Nerds Lured Out of Basements with R2-D2 Mailboxes

Droids are going postal as the United States Postal Service commemorates the 30th anniversary of Star Wars with special edition R2-D2 mailboxes. In a scheme to get more people to use stamps, the USPS has disguised public mailboxes as Artoo so cyberdorks will be tempted to drop off real-life letters rather than zapping out e-mail to their friends. Sadly, however, it turns out the friends of most geeks are actually droids anyway.

With the convenient R2-D2 mailbox, Princess Leia is able to smuggle out the Death Star plans while also signing up for 10 CDs for a penny.

Last week, the R2-D2 mailboxes started popping up across the U.S. and in other far, far away places like in front of NBC Studios in Burbank.

Across from Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank:
R2-D2 visits the Taco Bell to hit on the sexy garbage droid.

R.I.P. Sinbad... No, Wait.

Rest easy, comedy fans -- Sinbad is alive and well. The comedian, best known for starring in Jingle All the Way and world-renowned for his swashbuckling voyages across the seven seas, was erroneously reported dead on Thursday by user-generated site Wikipedia.

Sinbad
Actor-Comedian/Sailor-Arabian Knight
November 10, 1956 - March 15, 2006
March 16, 2006 -

For a brief moment, the Laugh Factory almost updated its marquee to memorialize Sinbad, but they didn't have enough letters to spell out "Make God mildly chuckle at your jokes, 2-inch fade and blue pleather jumpsuit. They're not all funny, but 2 outta 3 ain't bad."

Perhaps the false report was posted by an overeager moviegoer who's still smarting from a debilitating case of side-splitting after seeing Houseguest, but it could very well be that Sinbad himself wrote the article. This past week, Sinbad enjoyed what likely amounts to the most press he's gotten in his entire career, and the hype is all over an entirely non-noteworthy event: Sinbad is still alive. In related news, several other uncelebrities have been confirmed to still be among us, including the youngest son from TV's Mr. Belvedere, the lead singer from The Verve Pipe and Jimmy Fallon.

E-Mail Theatre: Chapter II

The second installment of E-Mail Theatre has come in faster than pharmacy/penis enlargement/mortgage spam can fill up the Hands in the Air mailbox. This tale supposedly comes to us from the Ivory Coast, and it's been dramatized for your enjoyment...

Click on each comic page to enlarge it for reading...

Rise of the Silver Surfer

The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer doesn't hit theaters until June 15, but the sequel's ad blitz is already under way. To commemorate the return of Jessica Alba in a skin-tight supersuit, here's a tribute to her upcoming film in toy form.

Possibly the best movie about a spaced-out surfer since Point Break.

E-Mail Theatre: Chapter I

A lot of spam finds its way into the Hands in the Air mailbox, so why not turn lemons into lemonade? By dramatizing the spam into cartoon strip re-enactments, I've created the first installment of E-Mail Theatre! And just like lemonade, it's sweet, refreshing and will make your face squish all up.

Today's episode features the actual transcript of a spam scam from a so-called banker named "Williams Smith." Click on each comic strip page to enlarge it for reading.

Got an e-mail you'd like dramatized in Hands in the Air's E-Mail Theatre? Send it in to handsintheairmail@gmail.com. Just don't sign us up for any newsletters or anything. Do not betray our confidence.