it not only when it is convenient, but when fear and danger beckon in a different direction. To do less would diminish us and undermine the foundation upon which we stand," Kaplan wrote.

Please explain to me why anyone would think, given the above quotes from the Constitution that the protections of the Constitution as amended extend to non-citizens.

Demon UAV flies sans flaps

I usually don't post things about planes and other "real" stuff out there, but I have to admit this is interesting. There are no flaps on this UAV. It uses jets of air to adjust it's location in 3D space instead of actually changing the physical shape of the wing with a flap. Very interesting concept. It will be cool to see if it makes it beyond the test phases.

Demon UAV flies sans flaps: "

The Demon UAV will boast a first - we're looking at an aircraft that flies without any flaps, where it will 'control its elevation using jets of air; the plane works by manipulating the air that flows immediately next to its skin, rather than changing its shape.' The jets of air which are close to the trailing edge of the wing will change whether the air moves away from or towards the wing, while sensors located along the wing will monitor the airflow at all times, adjusting the direction of the jets of air appropriately so that you will be able to go to where you desire and not leave things to chance.

Permalink: Demon UAV flies sans flaps from Ubergizmo | Hot: iPhone 4 Review, Droid X Review,
BlackBerry Torch Review

"

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory

This is exciting for me. Big Bang Theory is the best nerd/geek sitcom EVER on TV. There's never been anything quite like this show, and I doubt there ever will be again (hopefully it lasts many more seasons!).

Anyway, this is my favorite show, even above House. The fact that they always show cool tech gadgets is even better. Sheldon uses an Alienware laptop, they have a Wii, XBox 360, (I haven't seen a PS3), and there's always some great "intellectual" discussions going on. Check your local listings!

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory: "

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

CBS's The Big Bang Theory is the super popular sitcom about brilliant nerds. If you've been watching, you've undoubtedly seen Steve Wozniak's recent guest spot -- but there have been other notable presences, too. Willow Garage's Texai telepresence robot recently made an appearance as 'Shel-bot' -- a stand in for the character Sheldon. While we didn't get to see the hilarious high jinks ourselves, we can tell from the screen shots that it was a pretty good time. Hit up the coverage link to learn more about Willow Garage's Texai.

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Hizook | Email this | Comments"

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory

This is exciting for me. Big Bang Theory is the best nerd/geek sitcom EVER on TV. There's never been anything quite like this show, and I doubt there ever will be again (hopefully it lasts many more seasons!).

Anyway, this is my favorite show, even above House. The fact that they always show cool tech gadgets is even better. Sheldon uses an Alienware laptop, they have a Wii, XBox 360, (I haven't seen a PS3), and there's always some great "intellectual" discussions going on. Check your local listings!

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory: "

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

CBS's The Big Bang Theory is the super popular sitcom about brilliant nerds. If you've been watching, you've undoubtedly seen Steve Wozniak's recent guest spot -- but there have been other notable presences, too. Willow Garage's Texai telepresence robot recently made an appearance as 'Shel-bot' -- a stand in for the character Sheldon. While we didn't get to see the hilarious high jinks ourselves, we can tell from the screen shots that it was a pretty good time. Hit up the coverage link to learn more about Willow Garage's Texai.

Screen Grabs: Willow Garage's telepresence bot guest stars on The Big Bang Theory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Hizook | Email this | Comments"

Google Street View Visits The Antarctica Now

OK, if you know me, you know I'm a penguin fan. I have a flock of stuffed penguins, plus small statues, pictures, t-shirts, etc. Yes, like I said, I'm a penguin fan. But I didn't know there were any "streets" on Antarctica. I guess there must be, because Google has "Street View" for Antarctica. I need to check this out!

Google Street View Visits The Antarctica Now: "

Google's Street View is an extremely useful feature that allows you to explore various locations on street level, and now the search engine giant has confirmed that we'll be able to enjoy Street View imagery on all seven continents, with the addition of Brazil, Ireland, and Antarctica to the list of lands conquered by Street View. So it's all there for you to explore, the beaches of Brazil, the moors of Ireland, or the icy terrain in Antarctica, all from the comfort of your living room, and for free to boot. Check it out for yourself.

Permalink: Google Street View Visits The Antarctica Now from Ubergizmo | Hot: iPhone 4 Review, Droid X Review,
BlackBerry Torch Review

"

Scosche Announces The motorMOUTH II Handsfree Audio Car Kit

This is what I've been looking for for some time now; well, since I got my new car. Bluetooth is nice for your phone, but what if your car doesn't have it, but has an AUX jack for the radio? This fits the bill!

Scosche Announces The motorMOUTH II Handsfree Audio Car Kit: "

Scosche has added its motorMOUTH II Handsfree & Streaming Audio Car Kit to its line of iPhone accessories. The Bluetooth device is capable of hooking up to the vehicle's MP3/AUX input, where a multi-function button can then be used to automatically pair the device. Users are presented with a one-touch voice dialing feature to make things easier, and the package also comes with an AUX relocation cable, allowing you to mount the device where it can better receive your voice. A Y-adapter is also included as part of the package, in case you don't want to use Bluetooth. The motorMOUTH II will set you back $80 and is available at Scosche's site or at Fry's.

Permalink: Scosche Announces The motorMOUTH II Handsfree Audio Car Kit from Ubergizmo | Hot: iPhone 4 Review, Droid X Review,
BlackBerry Torch Review

"

Dr. Zap-love: or How I Learned to Stop Hurting and Love the Borg.

OK, so, once again, it’s been a while. So many things have been going on in my life that it is quite literally crazy. Let me talk about one thing that’s going to happen this week. But before I do, we need to rewind a little bit.

If you dig back through some of my posts, you’ll see stuff about my back problems. They all started on Father’s Day 2008, and we thought that chapter was done in January of 2009. I had surgery, and after physical therapy I was back to about 95%. Then, I slipped on the ice on my way to lunch in February and herniated the same disc again and herniated the next one up (L5-S1, and L4-L5).

The past 19 months have been a series of physical therapy, trigger point injections, epidural steroids, facet injections, neurotomy, and lots of medications, including Gabapentin, Celebrex, Flexiril, Baclofen, Depakote, Vicodin, and Lidoderm patches, not all at the same time, but lots of them. Sometimes I got some relief, but never for more than a few weeks; and I had to deal with the side effects of the medications: some memory issues, loss of concentration, weight gain, exhaustion, and some memory issues (yes, that was a joke). As an example of some of the thinking issues I’ve been having, it has taken me about 45 minutes to get to this point; normally I’d be done by now.

My pain management doctor wanted to try Botox injections (not for my face, in my back), but my insurance wouldn’t cover it. Finally, he decided to try a test of a neurostimulator. It took a few months for the insurance company to approve it, including a visit to a psychiatrist, but they finally approved the test.

The test went great. The doctor took the electrodes, put them in at around L2 and pushed them up the epidural space to around T7, 8, and 9. Then he tied off the electrode wires with a suture to hold them in place, and connected them to the generator. The generator was about the size of an iPod but twice as thick. I could control the strength of the electrical signal and had three “programs” of different sensations. The primary sensation was like my legs were licking a 9V battery. The other two programs were different pulsation patterns. Here’s a picture before the doctor took the wires out of my back.



During the five days of the test I felt great; the pain was gone. I went through three 9V batteries, but the pain was gone. I could walk without a cane, I could drive without problems, I could even climb stairs with no issues. I was genuinely sad when they took the trial out. That afternoon I got a call with my appointment with the neurosurgeon who will put in my permanent implant (he’s the same doctor who did my first back surgery).

After some “interesting” discussions with the insurance company to get the referral fixed for the surgery, I had my pre-op appointment and today I had my pre-op lab work done.

So, what will the finished project look like? Well, there are three parts to the system; the electrodes (it should be the first one), the generator, and the remote. Also, to up the “cool factor”, the generator battery is recharged through electromagnetic induction.

Now I’m sitting here with a hospital wristband on my arm that I can’t take off until after the surgery because I had all my lab work done today. I think it will be annoying in the next few days, but at least I got it done.

So, that’s what’s been going on for the past several months. If it seems like I’ve been ignoring you, I’m truly sorry. If I grossed you out with the picture, well, too bad; I can’t help the hair on my back. Hopefully next week I’ll have some good stories for you about my visit to the hospital on the 23rd. And now that I’m going to become one of the Borg, hopefully you won’t all shun me, and will accept me like they did Seven of Nine.

CTL 2goPad SL10 Windows 7 tablet available to pre-order for $499

This really looks interesting. I don't know how good an Intel Atom with 2GB of RAM will be. I'm going to wait for the reviews to come out. I don't know if this will be a netbook killer or an iPad killer, but like I said, it looks interesting. If you'd like to check out the website, it's http://www.ctlcorp.com/v4/p-909-2gopad.aspx.

CTL 2goPad SL10 Windows 7 tablet available to pre-order for $499: "

That's right, folks: you've been looking around, dying for a Windows 7 slate to throw down your money on... so here you go. The CTL 2goPad SL10 (which we first spotted at Computex) features a capacitive touchscreen, an Intel Atom N450 CPU, a 250GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM. Of course the tablet also fully supports both HTML 5 and Flash, and has a 1.3 megapixel webcam to boot. The 2goPad SL10 is available to pre-order now at $499, and orders are expected to begin shipping on October 15th.

CTL 2goPad SL10 Windows 7 tablet available to pre-order for $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | 2go PC | Email this | Comments"

Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer

Even the ancient Nubians knew that beer is good food!

Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer: "eldavojohn writes "A new analysis of millennia old mummy bones (abstract; full article is paywalled) shows high concentrations of tetracycline, which indicates empirical knowledge and use of antibiotics — most likely consumed in beer. The researchers traced the source of the antibiotics to the soil bacteria streptomyces present in the grain used to ferment the beer. Astonishingly enough, 'Even the tibia and skull belonging to a 4-year-old were full of tetracycline, suggesting that they were giving high doses to the child to try and cure him of illness.' The extent of saturation in the bones leads the scientists to assert that the population regularly consumed tetracycline antibiotics knowing that it would cure certain sicknesses."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

Have a Galaxy S? Then You Got the Gorilla!

Is this transparent aluminum?

"Computer?"

Have a Galaxy S? Then You Got the Gorilla!: "

Image from Corning

You read the title right! Corning has announced that they indeed were the providers of the glass that is on all Galaxy S devices! It is good to know that our precious devices are protected by this virtually indestructible glass product!

A quote from the slashgear.com article covering this story:

The Gorilla Glass covers the big 4-inch AMOLED screen of all Galaxy S models. In case you aren’t familiar with Gorilla Glass, it is an alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass that is scratch resistant and durable. The glass is starting to make significant headway into the mobile device market thanks to its durability.

This is the glass that Engadget WHALED on try to get to break with no success. I don't recommend trying the same test, but if you do, let us know how it goes!

NOTE: Have a Galaxy S? Then You Got the Gorilla! originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

"

Flamethrower trombone!

This is one of those things that is so crazy I just had to share it. I guess it's for one of those "Heavy Metal" concerts.

Flamethrower trombone!: "

Back in 2008, Jonathon Crawford decided to combine two awesome things and built this flamethrower trombone. Hmm, how about combining it with Rubens' Tube next?

[via laughing squid]

More:

• Create fire with your mind using DIY pyrokinesis
• Fire breathing snowman is standing contradiction
• Anti-flamethrower mosquito

Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » |





Read more articles in Music |


Digg this!"

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing

OK, forget what I said about the R2 Droid 2. If this is really it (and it looks like it is), it looks to weak for me.

Weak weak weak.

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing: "

If you compare this shot of the bespoke R2-D2 Droid 2 to the background of Verizon's teaser site (inset), you can see this is almost certainly the genuine article -- and we knew that Verizon intended to intro this thing at the Star Wars-themed Celebration V conference kicking off to day, so this is all making a lot of sense. We admit, we were kind of hoping for a graphic that was a little more... you know, R2-D2-shaped, but when it comes to astromech-themed gear, we'll take what we can get.



[Thanks, Brian D.]

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Verizon, @r2d2central (via Twitter) | Email this | Comments"

Droid 2 Quadrant Standard benchmark score is staggering

So, I was asked yesterday "Why the Droid 2?"

Check these numbers!

Maybe I'll pre-order tonight. New every two is a good thing.

Droid 2 Quadrant Standard benchmark score is staggering: "

1458. That’s the Droid 2’s straight-out-of-the-box Quadrant score. Higher than the Nexus One, and higher than virtually any Android phone to date. The phone is set to debut Thursday, so pack your camping gear, and get ready, because these things are going to sell like hotcakes.

Visit TalkAndroid for android news, android guides, and much more!

Droid 2 Quadrant Standard benchmark score is staggering

"

Animated map of nuclear explosions, 1945-1998

This is both interesting and unnerving at the same time. Two comments about it; first, it's too bad it ends in 1998 (12 years ago) and two, there may be some data missing, but if there is, it's because that data would be classified. I'm not saying I know there are data missing, I'm just saying from what we hear in the news, there may be some missing.

Anyway, watch the video. It's educational.

Animated map of nuclear explosions, 1945-1998: "

Animated map of nuclear explosions, 1945-1998...

Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto's '1945-1998' is an animated map showing the 2,053 nuclear explosions that took place around the world during the 20th century, from the detonations at Alamogordo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to the tests conducted by India and Pakistan in 1998.

Read the Full Story » More on MAKE » Comments »



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Digg this!"

Finally: The Motorola Droid 2 Pre-Sale Officially Starts August 11th for $199.99, In Stores the 12th, R2D2 in September!

OK, maybe I'm just a big nerd, but this is exciting news! I knew the Droid 2 was coming, and the rumors were that it would happen on the 12th, but now that it's confirmed, I almost want to take the day off and stand (sit?) in line for it! But then again, maybe I'll wait until September for the R2D2 version of the Droid 2. Now THAT will look professional, won't it!

Finally: The Motorola Droid 2 Pre-Sale Officially Starts August 11th for $199.99, In Stores the 12th, R2D2 in September!: "

It’s about time we got some official confirmation from Verizon! The long-rumored phone (which was damn near confirmed in every way, shape, and form outside of official word from Big Red) has finally been officially acknowledged by the carrier and is on its way sometime soon. Pre-sale starts this August 11th (tomorrow, if you’re reading this on published date!) which – if previous Verizon pre-sales are anything to go by – means we could be seeing this phone sometime next week.

All of the August 12th launch date rumors be damned, August 11th is still technically just one day before that window: could we be seeing a 24-hour pre-sale window through the carrier? No date has been confirmed so the actual launch date is still in limbo, but failing that, just remember that we usually see Verizon phones released a week after they go up for pre-order. If the date doesn’t turn out to be August 12th, we’ll all have to point and laugh at ourselves and get a refresher on the true meaning of the word “rumor”. In any case, we can finally say the phone officially exists and is ready to go on sale.

Confirmed specs and features: Android 2.2 with Flash player 10.1, 3G Mobile Hotspot, a 3.7-inch display, 8GB of on-board storage accompanied by an 8GB microSD card, Blockbuster and NFL apps, and more processing speed (if we’re going by what we officially know). We should also be seeing the R2D2 special edition of the device sometime next month complete with Star Wars content to sink your teeth in. Read on for the full press details.

[Update]: Perhaps I should read through the entire press release before allowing my excitement to get the best of me! As one of our commenters pointed out, the device will indeed be in stores August 12th, available to all for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year agreement. I guess Verizon didn’t need much of a head-start on this one as the internet gave them plenty.

See What DROID™ Does Next: DROID 2 By Motorola Pre-Sale Starts August 11 At VerizonWireless.com

Built on Android 2.2 with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, DROID 2 Comes Equipped with More Power, More Speed and an Improved QWERTY Keyboard

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today announced that DROID™ 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2.

“When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network,” said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. “The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network.”

“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”

DROID 2’s super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure.

DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices.

Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market™, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD™ card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile(™) and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup Assistant(SM).

“It’s great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. “With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go.”

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more.

R2-D2 DROID 2

In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.

Pricing and Availability

DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.

For more information on DROID 2 by Motorola, go to www.droiddoes.com. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

"

Thanko Sells USB Stapler

Just what I've always wanted; a USB stapler!

I wonder if they come in red?

(mumbled under breath "that's my stapler")

Thanko Sells USB Stapler: "

The world’s most famous USB crap gadget maker strikes again. Tokyo-based Thanko is now offering a USB stapler [JP], which is actually just an electric stapler (it requires three AAA batteries to work) that doubles as a USB hub with four ports. That’s two problems solved with just one device.

For some reason, Thanko points out the thing can staple up to five sheets of paper at once, but I think that’s more of a weak point.

If you’re really interested in getting the USB stapler hub but don’t live in Japan, order it over at Geek Stuff 4 U ($32.45).

"