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Real-Life Gadgets For Real-Life Superheroes
cylonlover writes "Yes, there are real-life superheroes. And no, we're not just referring to firefighters, paramedics, and other heroic people whom we're used to seeing come to the rescue of others. We're talking about costume-wearing, identity-concealing, cool-name-having people who fight crime, pollution, or other evils in their own communities, on their own time, and at their own risk. Many of them actually patrol the city streets, ready to intervene if they see trouble brewing – and being ready includes having the right tools. Given that none of these people have Bruce Wayne's budget, Gizmag takes a look at some of the real-world gadgets they use as they go about their crime-fighting duties."
This seems more like the type of stuff "every day carry" forum goers tend to go on about.
I was expecting the jaws of life, IR/thermal cameras, or those nifty saws they have now that can cut through the roof of a car without slicing open the victim or sending gasoline exploding sparks everywhere.
Even some of those "oh yeah right" less than lethal devices that are being developed might have been interesting.
Instead I got a bunch of toys of dubious usefulness that would probably fall apart if used for any period of time.
I think it should be noted that most "real life gadgets" I've seen are not sleek and cool looking. They are boxy, rugged, and usually scratched up/covered in grease. They get lugged around, used in and around fires, soaked with water, etc.
I find the claim that random vigilanties are walking around with any of this stuff and actually helping people at least somewhat hard to believe. I don't doubt there is a community of people who like to dress up in this gear and attend gatherings / "training" .. but I'd be curious how many actual incidents have been reported.
Then again I live in Canada where we don't all generally think the government is out to get us you get in a lot of trouble for defending yourself so forget about defending someone else. Maybe this kind of thing is more common "down there" in the states.
(mmm, this thread will make a mess :S)
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
I troll around the Starbucks with my laptop running the Firesheep add-on to jack people's facebook sessions and post lewd links to their status!
Muwhahahahahahaaaa!!!!
Well, the invisible man's identity is now known: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange
What a great HERO and role model!
"one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter"
When I went to click on the link, in my mind was a curious tension of expectations. Would it be like Jay and Silent Bob in "Mallrats"? Like the various teenagers in "Kickass"? Like the moderately-capable guys in hockey pads in "The Dark Knight"? Or something entirely different altogether, some wonderful and amazing surprise of how people can leverage technology and creativity as force multipliers to do good?
However, after reading this and looking at the gear, all that comes to mind is..."What a bunch of douchebags. Ugh."
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
I usually just bring guns and beer.
I wish them luck on the power armor.
Only less believable.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
If I go out looking for trouble, does that make it premeditated when I assault some ne'er do well?
Good intentions aside, and all that.
Seriously, the guys from TFA should not be allowed on the streets. They need patience and a kindly hug. And a huge bag'o'medicine to go along with the mandatory refrains.
#liftedfromgizmodo
"If...you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning" - Catherine Aird
Mark Millar perspective in writting Kick-Ass tells it like it is... that enough is enough... when the authorities can't be everywhere every time, sometimes you need good Samaritans to help you deliver a good ass kicking to the ass wipes of society
We need a superhero to deal with this kind of ......of.........horror..
http://www.myspace.com/therealmasterlegend
HTMLMan where are you????
Am I the only one thinking of the latest South Park episodes?
A Heckler & Koch UMP, a Benelli M4 and knuckle dusters, on the side.
The stuff in TFA is a bunch of toys, FTFA:
Laser Wand: a toy Harry Potter wand, retrofitted with a 95mW green laser module – useful for pointing things out to the police, or letting troublemakers know they’re being watched
Knock the troublemaker down with a round from the Benelli, and follow it up with a spray from the H&K . . . the troublemaker will now know that he is being watched. Approach the troublemaker with caution, and apply the knuckle dusters liberally . . .
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_doctrine#In_other_countries
Currently, no Canadian Province has implemented either Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground.[35] Under the criminal code of Canada, a very limited version of Castle Doctrine exists that requires the victim to retreat if retreating is possible.
Also, it varies from state to state even in United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Doctrine_in_the_United_States#State-by-state_positions
What was the state motto of New Hampshire again? Taking it a bit too literally?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
To me, these all look like indications of sad, empty, delusional lives.
It sounds like the guys in the article are just barely a step past LARPers in crazy.
There really are masked vigilantes out there, one in Virginia I read about a few months ago and a group in southern Florida.
...seem to consist largely of flashlights attached to stuff.
As I read this article, I was like... *really*?
.45? You'll need some serious shielding and defensive moves for that. A taser or even a light weapon won't work here. And then if you use your 95mw laser to blind the perpetrator he will come back and sue you for all you're worth.
What do these, uh, "heroes" hope to do or defend against? Do they *really* think that slingshot is useful for *anything* in an urban setting?
What's going to happen when one of them encounters someone who is really serious, and the "hero" finds himself on the wrong end of a
Or what happens when there's an undercover cop making an arrest and one of these yahoos mistakes what he's seeing and tries to "intervene"?
Seriously people... the best thing to do nowadays is to get a concealed carry permit, carry a weapon you've practice on, and avoid trouble at all costs. Stuff like this is just ridiculous.
Wouldn't these be Masked Heros instead of Super Heros?
Also, none of the Heros looked beefy or badass. More like neighborhood watch weirdos. I suggest a better workout, more calorie intake, and developing better less-than-lethal crowd control type weapons. Chances are non-lethal will just make them mad.. and changes are also good that you won't be dealing with just one.
all imo, of course.
http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
I don't know about you, but my Georgia Firearms License and S&W Model 66 make me feel a lot safer than these guys do. "Right tools"? There are places in Atlanta where these fools would get laughed at, right before 5 gang members pull out guns and shoot them. My college has windows with bullet holes in them, and armed robberies inside school buildings at 1 in the afternoon. Some geek in a mask running around with a flashlight and a stun stick isn't going to make me feel any safer. No. Let those of us legally permitted to carry a form of protection to exercise our constitutional rights, and there would be a lot less crime.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
I like how StrongBad got into the mix
One RLSH in my neighborhood has a whole arsenal including (my personal favorite) his "shock hammer" which consists of a 9V battery strapped to the end of a framing hammer. He claims it will stun evildoers. I bet it will too. Did I mention he has some mental conditions and substance abuse problems?
I would find it extremely disturbing for some bozo to take it upon himself to be a "real life superhero" in my town. I do not want the rule of law to be suspended arbitrarily by some nut, well-meaning or not. We do not live in a movie or a graphic novel. We live in a lawful society, or at least strive for it to be so.
Why do people insist on referring to firefighters, paramedics or policemen as heroes? They signed up for a job and get paid to do it. Simple as that, no heroism there. They don't rescue or help people out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it because that's their job.
Now, there are countries where all firefighters are volunteers and work as firemen on their spare time without receiving any compensation. Those guys I would be more willing to call heroes.
Right, everyone knows that your manhood enhancement also acts as a bad-guy repellent.
... not the same thing as breaking and entering. Breaking and entering is a more serious crime, and a reasonable person would probably rightly fear for their life if someone broke into their house while they were in it. And in that situation, is it realistic to be able to wait for the police to show up? I don't think so.
Sorry to spoil your generalization, publiclurker, but men in my family have penises. We don't need enhancements.
Think of it this way. While I never wish this on anyone, let's talk again after you've been mugged at gunpoint. Then you'll see clearly where a firearm is not a penis poofer but a device that allows you to choose your life over that of your mugger's.
Do you think this guy was thinking about the size of his penis when he defended himself against a mugger who shot at him?
http://www.examiner.com/self-defense-in-national/armed-citizen-shoots-a-violent-mugger-self-defense
How about this guy? Do you think he needed a bigger penis or a way to defend himself against a hoodlum?
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2010/04/28/news/local/479034.txt
Or this one?
http://www.kc3.com/self_defense/Megerle.htm
Please don't project your own phallic challenges when you're trying to make a snide remark and inaccurate generalization.
Giving you the benefit of the doubt, you are making wildly ignorant speculations. Or more likely, you are not from Canada, and are using an imaginary version of Canada to try to make a point regarding self defense. Given that you go on to complain about frequent home invasion in Canada, and go off on an unrelated rant about rehabilitation, I would bet you are actually a conservative American. People in Canada leave their doors unlocked because there is so much less burglary in there. In either case, you are wrong regarding self defense laws in Canada, so please stop spreading misinformation.
This reminds me of a scene in some movie... Oh yea, Toy Story where the spaceman guy zaps the c'boy with his leds, with less than explosive results.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
A taser will still knock someone out, even if they're carrying an assault rifle. The ridiculous arms war on our streets only really applies if you expect the other guy to be wearing some sort of modern ballistics armor. I've never seen a petty thug wearing several thousand dollars worth of body armor when they're out tagging a building; maybe things are just different around here.
Similarly, the laser isn't to "blind" someone; it's merely to let them know that you're there, that you're watching, and have already called the police. That can be enough to scare someone away. These guys know that they're not Batman. They're trying to stop the levels of crime that can be prevented by the conspicuous present of concerned citizens, not bank-robbery/hostage situations.
These guys are a little weird, but by making their presence known in the areas they "patrol", they're doing worlds more than the "keep my head down, shoot anyone who gives me trouble" crowd.
Or how about this one, PublicLurker? Do you really think a 70 year old grandma needs a penis enlargement?
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/10/23/Horse_shoot.ART_ART_10-23-09_A1_SGFF2MR.html
See also: Castle Doctrine.
Too bad the laws were you live were written to protect the state rather than its citizens.
I often see this postulated, but as someone who has served in the military, in a combat zone, and has a couple of black belts, I've never seen concealed firearms as being particularly effective defense against muggings. Typically speaking, if you're being mugged, the bad guy has his gun out, trained on you. He's also nervous as fuck (since muggers tend to be the lowest level of street criminal). In the time it takes to draw, aim, and fire a pistol you'll be dead. As someone who has taught self defense, and spent more than his fair share time in self defense classes, the most common advice given to people regarding muggings is "give them your money". Something on the order of 95% or 98% of muggers (it's been a while since I taught this stuff) just want the money and they leave. The chances that you've encountered one of the other 5% are much smaller than the chances that you'll survive an attempt to defend yourself against an armed opponent.
Now for home defense there's a completely different case. Typically in that situation you have time to get your gun out and put yourself on at least equal footing with the intruder. There's *some* argument for the use of firearms in home defense situations, but in personal defense situations typically by the time you realize you need the gun it's too late.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
Seriously people... the best thing to do nowadays is to get a concealed carry permit, carry a weapon you've practice on, and avoid trouble at all costs.
I'm probably prejudiced, but I do appreciate living in a society where the best thing you can do does not involve carrying a concealed firearm.
I also appreciate that whenever I'm on the streets after sundown, the thing that makes me the most edgy is the scary movie I saw last week.
I realise this invites a descent into a gun-control debate. Attempt to short-circuit that: Let's agree to disagree on that one.
I'm just happy that I have never felt that I would've been safer had I carried a firearm. Hope it stays that way.
looks somethink like Jamie from Mythbusters build to shoot cans of coke!
"Real Life Super Heroes"?
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Oh, come on! How many of these people have actually prevented a crime, stopped a crime in action, or caught a perpetrator of a crime? Compare to how many have been beaten senseless trying? Compared to how many who have witnessed a crime, and were too chicken to do anything about it?
Reading through Wikipedia's "article" on "RLSH", I find a couple who do things that are honestly good. The lady who goes to bars to keep overly-drunk women from going home with losers is a good one. Most are just losers in stupid outfits.. Don't get me wrong, I would *LOVE* to be a real-life Batman, Spider-Man, or Iron Man. But I actually have both a sense of pride, and some brains; so I don't go prancing around in a stupid outfit trying to get myself mugged.
*Subject line courtesy "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
"A taser will still knock someone out, even if they're carrying an assault rifle."
Really? How do you propose to get close enough to tase someone without getting shot? If you're in a situation where you have to get away from a threat with a firearm, the ideal situation is to retreat or hide so they are no longer a threat. But if you're forced to defend yourself, a taser won't allow you to defend against a firearm unless the firearm is empty.
And also keep in mind that the modus operandi is *not* "shoot anyone who gives me trouble". The modus operandi is "escape from danger if possible, but if you are forced to defend yourself against a deadly outcome then at least you have means to do so."
Or do you mean to say that since cell phones have become common technology, laws were changed so that burglars would enjoy more protection while doing their "job"?
Reading this article, I was puzzled by two things.
First: Why is this just starting to happen now? Masked vigilante heroes are older than dirt (at least in story and song). They have been portrayed in mainstream popular media since at least the 30s. By the 50s/60s, you have adults that have grown up in a world where comic book superheros have always existed. Why does it take another 50 years for people to start imitating?
Second: Why have none of these fools gotten themselves killed yet?
Are the answers to these questions related? If they are, does that mean that people are just getting stupider?
Knowledge != Intelligence
For one, these heroes perform the exact same service as a neighborhood watch. A constantly vigilant community is by far the best deterrent to crime.
Second, most crimes against property are committed by unarmed felons against empty homes, cars, and the like. In a lot of communities in America, a criminal carrying a weapon during a crime is an extra charge filed against them (even if there is no one to use it against). So a slingshot, taser, or light weapon is very effective against such criminals (especially if being carried by a masked individual acting like a superhero - or a nutcase).
Yes, once guns enter the mix, things get decidedly more dangerous. However, to claim that a taser or light weapon is useless is a not correct. Those items may be useful, or may not (and I say this as a black belt martial artist, so I do have some training in this situation). It completely depends on the specific instance. At that point, it really becomes a personal choice: do you rescue someone from an armed assailant at risk to your own life? It is a question easily debated by us sitting behind computer keyboards, and one in which all the answers we could come up with are just options. Your choice will be different than mine, which may be different from the heroes.
However, you claim about undercover cops is invalid in America. Undercover cops (in plainclothes and without a badge) do not arrest people alone. They have uniformed police officers conduct the arrest (or participate in the arrest) specifically for that reason. In a lot of cases, the undercover officer isn't even present, to protect his identity.
For a person to maintain his or her safety, you are correct, it is best to carry a concealed weapon you are familiar with and avoid trouble. However, to be a good citizen, helping those in need requires people like those mentioned in the article, especially as police departments are no longer under any requirement to protect and server the citizenry (just for the record, I respect the police that do so without that requirement). I have a good bit of respect for these people doing what it seems like our government has given up attempting. I only wish more people had respect for those that do so, whether they wear a uniform, a mask, or a T-shirt and blue jeans.
Remember, you can't look dignified when your having fun! Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive
I want to know if gang-bangers and illegal carriers were included.
I don't read AC A human right
I imagine that I wouldn't attempt to get close enough to someone with an assault rifle to tase them, much like I wouldn't attempt to get close enough to shoot them with a concealed pistol. I'd call the cops. What situation are you envisioning where a firearm is necessary and provides a clear benefit over a taser? A mugging at 30 yards? A criminal with an equally high-powered firearm who doesn't happen to have it out and pointed at you?
I'm sorry if I'm coming off as incredulous, and perhaps I just live too sheltered a life, but I do not understand the circumstances where a civilian is significantly better off having a concealed pistol than a concealed taser. Is it just the concern that the first shot might miss?
You invoke the "manhood enhancement" stereotype because you know you are not mentally competent to make a valid, intelligent argument against firearm ownership. No other reason is possible, and any claim to the contrary can only be a lie.
There's a reason criminals are left to the police.
Reason #236 these superheroes are far worse than the criminals they catch
Say, you've got a robber. He breaks into a grocery store and threatens the clerk. The superhero comes in, stops the guy. Saves the day!
Great, right?
No, no. Not at all.
Let's look at the scenario in a little more detail:
You've got a robber. He has less than thirty minutes to get a thousand dollars to a drop location, or the people who took his daughter for ransom will burn her alive.
The superhero, who sees no evidence, sees in black and white, all criminals are bad, jumps in and saves the day. He quickly dispatches the criminal, tazing him. The "Criminal" wakes up two days later and hangs himself in the jail cell because his daughter was burned alive.
Nice Job, Captain Jerkface!
Reason #254 these superheroes are worse than the criminals they catch:
Let's play that scenario again, with a few things changed around.
You've got a robber. He's an ex-con with a love for killing things, and he's very, very good at it. Push him over the edge and everyone who bothers him is dead.
The superhero comes in and waves his flashy-thingy around to blind the ex-con. The ex-con, armed with a mac 10 he bought on the black market, begins shooting.
The superhero is knocked out by the bullets hitting his high-tech vest. The ex-con reloads and shoots the hero in the head. Then, the ex-con kills the shopkeeper and shoots every single possible witness. The ex-con then gets in a shootout with the real police, killing twelve officers, blowing up two cars and causing a bunch of collateral damage.
Nice job, superhero! You died killing thirty people! Honorable, eh?
These people are not superheroes. These people should not be regarded as superheroes. They are sick people that see the world as a comic book - Simple, black-and-white, and non-complex, where every criminal is a criminal and every hero is a hero.
The real world is not simple. It is infinitely complex and any criminal can be a hero while any hero can be a criminal. Give a man a stun-stick, a fancy suit and a lack of evidence, he will surely do a lot of harm in the name of good.
THIS is why the U.S shouldn't have a death sentence. The U.S tends to have a common, black-and-white comic book view that every person on death row deserves to die, every person who shoots a burglar is a hero, and every person who has weed should be locked up.
These people are not superheroes and the death sentence should not exist, because the world isn't black and white and the world isn't simple. We know that many of our death-row convicts ended up being innocent after they were killed and we don't know how many more have been, or how many more will be.
THIS is why Canada prosecutes so hard on injuring people. Because that burglar you just killed might be trying to gather enough money to pay his daughter's ransom, that teenager you just gave twenty years might need the weed to handle his headaches and because that carjacker you just tazed might be trying to get to the center of the city as fast as he can, to save the world.
Do not praise these heroes, do not congratulate these heroes and do not honor these heroes.
They are not heroes, they are ignorant.
Don't thank them, stop them.
Please.
Ruke,
You're not incredulous at all. Let me start by suggesting that you read the links I provided above - those were all cases where civilians who were armed were able to protect their lives with their firearms. The most recent research by the FBI indicates that there are many, many more incidents - as many as hundreds per day - where the mere display of a firearm by an "intended victim" makes a criminal change his mind very quickly. A taser does not have the same "scare factor" as a firearm.
I can't speak in generalizations about concealed carry permit holders, but I can talk about those whom I know. When you get a license to carry a lethal weapon, your attitude and manner changes. You look to avoid dangerous situations. You don't let stuff bother you so much any more. But most importantly, you become FAR more aware of your surroundings. The posters in this threadlet who indicated that a firearm won't help you much in a mugging are correct to a certain extent - someone who surprises you by jumping out and demanding money at gunpoint is a bad situation. But you tend to watch people a lot more, on the street, to ascertain if they are a threat or not... you look for people hiding, etc. So those surprises are probably less likely to happen to you.
You could make a conscious effort to have the same kinds of mannerisms without carrying a firearm - and that's a great way to conduct yourself even if you don't want the responsibility of having a deadly weapon on you.
Someone should have told these guys not to bring a flashlight to a gun fight.
Are you familiar with the concept of selection bias? "Mugger shoots victim" doesn't make the local papers. "Victim shoots mugger" does. If the victim is old, disabled, with children or otherwise at a disadvantage then it'll make the national papers.
Well if you care to search back far enough (2004-2005) you can find my posts right here on Slashdot talking about my deployment. I guess it's not proof, but it's as good as you'll get on an Internet forum. I suppose it's possible that I falsified a year and half of posts (subtly of course, it's not like I mention it every post or anything) just so I could appeal to authority several years later, but probably not likely. I'll admit that it goes more to "I've used deadly weapons in real life" than anything else, soldiers don't carry concealed and muggings weren't exactly a big worry....
I have black belts in Tae kwon do and Shaolin-do (which is a completely bogus martial arts "tradition", but a reasonably effective fighting style). My Tae kwon do instructor was a former cop, so the instruction tended to the more... practical. Especially in the self defense focused classes.
I'll never say that it's completely impossible that you'll ever find yourself in a position to use that gun. It would be stupid for me to claim that. I will say that the number of situation where you are likely to be able to use it to effectively defend yourself is not going to be high. You are probably more likely to get yourself hurt or killed trying to use it at an inappropriate time.
I'm not trying to insult you personally here. I don't know you any more than you know me. Maybe you've had police, military, or private security training. Maybe you're just smarter than the average bear and won't make "typical" mistakes. For you, personally, your stance may make perfect sense. But for the the average use case of the average person with no particular training or experience... A concealed firearm is probably not ever going to help them and is perhaps slightly more likely to be harmful to them.
Just my opinion. I've already made claim to knowing perhaps a bit more than the average person about the topic, but I'll never say I'm an expert. What I do know is pretty old. I haven't actively studied martial arts in nearly a decade and I'm several years out of the military. It's no skin off my nose if you disagree, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't actively accuse me of lying.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
You could always give them your money and then shoot them in the back as they start to run away.
If you want to protect people, drop the wish fulfillment fantasy toys, and carry a pistol. If you're doing this to help others instead of making yourself feel good, you should be practical.
Basically true, if you are taken by suprise with no warning, carrying a gun won't save YOU.
Concealed carry is for saving OTHER people.
> by the time you realize you need the gun it's too late.
Which is why the first principal of "self defense" is situational awareness. Recognizing that there is a guy on the corner acting sketchy may give you the time to prepare for (or even avoid altogether) a confrontation. But why not have the tool at your disposal, if it gives you more options?
Also, "mugging" isn't the only violent street crime that occurs with regularity. Would you advise a woman being raped to lay back, spread her legs, and just let it happen - and hope the rapist will be kind enough to leave her alive and otherwise unharmed when it's over? I'm sure you could pull a statistic out of your ass that 90% of all rapists just want the sex and they leave.
On a personal level, I'd rather resist, even at risk to myself, than roll over and submit to any victimization, placing myself at the mercy of a criminal. On the societal level, submission to crime only encourages more crime. If resistance becomes the norm, crime decreases through deterrence (by the threat to criminals of death and injury), and by the attrition of criminals killed in the act of committing their crimes. In my opinion, a free, safe, and healthy society is one where the law-abiding citizenry are free to arm themselves in defense against criminals and tyrants.
What's your point? Or more accurately, what point do you think the grandparent was making that you're countering?
Someone's taking their Neighborhood Watch program a tad too seriously I think.
Mod me down if you like, but I feel compelled to say this:
This is a VERY BAD IDEA.
I think these guys are a massive inspiration. for so long I have dreamed of becoming someones evil nemesis. now we have RLSH I can take the next step and be a bungling RLSV!
"This is my Sig. there are many like it but this one is mine."
I can't believe there was no mention of a real superhero, Angle Grinder Man. He's awesome.
How do you know they are not there to do bodily harm?
How do you know they are? Unless you can prove, without a doubt, that you are acting in self-defence because there is actual, imminent and certain life-threatening events, you should not be firing a gun at someone with the intent to kill.
I'm sorry but you're living with the fairies here. The cold brutal practical truth is that by the time someone has proven without a doubt that there is imminent and certain life-threating intent, you are dead. Someone breaking into your house has demonstrated a willingness to break the law and risk prison time. What's a few more years for taking a life? They don't think they'll get caught anyway. And your life isn't as precious to thema s theirs seems to be to you.
If someone breaks into my home and threatens my family, I'll defend them with any means at my disposal. If I find an opportunity to incapacitate them non-lethally without increasing the rise, sure I'll use it. But I won't be waiting for my family to be raped or killed so I can feel justified using force.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Don't take your guns to town, son.
Leave your guns at home, bill.
Don't take your guns to town.
-- QED
What about everyone's favorite super hero, Angle Grinder Man?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/3112670.stm
Here in France, you can't use something bigger than the burglar's weapon. But you can only fire at them if they attempt to do it first.
Hence — French law thinks that French citizens are mind readers.
"The body may heal, but the mind is not always so resilient." -- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
More than 85% of the time, it's either a hexahedron or an icosahedron. :P
...I hope it's a clip-on.
And for that cable-actuated claw hand, what safety mechanisms are in place to prevent the user's fingers from being snapped by the cables when a super villain bends the claw back, or the super hero runs into an immovable object because his (or her) vision is impaired by the helmet?
Sounds like april fools joke.
and like someone said about canada, here too if you defend yourself and "win" the fight, you are likely goto jail. Defending yourself is kinda forbidden.
On the extreme one boxer got attacked, i think by multiple guys if i recall right, and he finally punched one of them which ended up in intensive care for quite a while from that single punch. That boxer was sentenced on attempted murder, and his knuckles were rated as lethal weapons.
But there is more regular, average joe things like that as well. Some of them get to the news. I've myself been prosecuted from attempted kill as a teenager. I was 16 at the time, and a 35yo over 2m, 130-150kg gorilla attacked me, a 180cm 80kg teenager. It did matter that he was almost 20years older than i am, and way larger. If he had not been as large i would have likely ended up in jail for defending myself. The court deemed that due to the difference in age, size, strength i were in my full right to use any means necessary and available. That guy however didn't get any fines or sentence, he got out completely unpunished, simply because i didn't get beaten up too badly, just bruising and punctured lower lip from my teeth (a scar remains to date)
Pulsed Media Seedboxes
Wow, "The Tick" was a documentary?
Proverbs 21:19
Anyone that buys a gun and then fails to get the proper training with it deserves to be shot with their own firearm.
You created a situation where your hypothetical average person is doomed to failure. You've already decided that they failed to get the proper training with the weapon they are carrying.
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
There's a pretty significant difference between standard gun safety and marksmanship training and the kind of combat training I'm talking about. Few civilians not involved in law enforcement or private security get that kind of training. Even private security people don't always get it. I personally spent three solid days preparing for and eventually making multiple runs through a live fire shoot house with a 4 man stack, and by the standards of the real combat MOS troops I'd be considered somewhere between "Likely to get someone else killed" and "Has the most basic level of competence".
Those guys spend weeks doing this kind of thing with regular practice and refresher training.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
Why would people with guns be more aware of their surroundings than people in the same surroundings without guns? They are on the lookout for people to shoot? Or the people without guns are just less rational and capable?
Gosh, when I saw all those photos and those "superhero" people, I was filled with a brief desire to get a baseball bat, hunt them down, and club them all into unconsciousness... especially "lightbulb guy with a cane". Let's face it, if you don't have superpowers, you're just a guy in some stupid costume who can be easily beaten into unconsciousness by anyone with a baseball bat.
.. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R
When you get a license to carry a lethal weapon, your attitude and manner changes.
And when you dare to venture outside into the perilous urban jungle without your gun, does your attitude and manner change back ?
Where by "real life" I don't mean "not fictional", just "only doing things a real person could actually do": Dexter Morgan, Dark Defender. (I'm almost surprised we don't see more vigilante serial killer copycats, in the wake of that truly awesome show. ;))
I used to have a plan to buy a black belt, and then store it in some obscure Japanese town. Then I can truthfully say "I have a black belt in Hiroshima" and people would think it was some kind of martial art of which they'd never heard before.
Is 1563649 a prime number?