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Commercial Flamethrower Successfully Crowdfunded
ColdWetDog writes: You've always wanted one, of course. Zombies, the occasional alien infestation. The neighbor's smelly roses. You just need to be prepared for things. You can get freeze dried food, AR15's, enough ammo to start a small police action (at least here in the U.S. -- YMMV), but it has been difficult to get a modern, portable flamethrower until now. CNET has a brief explanation on the XM42, which doubled its Indiegogo funding target in just a few days.
I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.
Is anything legal in California these days?
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
On a more serious note but nonetheless just as funny, the liability suits from this should be hilarious.
Gravel may be all you can grow, but that isn't a garden. That isn't even a rock garden.
If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.
This is it.
I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"
The only time I ever used a flame thrower was to put out a forest fire. I don't doubt that the deer were frightened of me, but in my defense I was trying to protect their home.
Why are NRA members so dim-witted? Do you even understand your own propaganda, or do you just spew it like a mindless zombie? It isn't the flame-thrower that scares people, it is the asshole waving it around.
While you're linking to youtube, you might checkout the homemade flamethrowers. I can't claim to have made one but plenty of my friends have (including my school physics club). The mechanics of a flame thrower is just a squirt gun + a match. I can buy propane "flame throwers" as is at the local hardware store (used for burning weeds).
Why are people making all these flame throwers? Because something that shoots jets of flame is freaking cool. As far as I could discern on a quick google search, none of them have been used to commit murder.
What I personally find horrific is the idea that anyone would be so afraid of their fellow citizens that their first assumption on hearing they have access to a projectile shooter/flame maker/etc. is "OH GOODNESS HOW ARE THEY GOING TO USE THAT MURDER ME?" I realize unhinged people are out there, and will do bad things, but there are also bears in the woods which could find their way to my house and easily maul me to death. But the statistics are low enough that I don't worry about. I suppose my luck could run out some day, but trusting my fellow citizens not to murder me has worked so far, and I wouldn't care to live any other way. I like the idea of a society and a government that assumes I have good intentions until proven otherwise and I consider it worth some risk to have it even if I am not personally a person who is interested in owning a weapon.
When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
If you want to be afraid of something, worry about ladders - those fuckers are dangerous. If you want a rational view of danger, then statistics, not imagination, is your friend.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Allow me to take a moment to mourn what Slashdot has become as many of the interesting people have left for other pastures.
There was a time I'd come to an article about this and learn all sorts of neat details, such as why flame throwers existed, the mechanics and challenges involved with producing something like this, why it hasn't been done before and speculation as to how this is working... along with stories of where their usage has gone wrong by those with interesting backgrounds, and yes, a healthy dose of humor at the absurdity of it existing and maybe one or two freakouts.
Now? Mostly just some freakouts. Where have all the slashdotters gone... I'm starting to feel like only the helicopter moms are left, refreshing slashdot because they like their macbook air so think they enjoy tech.