The guilty verdict handed down to the Pirate Bay leaders resulted in a huge amount of publicity and popularity for the Pirate Party, regardless of the fact that the two are not officially related. Membership has shot up to a record 42,000+, and a recent poll to check out the frontrunners in the E.U. election showed even rosier numbers.

The Pirate Party is now the second-most popular party for voters 18-30, and Swedish newspaper DN.se predicts a vote of 5.1% in the election, which will be enough for a seat in Parliament. Sure, it's a minority vote (and that's being generous), but a pirate can surely stand his ground. [DN.se (warning: Swedish) via TorrentFreak]

Technically Astronaut voters cast an electronic Absentee ballot that is prepared by the County Clerk's office in Harris and Brazoria counties. The secure document is then transferred to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center, while an email with login instructions is sent to the astronaut. The astronaut logs in, votes and beams the ballot back down to mission control. The completed ballot is then sent back to the Clerk's office to be tallied. The first astronaut to do this was in 1997 when Michael Wolf voted from the Russian Space Station Mir and—OH MY GOD DID THOSE COMMIE RUSKIES GET TO WOLF AND HIS BALLOT AND CORRUPT OUR SACRED DEMOCRATIC PROCESS?! [Space.com via MSNBC]

When you go to the polls next Tuesday, no matter who you vote for, you will be motivated by words, images and videos you picked up online. There are some voters who don't use the internet to gather information about candidates, but that number is dwindling, while the number of ways candidates can reach you online is growing. Sometimes 2004 is referred to as the first "internet" presidential election, but back then, social networking was in its infancy, YouTube was just a glimmer in some kids' eyes, and Live Xboxes were few and far between. This year, candidates used text messages, videogames, satellite broadcasting and a highly contagious amount of viral video to broadcast platforms, hear from constituents and raise cash. This year we got the first real look at how races will run in the net age, titans clashing bit for bit over your very soul.

You might automatically think that the more youth-friendly Obama whomped McCain on the internet, but it's not totally true. According to the Pew Research Center, Obama and his fellow Democrats did reach a wider audience over the internet—In April, 65% of likely Obama voters got election news online compared with 56% of McCain's supporters—but following the VP picks and conventions, as we near the general election, both numbers have presumably skyrocketed. Obama also raised more money online, with liberal democrats three times more likely to donate than their conservative republican counterparts. But the scrappier McCain campaign managed to do some tooth-and-nail fighting using Web 2.0 magic themselves. Here's how both contenders wriggled their way into the series of tubes:

BARACK OBAMA
When Barack Obama announced his intention to run for president in January 2007, he was a virtual unknown on the national stage. Barely six months later, with just two debates under his belt, he was a viral sensation. Perhaps above all else, he has Obama Girl to thank for this bump. The video for her song "I Got A Crush...On Obama" was an instant online hit, rebroadcast all over television, written about in newspapers, spawning several spinoffs and currently sits on YouTube with over 10 million views. Countless Obama-centric sites flourished, as his name became synonymous with traffic, but it was the campaign itself that made the biggest contribution to his grassroots online popularity, showing its tech chops and putting them to good use.

Since the beginning, Obama's campaign has relied on fundraising through online donations. Instead of courting bigwigs with deep pockets, the campaign reports that it has received an average contribution of $86 per donor from 3.1 million people—online. Using the internet for donations has proven successful in an age where even grandmas buy stuff online, but the Obama campaign has broken records for most money raised in a day and most in a month. Obama even raised enough to opt out of the public financing every presidential candidate—including McCain—has received since 1976.

Obama's people have spent this cash in the most technologically advanced ways they could think up:
• Buying space within Xbox games
• Renting entire satellite TV channels
• Building iPhone apps
• Sending (and receiving) text messages
• Reaching out to supporters on Facebook
• Streaming video of campaign events
• Broadcasting the candidate's whereabouts on a heavily followed Twitter feed

Though the campaign obviously also allocates plenty of dollars to the usual TV ads and mailers, it's even got a website that's garnered praise for its accessible design. Perhaps drunk on their success there, the Obama people even launched a second site, FightTheSmears.com, to respond to attacks levied the candidate's way, which has been used effectively to shut down false criticism from the opposition.

But Obama wasn't totally guilt-free when it came to smearing his opponent. While his use of technology has allowed him to compete in states that Democrats wouldn't think they could before, he has made missteps. The most blatantly techy thing thing the Obama campaign put out was an ad blasting McCain for lack of computer know-how. The ad fell flat on it's face and was even criticized by his running mate, Joe Biden.

On another tech front, Obama received flack for—until very recently—accepting donations without proof of citizenship. This has led to some of the shadier ones getting refunded.

JOHN MCCAIN
John McCain wasn't able to get his fundraising game to Obama's level, and did accept the public financing and the $84 million cap that goes along with it. But perhaps that thrift has inspired McCain's more tech-savvy people to use technology effectively—and efficiently.

The McCain campaign has used YouTube as its most effective advertising weapon. The site has acted as a video press-release machine, where McCain's people will post an ad that runs a few times in a cheap media market, but due to some inflammatory or interesting attribute, gets blasted on cable news channels all day, for free. This approach was especially effective in the summer when the race was tighter. Obama, strangely, never counter-attacked with a similar strategy.

McCain hired Matt Lira, a top Republican "eGuru", to run his blog, which receives a good amount of attention and is well updated. Besides the blog, the most notable thing to come out of his website was a pencil for students with a grammatical error. McCain's Twitter feed only went up in September, and has been updated a paltry 25 times—that's one tenth of Obama's tweets.

The McCain camp has also taken to using some old-school tech known as robocalling, the same thing that George Bush used to tank his candidacy in 2000. Today, though, people recording those robocalls have uploaded them to blogs and other sites, so that they robocall strategy has a tendency to backfire. turning into rhetorical fodder for left-leaning sites.

Unpaid Republican supporters have been the brightest spots in McCain's thrifty march to the White House. Andy Martin is the man responsible for the wildest email rumor ever, a thread suggesting that Barack Obama was a Muslim who concealed his religion. That lie, originated in 2004, found a life of its own this year, spreading across the farthest corners of the internet. Somehow, the reddest people in the reddest states all heard it. This inadvertent campaign tactic (strategy?) shows the power of e-mail, though it too is dangerous power: The ugliest moment of the 2008 race was when McCain had to directly confront a supporter and explain to her that Obama was not an Arab, but rather a "good family man."

Some go so far as to say McCain's vice presidential pick came directly from a suggestion by a young, influential right-wing blogger Adam Brickley, whose site's title, "Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President" is cheerfully out of date. (Cuz, like, she was drafted.) The blog now serves as an unofficial but "endorsed" McCain-Palin site and news service. On the flipside, it's also true that Palin was vetted more thoroughly by bloggers than by the campaign itself, thanks to stockpiles of information easily available over the internet.

Still, like Obama's tasteless attack ad said, McCain is an admitted technophobe, not accessing e-mail or any website besides the Drudge Report. Maybe if he—and his campaign—expanded their horizons, they could have figured out how to do even better playing the internet game. Of course, many of McCain's supporters are offline, and the election's not until Tuesday.

Jason and I have been wanting a hero action figure version of ourselves for a long time. Plus a couple of Leia in her metal bikini too, so we can play with them like Dark Helmet. And perhaps two more of potential vice president Sarah Palin as well. Unfortunately, they are too expensive, which is probably for the better, since the idea is kind of disturbing when you see Palin's legs going out her miniskirt. Update: We asked Hero Builders why o why.

Gizmodo: Are you planning to release action figures of McCain, Obama, or Biden?
Hero Builders: McCain is out already, and so is Obama. We also have a beach blanket Obama also. Maybe Biden. We don't know how to make really bad hair transplants that small :>)))

Gizmodo: Why did you decide to do Palin?
Hero Builders: BECAUSE SHE IS HOT, is there another reason?

Gizmodo: Does she have a killer move?
Hero Builders: I'm sure she does!

This is the Superhero version, with a 45 caliber arm tied to her leg.

And this is the executive version. Hummm... maybe this is not that sick. I don't know. After all, to quote Tom Waits in Nighthawks at the Diner, at least I don't tie up myself first. If you are into Sarah action figures, you can get her naked for $27.95—the executive—and $29.95—the Super Hero. The visits to the shrink are not included. [Hero Builders]

John McCain

The 100-Word Version:

McCain thinks the market should determine the fate of the net, so government-mandated "neutrality" would be too much of an intervention. He also voted against renewable energy. He voted in favor of federal funding to get more tech in classrooms, yet he wants to be hands off in closing the digital divide. This is also the same man who is self-proclaimed as computer illiterate, and almost went broke before primaries even began.

Bonus Bits: McCain expects to be in Iraq for over 100 years. No matter what opinion you have on the war, just think about all the crazy gadgets they'll be fighting with then!

If McCain were a gadget, he'd be: a Motorola StarTAC cellphone. Once relevant and desired, both are woefully underpowered now, and backed by a company in financial turmoil.

Mitt Romney

The 100-Word Version:

Romney suspiciously lacks a position on many prevalent tech issues; he offers no statements on net neutrality and vague, blanket statements about subsidized tech programs that might help the poor. He did propose $20 billion for the automotive industry to research alternative energy sources. But he's more concerned with becoming energy independent from other countries, as opposed to finding a replacement for oil. Given his lifelong commitment to capitalism, Romney probably won't take any big risks in the name of technology.

Bonus Bits: Romney probably wishes we weren't living in the YouTube era, so the public wouldn't be exposed to his grasp on cultural relevance.

If Romney were a gadget, he'd be: a Lenovo ThinkPad. Romney and the ThinkPad both are meant for the business sector, eschewing romanticism for a bottom-line mentality.

Mike Huckabee

The 100-Word Version:
Huckabee is the only candidate from the GOP who's in favor of net neutrality, picking up major points from us (in spite of ourselves). He also supports reducing CO2 emissions through renewable energy programs, though I wouldn't exactly call him a techie. Huckabee is mostly concerned with renewable energy so that CO2 emissions don't muck up his hunting grounds. As far as funding tech programs to bridge the Digital Divide, he lacks any stated position.

Bonus Bits: Huckabee has Chuck Norris, the ultimate internet meme, in his corner.

If Huckabee were a gadget, he'd be: a Big Mouth Billy Bass. Not only does Huckabee come off as a low-tech kind of guy who loves his nature, but he has a certain low-brow appeal to him. The Singing Fish embodies a similar characteristic.

Ron Paul

The 100-Word Version:

Paul, our Libertarian in wolf's clothing, is against net neutrality and thinks the FCC should stay out of 700 MHz spectrum auction. He also voted against funding for tech education, reducing greenhouse gases and increasing automotive fuel economy. Sure, he is against federal requirements for search engines to keep detailed search logs. But still, DO NOT WANT.

Bonus Bits: The users of Digg have taken a liking to Paul. Any story that mentions his name is almost guaranteed to hit the front page.

If Paul were a gadget, he'd be: the BugLabs BugBASE. Bug Labs is about letting people do whatever the hell they feel like with the gadget. Ron Paul thinks American citizens should be able to do whatever the hell they feel like with the country. Kindred spirits, they are.

And the winner is...: Huckabee. This may sound absolutely mad, but if I had to pick a GOP candidate based on his tech policies, it would be Mike Huckabee. McCain and Romney could potentially have better tech platforms, but neither has the balls to show their hand. Therefore, mostly by default, Huckabee wins.

Related Reading:
Mike Huckabee
• Chuck Norris Endorsement of Mike Huckabee
• Mike Huckabee on the Issues
• NY Times Magazine: "The Huckabee Factor"

Mitt Romney:
• Mitt on YouTube: Who Let The Dogs Out?
• Mitt on the Issues
• Tech Crunch interviews Mitt

John McCain:
• John McCain @ D5 Conference
• John McCain On The Issues
• John McCain interview with CNET

Ron Paul:
• Digg Nation Hearts Ron
• Ron Paul On The Issues
• CNET Interviews Ron Paul

Special thanks to TechCrunch and CNet.

Hillary Clinton

The 100-Word Version:
Clinton is progressive in several tech areas, including her support for net neutrality, plans for a Strategic Energy Fund to develop alternative resources, and providing tax credits for research and development. Unique to Clinton's manifesto is her desire to bring more women and minorities into math and science professions, where the groups are sorely underrepresented. However, she loses points with us for skirting issues of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, reserving opinion on a consumer's right to legally create backup copies of their media pending further review, and accepting the Bush administration's support of requiring ISPs and search engines to record the surfing habits of their users.

Bonus Bits: Clinton recently said that if elected, she would take the "radical step" of hiring bloggers for government agencies to write about what goes on in meetings. She didn't say how these government employees working under the eye of the president would remain watchdogs of the agencies.

If Clinton were a gadget, she'd be: a designer Taser. The pink outer case projects an image of charm and beauty, but it's the stun gun on the inside that is the true mark of its power. Just like Hillary.

Barack Obama

The 100-Word Version:
The only candidate with a dedicated technology section on his website, Obama has vowed to make priorities of ensuring net neutrality, affordable broadband access, and accelerating research and commercialization of biofuels and plug-in hybrids. In addition to this standard Democrat fare, Obama plans to redefine "broadband," calling the present definition of 200kbps "astonishingly low," reform the patent system to protect major innovations and prevent patent trolls from stifling development, and use the wireless spectrum for maximum public benefit. Finally, an Obama-led administration would include a Chief Technology Officer to oversee these issues and maintain communication between the government and the American people.

Bonus bits: Obama is likely the Apple fanboy's candidate of choice. On a recent episode of Letterman, he made one campaign promise we hope comes true: "I won't let Apple release the new and improved iPod the day after you bought the previous model."

If Obama were a gadget, he'd be: an iPhone. He's the new, sexy and popular candidate, but he still has a lot to prove.

And the winner is...: Barack Obama. From a purely technology-based standpoint, Obama is the more progressive of the two. He cares about topics as nerdy as broadband speed, and wants to protect the freedom that exists on the internet. Obama appears to understand technology on a deeper level than Clinton, and is our choice for the most tech-savvy Democratic candidate.

Further reading:
Hillary Clinton
• Clinton's technology plan
• "Hillary Clinton on Energy & Oil"
• "Clinton knows the value of research"

Barack Obama:
• Obama's technology plan
• "Obama pledges Net neutrality law if elected president"
• "Obama: No warantless wiretaps if you elect me"

Special thanks to TechCrunch and CNet.