Laser
”Northrop Grumman Death Star Lasers Are Weapons-Grade, Could Be Out in 2008
Wired's Danger Room blog is spot on in comparing Northrop Grumman's upcoming solid state laser system to the Death Star. Promised to arrive before the end of 2008, and far earlier than Boeing's 25kW laser, it's supposed to have 100 kilowatts of power (SERIOUS pew pew action) and make use of multiple, less powerful lasers to form one giant one (see also: Voltron).
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Personalized Pancakes: Laser Etching vs. Silkscreen vs. Stencils
It appears that Instructables member lamedust has moved on from laser-etched tattoos and fingernails to the exciting world of pancake personalization. I don't even touch a pancake unless it has the entire Simpsons cast etched on it, so I was excited to see which of the three printing methods would work best for my time-consuming pancake problem. Check out the very annoying video above and decide for yourself. [Instructables]Microsoft: "Say Goodbye to Laser"
Microsoft has a teaser up on their hardware site with the tagline "Say Goodbye to Laser." Most likely a hint regarding the upcoming Sept. 9 Microsoft event, we can only assume that Microsoft has developed an alternative to the near-perfect laser mouse or maybe made a breakthrough in "optical" media. (Well, one of those choices, or they've developed an advanced rail gun/microwave/nuclear technology that the Navy and DARPA will pursue instead of high powered beams of light.)
UPDATE: As our clever commenters have discovered, it's probably this product.
Our mock-up after the jump.
More »Star Wars Laser Weapon Battles Arrive in 2016—at the Earliest
Boeing is firing off laser weapon press releases and news at almost the speed of light these days. In June we brought you word that the company had successfully test fired its thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made at 25 kilowatts (100 kilowatt theoretical maximum). This week, Boeing took the chance to brag about its $36 million contract extension for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). If you're unfamiliar with the HEL TD, here's the short version: more laser weapons. More »Logitech's V550 Nano Wireless Mouse Docks With Your Laptop's Top
Many laptop users prefer mice instead of trackpads. The promise of the laptop is untethered portability, and in that spirit Logitech has a new wireless mouse that helps keep your busy hands free, attaching to a dock mounted on your laptop when not in use so you can more easily take it from place to place. The mouse comes with a small dongle for your USB port, that means you don't have to wrap twelve inches of plastic around your wrist. Even if this doesn't solve all your problems it will solve the lack of pockets you must have. [Logitech]Home Theater Hunting Sim Offers Duck Hunt Without The Damn Dog
I like Duck Hunt, but I don't like being mocked by an overweight dog because I'm not the next Solid Snake with a light gun. Laser Shot's HT Complete home theater hunting sim offers all the game hunting one can handle without causing self-esteem issues. Sure, it costs $2000 for the laser camera detection kit, fake handgun, fake rifle and 15 different hunting sims ($3000 w/projector, plus an extra $1700 if you buy the shotgun and crossbow addons), but what's more enjoyable than delivering a face full of lead to a gazelle? Amiright or amiright? [Laser Shot via BallerHouse]
The True Story of the Hurricane Katrina Lightning-Laser Memorial and the Peg-Leg Biologist
Joe Davis is telling me about his design for a 110-foot lightning-laser tower that will literally seize a hurricane’s force, bottle it up and hurl it angrily back into the sky. It’s intended as a memorial for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Davis—whose official role at MIT is research affiliate associate in the biology department—plans to name the tower "Call Me Ishmael." I ask him why, but before I finish the question, he smashes his steel peg leg down onto the table. More »Laser Star Allegedly Turns Your Clunker Into Invisible Asphalt Phantom
The Laser Star is new to the States, but it's already made a name for itself in Europe as a cheap, effective way to jam police speed trap lasers. These demonstrations from Laser Jammer Tests show why. No fewer than four police-issue laser detectors were foiled by the Laser Star without so much as a hiccup. Regardless of your views on this kind of tech, it's still amazingly cool how the Audi
Subsonic Wii Laser Sword Attachment Destined for Land Fill in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
One day Wii controller attachment manufacturers are going to run out of plastic, and the world is going to be a better place. But until that day, there's going to be a seemingly never-ending tide of white plastic crap like this "Laser Sword" attachment from French company Subsonic. It's kind of like what Wilson found last year with the Wiimote Light Sword, but adds in a motion sensor so Star Wars poseurs can activate the lights inside with a wrist flick or Star Wars kid ninja move. [Subsonic]DIY Home Laser Show Reacts To Music, Probably Won't Incinerate Your Eyes
For those of you who're into a little bit of creative electronics as well as fancying yourself as a bit of a mean DJ, this DIY laser light show may be just the thing to spice up your parties. Not only will the project spray laser light around (and who doesn't like laser light shows?) but it also reacts to music, so you'll have your own laser visualizer. Check out the video to see it in action. More »Simpsons-Engraved iPods Are Great If You Don't Have Your Own Laser Etcher
Unlike certain other Fox properties, seeing the Simpsons continue to be milked for merchandising doesn't fill me with quite so much rage, so these officially engraved iPods are cool for hardcore fans. But for the $80 premium over standard price for an iPod classic, I'm more inclined to take the one I already have to our pal Phil and burn in a portrait of Mr. Burns saying "Have the Rolling Stones kiilled." [Fox Online Shop via Slash Gear]Laser Tattoo Body-Modding, This Time it's Not Painful: Fingernails
The skin-ablation laser tattoo we showed you recently was creepy mainly because burning your naked skin is going to hurt, but this new laser body-mod tackles a safer target, fingernails. The portraits of famous bods you can see in the image are laser-etched into black nail polish (I know, it looks like they're made of seared, blackened nail, but they're not), and member lamedust over at Instructables has got a pretty comprehensive guide. So if you're crazy, you too can etch pics onto the end of your digits. The video makes for interesting watching.
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