In a recent interview with a Dutch newspaper, Ryanair founder Michael O'Leary sat down to discuss the future of his airline. The fastest growing airline in the world still operates out of a tiny office complex in Dublin, with no intention of moving to the kind of slick all-glass towers his competitors fill.

When asked about the crisis in the aviation world, he laughs - "what crisis". In 2009, the Irish low cost carrier transported 66 million passengers, up from 58 million in 2008. But better yet - they managed to double their profits. In just under 6000 square feet, the airline takes care of their sales, marketing, HR and web site management. Nobody uses email to discuss anything - they believe that getting up out of your chair and walking to the person in question is far more efficient.

In 2009, the average price of a Ryanair ticket was just 28 euros (about $40). Even with those low prices, the airline can make a profit. The key to their success, according to O'Leary, is to use smaller regional airports and to stick to a very simple principle - your ticket get you a seat and nothing else.

Ryanair has often been the source of jokes, mostly started by the airline itself. When they say they'll add a coin slot to airplane bathrooms, people laugh, but O'Leary is dead serious. In 2010, they plan to remove some of the bathrooms on their planes, giving them room to add more seats. With just one bathroom and a coin slot, ticket prices can once again go down a little.

O'Leary also revealed that he'll hand over control of his airline to someone else in two or three years. Despite his success, he dislikes the aviation world claiming "profit margins are slimmer than at the local grocery store".

When asked about his transatlantic plans, he still insists that the airline is serious - it won't be part of the current Ryanair, but flying a plane full of people from Europe to the US should be possible for around $15 per ticket. Like in Europe, a transatlantic Ryanair would most likely make use of smaller regional airports. If he ever pulls this off, he admits that he'd need to do it in one big blow - lots of planes, lots of destinations. Given how successful O'Leary has proven to be, I don't think anyone in the aviation world should ever doubt he can succeed.

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Sunday January 17th 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for the "Leisure Monterey" 3 piece luggage set. The set includes a 27" upright, a 20" upright and a 15" tote, all for just $42. Obviously, this kind of luggage is not designed for rigorous business travel. The set is available in three colors, and ships for free. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a neat little Duracell battery charger for your iPod or iPhone. The device works off 2 AA batteries (your first set is included). On sale for $3.99 + $6 shipping. Devices like this are perfect if you depend on your phone or iPod and need a way to keep it going in an emergency. Click here for this deal.

Today's third deal is for a really nifty universal GPS mounting kit. The kit comes with a suction cup, various flexible arms and an assortment of GPS mounts for most TomTom, Garmin and Magellan units. Best of all - the set costs just $2.99! Shipping is $4.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup is the Mountainsmith Tribeca urban backpack. This pack is perfect for short commutes. The pack has pockets for your laptop, PDA, memory cards and more. Inside the pack, you'll even find a CD sleeve and headphone port. Normal price is $115, but it is currently on sale for just $31 (black) or $32 (brown). Click here for this deal.

This story is still developing, but terminal 8 at JFK is being evacuated. The terminal is home to American Airlines, and the reason is the same as what shut down Newark two weeks ago - a "security breach".

As of right now, all passengers are being told to leave the building, and will need to wait outside while the TSA and PANYNJ search the facility. After that, all passengers will need to be rescreened.

As of right now, aa.com shows flight delays of up to two hours, but this could obviously become longer once the security lines start to back up.

We'll bring you more information about the terminal evacuation, and the reason behind it as soon as we can.

UPDATE: Passengers are reporting that Terminal 8 is the only building impacted, all other JFK terminals are currently unaffected.

UPDATE 2: According to the AP, a man left the American Airlines Admirals Club through an airport employee door. It was not clear whether this door let him onto the tarmac, or back into the landside portion of JFK. Either way - it was enough of a breach to cause the evacuation.

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Saturday January 16th 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Do you carry (too many) electronic devices in your car? Over at 1saleaday, you can order yourself a 3-way power splitter for free. You'll need to pay $4.99 for shipping, but even at under $5, this is a great bargain. Click here for this deal.

Next up are the Altec-Lansing Backbeat Mobile headphones. These noise isolating headphones come with an integrated microphone, making them perfect for your iPod or iPhone, as well as any other device with a 3.5mm headset jack. On sale for just $24.99. Click here for this deal.

Today's third deal is for the Archos 605 30GB media tablet. This (refurbished) Wi-Fi enabled media player supports a wide variety of music, photo and video formats, and can even be outfitted with a sports camera or DVR accessory. On sale for just $79.99 with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

Is poor hotel Wi-Fi preventing you from getting any work done? Consider a $20 investment in the BlueProton high-power adapter. This USB Wi-Fi device has a large antenna, and a transmitter set to "max". Click here for this deal.

Finding contraband is usually reserved for the airport, but this week, NASA is dealing with its own aviation incident. NASA officials are scrambling to discover the source of a small bag of cocaine found in a Space Shuttle hangar.

The bag was found by one of the 200 people holding a permit to be inside the area, which obviously narrows down the number of people on the list of suspects.

The find is especially embarrassing because the hangar is on the base where a Shuttle launch is scheduled for next month. Obviously, the idea of cocaine making its way into orbit is rather frightening, as is the idea that someone with Shuttle access credentials may be a cocaine user.

The Kennedy Space Center has a zero tolerance policy on drugs, and officials have started drug tests on its workers, and drug sniffing dogs are searching the area for more clues.

A particularly nasty gang of laptop thieves has been arrested at Houston's Bush Intercontinental airport. The gang consisted of five baggage handlers working for a third party firm hired by Continental Airlines to re-screen transiting passengers.

"Normal" laptop thieves usually get their loot by stealing from bags in the underground sorting area, but these guys once again prove that most criminals are just plain dumb.

They were caught when they asked a passenger to remove his two laptop computers and place them on a conveyor belt to be screened. They then told him he had to go to a different terminal to pick them up. Of course, the machines were not there, as the criminals kept them inside the screening equipment. Once the passenger made his way to pick up his property from the other terminal, the gang climbed inside the screening equipment, removed the computers, and hid them in an airport bathroom.

It never ceases to amaze me how low some people will sink, or how they thought they could possibly get away with this crime. All five crooks have been fired by their employer, and bond has been set at $50,000. They face up to ten years in prison if convicted. Houston police do not know how long the gang had been operating.

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Friday January 15th 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for a Sandisk Sansa Clip 2GB MP3 player. This tiny device won't do photos or music, but it does come with a voice recorder, FM radio and simple controls. On sale for jsut $12.99 + $5 shipping. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a good deal on one of the latest Fujifilm digital cameras. The Z30 is a stylish white camera with a 10 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom and a sliding lens protector. On sale for $79.99. Click here for this deal.

Today's third deal is for the Motorola F3 GSM mobile phone. At $20, it is one of the cheapest unlocked phones on the market, and the perfect phone for those times you'd rather leave your iPhone in your hotel room. The F3 will only work on US GSM frequencies (AT&T or T-Mobile). Shipping is $3. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup is a product perfect for people always running out of outlets in a hotel room (like me). The Monster Power To Go outlet is compact, and has an integrated circuit breaker, which means you'll trip your own breaker before plunging an entire floor of hotel rooms into darkness. On sale for $14.61. Click here for this deal.

When Bangladeshi cabbie Mukul Asadujjaman found a handbag containing $21,000 in cash, passports and jewelry in the back of his cab, he could have shrugged and handed it in to lost and found. Some cabbies may even have decided it was their lucky day, and pocketed the cash.

Mr. Asadujjaman did the best possible thing - he drove 50 miles to the original pickup address, left his phone number, and reunited the owners with their property. He wouldn't even accept a reward, turning it down saying that as a Muslim he could not accept it.

Of course, this should serve as a reminder to anyone with that much cash, that carrying it in a handbag in a New York cab is a really bad idea.

The money belonged to an Italian family, visiting the United States, and the loss of all their money and passports would have severely screwed up their plans. Kudos to Mr. Asadujjaman, it really is refreshing to see that honest people still exist.

Stories of poor TSA security screenings are not new - several days ago we wrote about a man who passed through a Milwaukee checkpoint with shotgun shells. In this "TSA screw-up of the day", we head to Gallatin Field, serving Bozeman, Montana.

This may be a fairly small airport, but that should not be an excuse for the TSA to miss a firearm in a carry-on bag. The gun belonged to an "unidentified man", who was honest enough to notify the cabin crew when he noticed his error. As is normally the case, the plane returned to the gate, and was delayed for over an hour while the TSA did their job (again).

Now, I understand how our constant "TSA bashing" be be getting a little boring, but this story suddenly gets really interesting. Airport director Brian Sprenger is so fed up with the government screeners, that he is seriously considering replacing them with an outside security firm.

Of course, a local union leader is "strongly opposed", claiming for-profit security firms are a bad idea, because they'll need to make a profit, while working with the same budget offered to the TSA. But to be honest, I don't see how a private firm could be any worse than the government workers in place right now.

Failing to detect a gun is the kind of mistake that could cost the lives of everyone on the plane. Too much emphasis is placed on items like water bottles and false no-fly list passengers, that you sometimes get the feeling they forget to keep a close eye on the most obvious issues.

There are no immediate plans to replace the TSA at Bozeman just yet - but the airport is in the exploratory phase, which on its own should set off some alarm bells within government.

Earlier today, I introduced you to FastPencil, a new way for budding authors to turn their stories into real books and ebooks.

If you have the inspiration to become a writer, or if you'd just like an affordable way to create your very first book, then pay attention! Gadling and FastPencil are offering you the chance to win a free printed book, free eBook and free shipping. With this prize, you can write your own book in the FastPencil system (or even import blog work or other content) and be the first person to order your own book.

All you have to do in order to win one of these prizes, is leave a comment with what you'd name your first book.

Legalspeak:

• To enter, leave a comment in the section below telling us what you'd name your first book.
• The comment must be left before Thursday, January 21st 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
• Approximate retail value: $40
• Fifteen winners will be selected in a random drawing to receive a coupon code for one free book, one free eBook and free shipping & handling.
• Winners will be notified by email.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• Click HERE for complete Official Rules.