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Live Long and Prosper: This Guy Built a Real-Life Star Trek Phaser

You can think this guy isn’t awesome, but then you’d be wrong.

Stan Honda / AFP / Getty Images

Snakes (Nearly) on a Plane: TSA Unveils Top ‘Catches’ of 2011

Travelers attempted to smuggle firearms, animals and even land mines on board.

Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Gun Sales Shot Up on Black Friday

Gun shops rang in the holiday shopping season with a bang. Black Friday 2011 set the biggest one-day record of background check requests for hopeful gun buyers, eclipsing the previous record by 32%.

Allison Joyce / Reuters

Reading While Eating for September 13: Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty

Tuesday’s links get techy with Cold War gadgets and DIY weapons.

Scott Olson / Reuters

FBI Investigation: Stun Gun Found on JetBlue Plane in Newark Airport

Usually members of flight crew find smartphones, e-readers and discarded magazines in seat-back pockets. This time crew members found something they probably weren’t expecting.

Getty Images

T.I. Lives His Life, Gets Arrested Again

But…[sniff]…what will this mean for the box office hopes of Takers?

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (left) at the 10th anniversary memoriam of the Oklahoma City Bombing

Quotes: Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Open-Carry Weapons Bill

“I’m a strong supporter of the right to bear arms and have earned an A rating from the NRA, but this measure does nothing to strengthen Second Amendment protections.” – BRAD HENRY, Oklahoma governor, on his decision to nix a bill that would have granted concealed-carry permit owners the right to openly carry weapons. (via [...]