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April 25, 2008 3:57 AM PDT

'GPS Mail Logger': Lazy postman's worst enemy

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: BrickHouse Security)

Our favorite Seinfeld character, Newman, was a U.S. postal worker who had a simple solution when he got behind in his deliveries: He'd just stow the mailbags in the basement. If you suspect your own mailman saw that episode and got the same idea, read on.

The "Micro GPS Mail Logger" is designed to be tucked in with the mail and, after delivery, the recipient can track where it's been between origin and destination by examining the data on its microSD card. Bendable and a half-inch thick, it's small enough to fit into packages and maybe even envelopes without adding significant postage costs, according to Coolest-Gadgets. "With GPS you get your mail's exact satellite location, how fast it was traveling, and even its altitude throughout the delivery process," BrickHouse Security claims in its product description.

Unfortunately, this sleuthing gadget apparently isn't intended to satisfy idle curiosity--it's priced just shy of $700. But if you're determined to catch your local carrier goofing off, maybe the neighbors will agree to chip in.

March 26, 2008 9:35 AM PDT

Make an R2-D2 mailbox out of paper

by Josh Lowensohn
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When the U.S. Postal Service launched several hundred R2-D2-skinned postal drop boxes around the country last year, it also quietly released a printable paper craft version for Star Wars fans who don't live near one of the limited edition mail receptacles. Being that I don't have good enough quality paper or glue stick skills to accomplish such a feat myself, I let the pros do the work then post their shots to Flickr.

Ron over at PaperKraft.net has put together a wonderful paper rendition of the lovable droid. While not as intricate as his Howl's Moving Castle or as nerdy as the paper weighted companion cube from Portal, I'm thinking about making one of these for some cubicle kitsch.

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