Star Wars is here

[Victor Smith]

I just read this
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/ ... ed-lasers/

So perhaps all our training is for naught.... lasers that blind and burn, and I don't move faster than light speed most days.

[Dana Sheets]

What good will come of such a thing in the consumer market?

-Speakers and others blinded on the platform
-blind pilots
-kids blinding each other
-animal torture

I mean, I'm all for a right to bear arms and all that...but this thing should be classified as a gun, not a "pointer".

-Dana

[Panther]

Lasers are not toys! Even the low-power laser-pointers people use are not good for your eyes at all.

I've worked using optical fiber networking for a long time. A number of years ago (well over a decade now) there was a tech who, for whatever reason, simply ignored the warnings (printed everywhere and reiterated in numerous classes and meetings) to never look into the fiber optics cable. He did... blinded in one eye immediately and didn't even realize it for a minute of two. Ashame really, but he was TOLD.

This stuff is NOTHING to play around with! I like seeing my wife and kids... I like reading... I have (literally) twisted one of those laser pointers out of someone's hand who was flashing it at me and smashed it on the ground... (Have I made it clear yet) THIS IS NOTHING TO MESS AROUND WITH... IT IS DANGEROUS "SHEET" THAT CAN PERMANENTLY BLIND YOU!!!

OK, yelling and ranting over... (for now... )

[Bill Glasheen]

It is kind of stupid to sell something like this without a clearly legitimate purpose. Star Wars my ass - this makes a terrible weapon. All it will do is burn and maim, which is going to lead to getting your booty handed to you by the ticked-off victim. And someone would have every right to take the thing away from you and thrash you over the head with it.

I'm not so worried about 1 watt of power in terms of taking over the world, but it could indeed blind you permanently.

Torturing animals? Yea I suppose. But then you can do that with a magnifying glass outdoors, so...

A few years back, some idiot at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium (probably a student) chose to aim a laser at the face of a UVa basketball player as he was preparing to make a free throw. The game was on national television, and what was going on could clearly be seen on television. Believe me - there were many replays of the light beam wandering around the kids face as he was taking his warm-up dribbles. I guess it was from a distance as the student was having a hard time aiming it into the eyes. Anyhow, an alert ref blew the whistle, ran over to Coach K, and had him chastise the idiot from the PA system at the scorer's table. They never did figure out who was doing it, which is the real problem with these pocket lasers.

Kids will do this to passers-by in shopping malls just for grins. Not very funny, really.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

They think this is funny...

dog catches laser light!!

I guess - if it happens to someone else.

Even worse I suppose is to do this with a kitten.

- Bill

[Victor Smith]

Thought I tried to introduce this lightly, I don't consider it worthy of existence either. But with it's low price and it's potential for harm I do think it is a concern.

If such 'toys' are going to be sold must we equip ourselves with strong sunglasses and flameproof clothing?

None of which strike me as funny, but the cat's out of the bag.. who know's what follows.

[Panther]

This past weekend I happened to be standing with some LEOs outside of a place when...

a car driving down the street and a red dot starts bouncing around the buildings coming down the street towards us!

Car coming down the street towards us, bass thumping, red dot flashing from inside and...

Two officers take off into the middle of the street and two other officers all drawing down (me too, but I was behind cover... they went right out there), stopping the car. It was at that point that the sirens and lights covered the area and blocked off the entire block from both ends... and surrounded the car. (One of the officers had immediately radioed when he saw the red dot first appear. I didn't even notice that because I was taking cover!)

I guess it is some sort of offense (or there were other things found), because two of them got arrested. I never did find out if there was actually a firearm or not. A girl in the back seat with a valid DL was allowed to leave with the car (the officers told her they were "being nice"). Another girl in the back seat very nearly got arrested too because one of the guys getting put into the wagon had her ID and the officers told her she could pick it up at the station after he was booked. She started getting unruly until she was told she could "ride with him" including the silver bracelets.

ten minutes later... calm street...

moral of the story: Cops take red dot lasers VERY seriously.