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FBI Investigating Laser Beams Pointed at Aircraft
sakshale writes "In an earlier discussion about Laser Pistols, many people argued about the concept of using them to target pilots of airliners. Apparently the FBI is investigating incidents in Cleveland and Colorado Springs. They issued a warning on December 14th."
So fitting. I was blinded by the laser
-nB
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By sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads...
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Well if people would put tops to their shark tanks we wouldn't be having this problem, now would we?
Some good links from FreeRepublic.
Seems like Dr. Evil and his "laser beam" are finally starting to do their evil deeds!
Engineering and the Ultimate
damn, how am I supposed to burn holes in stuff now?
Magnifying glass, or sulfuric acid.
"This is you left and that's your left. This is your right and that's your right. You're gonna die!
Perhaps public misperception can eventually make lasers easier to obtain and more widely produced rather than regulated to the point of inaccessability.
1. People think the lasers are weapons.
2. Other people start selling lasers as weapons.
3. Weapons are constitutionally protected for civilian ownership in all civilized nations.
4. Ergo - the Lasers can be purchased at your local sporting-goods store after a background check and some paperwork.
(Author's note, Point #3 is intended to be a bit of a joke. But I expect at least one reader will not read all the way to this disclaimer, instead flaming me good and hard.)
Trying to use sarcasm in text-based forums does not work.
You'll take my green lasers when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers.
The site says if you write an essay on laser safety, they'll sell you one. So write down the first 100 things you were going to try, with an introductory paragraph saying "The following actions are just the sort of irresponsible use of lasers that cause accidents. They should not be attempted".
I'm scared of numbers that can't be written as a fraction. It's an irrational fear.
I have no doubt this will prove about as fruitful as their investigation into Bonsai Kitten
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Although in that situation you might have a problem when you blind the pilot and he crashes on you.
This is serious, but not nearly as serious as what I'd like to do to the pointer-equipped, arrested development imbeciles that always seem to show up in the theater where I've just spent $9.50 to see a film. No doubt they think they're really onto something novel as they draw circles around Gollum's head, or perhaps improve Michael Moore's insufferable visage by doodling on it.
These punks, with their cheesy dime-store pointers, are eroding our cinemaplex entertainment economy. As they taint our $40 movie dates, though, they're driving me closer and closer to actually buying a big screen at home. Which is good for China, or whoever makes it that week.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
you're correct. the whole internet should be taken down and replaced with tsunami news and discussion and donation soliciting for the next month at least. i also find it really offensive that anyone has the gall to think about anything but tsunamis. the nerve of some people.
WARNING: Do not point laser into remaining good eye.
In Soviet America the banks rob you!
5. Profit!
Well, that's a relief. When a blinded pilot crashes on top of me, it will be quite comforting to know that it was an isolated incident, so I needn't worry about it happening too often.
"This laser DOES NOT pose a threat to airplanes or pilots"
Remember: lasers don't kill people, guided weapons that follow laser beams kill people.
"Totally seal the borders"
This is the part that I totally agree with; as a non-American I think that the USA *should* immediately seal all of its borders.
Anyone currently in the USA should not be allowed to leave, and noone should be permitted to enter.
Al internet connections, phone lines and satellite communications with the USA should be shut down.
A wall should be built, as high as humanly possible.
Best for everyone involved.
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
Who said the beams came from the ground? And who said the operators were human? If 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' had been in color, you would have clearly seen that Klaatu and Gort's laser beams were green .
Oh, the tsunami... I thought this was another Iraq reference.
Exactly how does someone have $700 worth of fun with a laser in a responsible fashion? Its not like the thing is powerful enough to do really cool things like cut James bond in half or something.
Incidentally, if Goldfinger had really known what he was up to he would have had Bond upside down on the slab of gold. This was the general practice in the middle ages when sawing a man in half was a means of execution. If the victim was upside down then the blood loss was less and they could be kept alive until the saw got down to the heart.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
Fact: pilots of commercial airliners do NOT look out the window.
First, the windows are too bloody high to see the ground anyway. On the crucial part of the journey - the landing - you're nose up, so all you can see out the window is sky and clouds. You can't legally land any Boeing/Airbus/etc. on VFR except in a (very dire) emergency.
So, simple solution? Paint the cockpit windows flat black. Over 90% of the crew wouldn't even notice. Unless the laser is strong enough to burn a hole in the 8" thick glass, it's no longer a problem.
Exactly how does someone have $700 worth of fun with a laser in a responsible fashion?
Use it to "key" cars in public, without being noticed (in day time).
Write your name in the snow.
Light a chicks cigarette from across the room.
Use it to heat your coffee.
Modify billboards.
Just don't hurt people with it. Unless they really, really need it. Could you toast a cell phone with it, I wonder?
I think Goldfinger was expecting the laser to cauterize the wound as it went. Then again i don't have my Evil Master(mind)s degree in psychology.
--- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!
It's not gargoyles, it's friggin sharks with frickin lasers attatched to their heads.
possible small glitch with your scenario.
"even though the plane may be going at an very high speed, it will be virtually still since it's coming right at me."
Personaly I wouldn't want a 747 with a blind pilot comming right at me.
Mycroft
https://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4c3ed6600b6ea