Order Deadlines for Christmas 2009

To help you plan your holiday shopping we've compiled a list of stores and their drop-dead holiday shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery. We've done our best to make sure the dates and times are accurate, but we recommend that you confirm this with the merchant you are shopping with. And all times listed refer to Eastern. Happy shopping!

And if you know any order deadlines not listed in the chart, feel free to share them in the comments! [Image]

In the past 20 years, more than 200,000 post boxes have been removed due to lack of use (less than 25 pieces sent per day), leaving only around 175,000 nationwide. That's just the most obvious sign that the Postal Service isn't doing too hot, but financially they're really suffering, with a projected $6 billion shortfall this year. That's bad news for the USPS, which has been considering actions like ending Saturday delivery to make up. But that may not be enough.

Unfortunately, it's our fault that the USPS is dying. Us early technological adopters have hastened the death of all kinds of physical media: We pay bills online, we communicate online, we send invitations online. Hell, the only thing I use USPS for is Netflix, and even they're pushing streaming video to replace mail-service DVDs.

As anybody who's experienced the horrors of Canadapost knows, USPS is a fantastic service: It's cheap, fast, reliable, safe and they still deliver on Saturdays. But the only way to save it is to send more mail, and I just don't see that happening. Sorry, USPS, on behalf of all nerds who killed you. [Washington Post]

Backstory first. A package supposedly was left on my doorstep on a Friday, or at least its delivery status claimed. Nothing was there. The next week goes by. Nothing shows up. Monday rolls around, my doorbell rings, and a guy's standing there with my package.

Some anonymous Fedex employee scanned the entirety of his truck and claimed he left those items on people's doorsteps, reported another Fedex driver who had to eventually come and clean up his mess. "He doesn't work for us anymore," said the man, subconsciously hoping to convince me not to go with UPS in the future.

I can see regular mailmen doing it, since very few people will miss another credit card offer or a Pennysaver or a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond. But Fedex? Like there aren't tracking numbers on most of those packages?

Image credit Washington Times

Most hardware doesn't age well. PCs can quickly become too old to salvage, entire cellphone generations pass in about three years and the country is moving on from outdated CRT display tech en masse. Newly idle gadgetry is the dark side of every upgrade, but there are responsible, beneficial ways to get rid of it.

Sell It
You know, one man's garbage, et cetera. There are a few ways to sell you stuff, and although most old hardware won't net you big bucks, finding a decommissioned gadget a new home is particularly satisfying.

If you think you've got something with niche appeal, eBay is your savior. Your Razr V3? On the right carrier, or unlocked, it could be worth an easy $75, while fetishized first-gen iMacs can rake in well over $100. Shipping as selling on the site can be a hassle and it's one of the most obvious options, but don't ignore the possibility—you never be sure what junk people are willing to pay for, and eBay is the easiest way to find out.

You're not bound to make as much money on Craigslist as on eBay, but it's easier and at least you'll know that whoever adopts your stuff will appreciate it. It's local, so you can usually convince your chumps to come pick you stuff up. Lifehacker as a great guide for getting the most out of Craigslist, but as long as you don't list your Zen Xtra in the Casual Encounters section it should be able to sell itself, or at least give itself away.

Selling gear to a faceless conglomerate might not yield the returns of an eBay success or have the dignity of a loving local transaction, but it'll get your gadgets off your hands and put a bit of money in your pocket. Last year, we investigated Costco's cash-for-gadget program, and it worked, though not always to our liking. Lifehacker wrote up Gazelle, who appraises and buys electronics, even covering the shipping. HP has a similar buyback program. Your gadget might end up as scrap and you won't be getting the best price, but these guys will take an awfully wide range of stuff and the process is pretty convenient.

Recycle It
Despite suffering from a recent bad rep on account of widespread, cost-cutting dumping in China, the recycling option is still a good one, as long as you do it through the right channels. Why not take care of your e-waste and middle-class enviroguilt all at once? The small cost is offset by the fact that your doing a good thing by not dumping some of the more toxic electronic component in landfills or, you know, poor countries, assuming your chosen company is legit.

Apple will waive the fee at recycling firm Metech for anyone who buys a new Mac. If you don't feel like spending $1999 to save $30, you can still use the company.

Your best option is to track down a local recycling company. Many towns have good e-waste facilities—some free, though most are not—and private companies often picks up the slack when the local government can't make it happen. E-Cycling Central has a fantastic utility for finding your local e-waste facilities, municipal and private, but the onus will be on you in either case to ensure that they're not just throwing your stuff into a landfill. Just be sure to ask where the stuff goes and if it gets recycled. If they won't or can't answer, move on.

For residents of D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego areas, as well as a few others, the USPS will help you recycle small gadgetry for free. They basically serve as a middleman between individual citizens and a corporate bulk recycling/repurposing outfit, and offer free shipping for inkjet cartridges, cellphones, PDAs, digital cameras, and MP3 players to be recycled, torn down or sold. Call you local P/O to see if you've got this option. If you do, prepaid packages are available at your branch for easy sending. The best part about this service is that it isn't vetted, so even the dumpiest old Motorola gets a free ride.

Donate It
There are plenty of charitable organizations trade hardware for karma by placing your old hardware in needy hands, but they can be somewhat picky about what they take. The National Cristina Foundation will put your computers in the hands of those who need them, but they won't take garbage. If you have a Pentium 3 equivalent computer with a software license, you're good to go. They'll also take peripherals, which would be a great way to pass on old printers, monitors, mice, keyboards, speakers and so on. The charity has been around for years, and is very good at what it does.

CollectiveGood normally deals with corporate bulk donations, but also runs a buyback program not unlike Gazelle's. The difference is that CollectiveGood will donate your payment directly to the charity of your choice. Face it—it's far more satisfying to feel like you've done something good than to just walk away with a disappointing $31.43 for your once-beloved Optiplex.

Recycling for Charities is a lot like the National Cristina Foundation, but with a focus on reselling cellphones for charity. As with CollectiveGood, you can choose your cause.

Due to shipping constraints, many donation opportunities won't be national—no worries though, as local options abound. Our brilliant intern Erica found plenty of options for New Yorkers in just a few minutes, so a little localized Google-fu will likely turn up something in your area too.

Hat tip to Lifehacker, and thanks to Erico Ho for additional research.

Dealzmodo Hacks are intended to help you sustain your crippling gadget addiction through tighter times. If you come across any on your own that are particularly useful, send it to our tips line (Subject: Dealzmodo Hack). Check back every other Thursday for free DIY tricks to breathe new life into hardware that you already own.

The postmaster general is asking Congress to remove the requirement for the post office to deliver mail six days a week, since the USPS lost $2.8 billion last year and could lose as much as $6 billion this year, since people are mailing less crap and it costs more to deliver it. So, the postmaster general says, "It is possible that the cost of six-day delivery may simply prove to be unaffordable." Worst-case scenario surprisingly isn't cutting Saturday delivery, which I've always kind of looked at as a bonus, but actually Tuesdays, which is a pretty light day.

Who do you trust to deliver your gadgets? Personally, I prefer Fedex, but I use USPS a lot when I buy from Amazon because I'm cheap and pick free Super Saver shipping, which isn't bad. For some reason, Newegg's new Egg Saver shipping, which also uses the USPS, is pretty terrible. If there was one less day a week, would you actually change your behavior though? Like stream more movies from Netflix, switch your Gamefly subscription or use more Fedex?

I guess you could always use the pony express: [AP, Image: aubergene/Flickr]

Letter Logger consists of a powerful microprocessor developed by Texas Instruments, and a low-power consumption uBlox ANTARIS 4 GPS module, and is powered by a slim 1100mAh battery. It can be deployed in two different ways. Users can choose to receive reports every two, five or ten minutes (which would, I think, drive you nuts) if Letter Logger is in Constant mode, or they can go for Tilt mode, which notifies you only when the envelope is tilted. Constant mode gives you 20 hours' battery life, while Tilt mode will keep tabs for two weeks.

The service starts up on January 2 next year and it won't be available to the general public. It's a shame the British Government's Customs and Revenue department didn't have access to this when the CD-Rs containing 25 million people's bank details got lost in transit earlier this month. [Tracking the World via Engadget]

Since these ultrashort-pulse lasers or USPs don't generate a lot of heat, they are far gentler than conventional lasers, which may open up the possibility of using them to eradicate viruses in stored blood. The duo is currently testing the laser on HIV and hepatitis, which could be truly groundbreaking if successful. Will this physics professor and his biologist son restore my faith in medical science? Only time will tell. [Wired]

No announcement has been made as yet, but these R2D2-themed mailboxes will be in post offices throughout the US later this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. They are not, however, being placed on the streets in case any enterprising Jawas spot them and steal them for scrap (or put them on eBay). Might we be seeing a whole host of SW-themed products? The boxes have uspsjedimaster.com emblazoned on the front, but there's nothing on the site as yet. And still no confirmation as to whether the mailman will be dressing up as Chewie. – Ad Dugdale

R2D2-themed mailboxes - Not So Long Ago At A Post Office Not So Far Away [OhGizmo!]

If you were going to score free DVDs somehow, what better way then to steal Netflix rentals from your neighbor's mailbox? Just ask your jolly mailman! He's already jacked up Mr. Thompson next door for 503 movies. Gloria Flores used to work for the USPS until she admitted to stealing over 500 DVDs in the mail from Netflix. She got 3 years probation and 100 hours community service. How'd she get caught? People in the town of Lyons started not receiving their Netflix rentals and called the Postmaster to complain. An investigation was launched and sure enough, Flores had stolen everyone's movies. Even Gigli.

Netflix thefts may involve ex-postal workers [Rocky Mountain News]