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Ray Gun Puts Voices Inside Your Head

Sportsqs writes "The Sierra Nevada Corporation claimed this week that it is ready to begin production on the MEDUSA, a damned scary ray gun that uses the 'microwave audio effect' to implant sounds and perhaps even specific messages inside people's heads."

16 of 517 comments (clear)

  1. That's Ironic by ComputerGeek01 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    that they should name it Medusa, a villain who was defeated by reflecting it's magic back at it...

    1. Re:That's Ironic by electrosoccertux · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Unfortunately, this time she's not sentient.

      This goes just too far. If there were ever to be a law against free speech, this would be it, because I don't want to listen to what this thing has to say. I value silence. That ear plugs wouldn't work against this thing...

    2. Re:That's Ironic by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If there were ever to be a law against free speech, this would be it, because I don't want to listen to what this thing has to say. I value silence.

      You already have this. The right to free speech is NOT the right to be heard by everyone, despite what a lot of people think.

      --
      Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  2. scary. by apodyopsis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    remote torture anybody?

    imagine playing Cliff Richard to you victim incessantly. unable to sleep. unable to get away from it. all you need is somebody to point this thing at his head.

    imagine doing it at just enough of a low level so he is not aware of it.

    imagine jururs being threatened at long range. imagine blackmail from a distance.

    what if an unverifiable, untraceable voice announces in your ear "rob the bank or I shoot your wife", what would you do?

    this is damn scary, where is my magneto helmet?

    1. Re:scary. by pxc · · Score: 3, Insightful

      what if an unverifiable, untraceable voice announces in your ear "rob the bank or I shoot your wife", what would you do?

      Don't react. If they believe they can't contact you, then they'll try something else to get whatever they want out of you before killing your wife. It will at least give you some awareness of the situation and probably buy your wife some more time.

  3. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by JustKidding · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "all standard forms of defence against auditory input" probably means anything in or covering your ears. The tinfoil hat only blocks electromagnetic waves, which is what they are supposedly using.

    The tinfoil hat might actually be one of the few ways you can block this without any special materials or equipment.

    If they see someone with a tinfoil hat, they'll probably just yell at him.

  4. Be great for parents of teenagers... by grassy_knoll · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Heck, combine it with some prerecorded messages and parents will snap these up "for the children".

    Top sellers could be:

    • clean your room
    • take the trash out
    • study more

    All with constant repetition which only ends when the desired action is performed.

    ... yes it's a joke. I hope.

  5. Just what we need by damburger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Another way for marketing wankstains to pollute our heads with their psychologically manipulate garbage. Hopefully the powers that be will see the strong public interest argument in not using this to beam 'important messages' into peoples heads.

    --
    If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
  6. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by TheLostSamurai · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1) Subliminal messages don't work. It's a sham that a psychologist made with fake data that scared the crap out of politicians so that a law was implemented quickly and people fear it to this day (though I still do fear spammers using this, as they have no morals).

    So... Why exactly do you fear it if it doesn't work?

    --
    I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
  7. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by gnick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1) Subliminal messages don't work. It's a sham that a psychologist made with fake data that scared the crap out of politicians so that a law was implemented quickly and people fear it to this day (though I still do fear spammers using this, as they have no morals).

    So... Why exactly do you fear it if it doesn't work?

    Because audible spam in my head would be even worse than the e-mailed spam in my in-box or the visible spam on billboards (and bus stops, sides of buildings/cars, etc.)

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  8. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 3, Insightful

    People should be able to believe whatever the hell they want to believe as long as they don't try to force it on others. If they don't believe in evolution, fine, it's their right -- but they shouldn't be allowed to practice biological science.

  9. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by pla · · Score: 4, Insightful

    attaining the necessary volume might involve power levels that could cause neural damage.

    Yeah, that'll stop this from widespread use.

    Like how they banned Tasers, because attaining the necessary pain might involve power levels that could cause cardiac arrhythmia.

    Oh, wait, no they don't... All those people died of "excited delerium", not Taser-induced arrhythmia. Slip o' the tongue there, don't sue me bro...

  10. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by PRMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yeah, that sure worked for Stalin and Mao Tse Tung. They never committed any atrocities at all.

    The reality is that there are a few nutballs out there in every religion, including atheism.

    --
    Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  11. I think the (tinfoil hat) joke is on us this time. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There are all kinds of quips about tinfoil hats and paranoia to be made on this one. Trouble is, think about what that means. We are living a tinfoil hatter's paranoid fantasy, it just happens to all be true.

    Massive wiretapping? Check.
    Ubiquitous surveillance? Check.
    Substantial expansion of state power? Check.
    Secret prisons and disappearances? Check.
    Directed energy weapons (both pain and sound)? Check.
    Classified laws? Check.
    Mercenaries who answer to no law?? Check.

    Seriously. They still have some really wacky ones about reptoids and masons and things; but much of conspiracy lore is so common that it doesn't even make the front pages anymore. The joke is on us.

  12. Re:And we wonder why people are paranoid? by mypalmike · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you are so crazy that you think Santa Clause is an FBI agent out to kill you and you strike out that does not meet the standard for legal insanity here.

    That's OK with me. Sorry if it seems callous, but a mentally ill murderer is still a murderer. Criminal law serves to protect the public. It sucks to have mental illness and to be locked up, but it sucks more to get stabbed to death on a subway train.

    --
    There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
  13. Re:Ha! See! I told you! by bckrispi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Also, there is a *big* difference between seeing someone simply going limp after being tazed, and seeing someone getting beaten down with a billy-club. These situations play out very differently when broadcast on the 6:00 news.

    --
    Xenon, where's my money? -Borno