Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers
Buy Site Supporter Role (remove some ads) | LPF Donations
Links below open in new window
FrozenGate by Avery
are lasers toys?
- Thread starter glowdye
- Start date
T
timelord
Guest
I'm 38 and I never get tired of playing with lasers ever 
glowdye said:
I have to know; why the hell would homeland security be interested in high voltage forums? I mean seriously - who is going to use a tesla coil or similar as a weapon? I mean how would that work?
'Here, just stand next to this large dangerous looking electrical deviece whilst i press this button here. Bit closer, bit closer, ZAP!'
I've actually spent some time thinking about this and come to the conclusion that if i wanted to kill as many people as possible with my tesla coil i would throw the bits off a road bridge at passing traffic as otherwise no one would be stupid enough to go near it whilst it was on.
And anyway, you can buy Tasers legally in most places in the US which would make for a much easier high voltage weapon.
Why would homeland security waste it's time on stuff like this in a country where you can buy assault weapons over the counter? If you were a terrorist which would you prefer, a 500mW laser, a tesla coil or an AK47 ?
OMG LOLbledis said:[quote author=Timelord link=1196985388/75#81 date=1197055026]I'm 38 and I never get tired of playing with lasers ever
38 old playing with lasers.... Sorry but sounds funny :-X[/quote]They don't call him 'Last of the Timelords' for nothin' ;D
T
timelord
Guest
OMG LOLbledis said:[quote author=Timelord link=1196985388/75#81 date=1197055026]I'm 38 and I never get tired of playing with lasers ever
38 old playing with lasers.... Sorry but sounds funny :-X[/quote]So do you have to be under 18 do use lasers??? I don't get your point if you had one at all. And from what I understand you must be 18 to purchase a class IIIb laser. So what are you talking about????? Out of interest how old are you??????
Gazoo
0
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2007
- Messages
- 3,206
- Points
- 38
bledis said:
Wow..that's a kind of a bogus statement. There are members here that have been playing with lasers for years as well as other "toys"...and some of us are much older than Timelord too.. ;D Age has nothing to do with it.
As for me I started with lasers just before I registered for this forum back in June. I learn something new every day and it can be a challenging hobby for those of us that like to make our own lasers. But I do have a X105 and I never get tired of it either.
Granted a few will walk away and lose interest. But for the most part they keep coming back...
Gazoo
0
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2007
- Messages
- 3,206
- Points
- 38
me_too_lazy said:
I like honest reviews...if that is what started all of this than a certain someone is being ridiculous.
T
timelord
Guest
I suppose in Lithuania you spend most of your life trying to get a British Passport and across our borders :bledis said:
OMG LOLbledis said:[quote author=Timelord link=1196985388/75#81 date=1197055026]I'm 38 and I never get tired of playing with lasers ever
38 old playing with lasers.... Sorry but sounds funny :-X[/quote]Do your parents not watch TV? Judging by your age, (8-11 ?), your parents are probably in their late thirties early forties. Is it funny when they watch tv? :-?
Hey... I'm 44, been playing with lasers since I was in college. Dreamed about playing with lasers since I was 8. Now technology has gotten to where I can play with lasers that are cheap enough so I can buy many, and powerful enough to actually burn holes in stuff. Toys in the hands of SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THEM WELL, yes. And they can certainly be dangerous in the hands of someone who is foolish enough to not respect them, but as I have stated several times before - so can just about anything. It wasn't that long ago in this country (USA) that a woman DIED from drinking too much WATER for some stupid radio contest. So truly, anything can be dangerous if you lack the knowledge and wisdom to use it properly.
One of the best things about this forum is that it helps to dispense freely and in large doses, wisdom and knowledge in building and safely using lasers.
As for Glowdye's comments on lasers and HV - lasers have been used by morons to interfere with air safety. HV applications have the potential to be used against sensitive computer installations and devices sensitive to the massive electromagnetic disruptions put out by such devices. They would not be used against people, but against infrastructure. He is not incorrect that the application for abuse exists - however it is likely that the information is obtainable by any of a thousand sources. Intelligence agencies routinely monitor such sources not for individuals - but for PATTERNS of use by certain individuals. This is called "open source intelligence". For example, if you buy charcoal, no one cares. If you buy sulfur, no one cares. If you buy potassium nitrate, no one cares. But if someone notices you are buying all three - from different sources - under different names - someone will very much care - they know what you're making, and the hidden nature of the transaction will raise alarms.
There are things that differentiate a laser hobbyist from someone with links and intent to cause problems.
And there are things that differentiate someone with a good point, from someone with a problem - like wishing ill on people and calling them f*&@s because they don't agree with something. It's amazing how many people have screwed themselves right from the start by simply not understanding how to communicate a point and do it with class and dignity and respect.
Still, we can manage to be smart enough to differentiate the message from the noise, and recognize any truth therein.
That said, from what I've seen here, the regular posters here are an excellent bunch of people, with a serious personal interest/hobby that will enrich lives in the long run.
It's the new posters who come here and ask to be spoonfed directions on how to make 500 watt lasers (!) that cause me concern - the ones who don't want to read anything and just have plans and parts handed to them. And those aren't cause for concern because they're going to cause mass problems - they're the ones who are going to blind themselves or their little sisters or something, and make it harder for us all to enjoy our hobby.
THe real problem people - the ones who ARE being monitored - are not posting here, or even registered here. They came by, harvested the information, and left. Probably in one single visit. They did the same on a dozen related sites. And they sit, in a cave somewhere, building high tech stuff to use like - all they can understand - a club - against innocent people who just want to live a decent honest life.
Fortunately, THOSE are the patterns being tracked. SO yes, these things are monitored, but indirectly. It really is of no concern to those of us who are smart enough to know what we are working with, and respect the technology, and the lives of others as well as our own, who is monitoring what.
Too bad Glowdye couldn't have expressed himself without anger and resentment and immaturity - I really think he was trying to make a valid point - but one which none of us here have any power over. Nothing we do can stop a moron from blinding him/herself or another - all we can do is make the safety info available and hope it gets noticed and acted on.
Beyond that, all we're responsible for is our own behavior (or behaviour, if you're in the UK! )
D
One of the best things about this forum is that it helps to dispense freely and in large doses, wisdom and knowledge in building and safely using lasers.
As for Glowdye's comments on lasers and HV - lasers have been used by morons to interfere with air safety. HV applications have the potential to be used against sensitive computer installations and devices sensitive to the massive electromagnetic disruptions put out by such devices. They would not be used against people, but against infrastructure. He is not incorrect that the application for abuse exists - however it is likely that the information is obtainable by any of a thousand sources. Intelligence agencies routinely monitor such sources not for individuals - but for PATTERNS of use by certain individuals. This is called "open source intelligence". For example, if you buy charcoal, no one cares. If you buy sulfur, no one cares. If you buy potassium nitrate, no one cares. But if someone notices you are buying all three - from different sources - under different names - someone will very much care - they know what you're making, and the hidden nature of the transaction will raise alarms.
There are things that differentiate a laser hobbyist from someone with links and intent to cause problems.
And there are things that differentiate someone with a good point, from someone with a problem - like wishing ill on people and calling them f*&@s because they don't agree with something. It's amazing how many people have screwed themselves right from the start by simply not understanding how to communicate a point and do it with class and dignity and respect.
Still, we can manage to be smart enough to differentiate the message from the noise, and recognize any truth therein.
That said, from what I've seen here, the regular posters here are an excellent bunch of people, with a serious personal interest/hobby that will enrich lives in the long run.
It's the new posters who come here and ask to be spoonfed directions on how to make 500 watt lasers (!) that cause me concern - the ones who don't want to read anything and just have plans and parts handed to them. And those aren't cause for concern because they're going to cause mass problems - they're the ones who are going to blind themselves or their little sisters or something, and make it harder for us all to enjoy our hobby.
THe real problem people - the ones who ARE being monitored - are not posting here, or even registered here. They came by, harvested the information, and left. Probably in one single visit. They did the same on a dozen related sites. And they sit, in a cave somewhere, building high tech stuff to use like - all they can understand - a club - against innocent people who just want to live a decent honest life.
Fortunately, THOSE are the patterns being tracked. SO yes, these things are monitored, but indirectly. It really is of no concern to those of us who are smart enough to know what we are working with, and respect the technology, and the lives of others as well as our own, who is monitoring what.
Too bad Glowdye couldn't have expressed himself without anger and resentment and immaturity - I really think he was trying to make a valid point - but one which none of us here have any power over. Nothing we do can stop a moron from blinding him/herself or another - all we can do is make the safety info available and hope it gets noticed and acted on.
Beyond that, all we're responsible for is our own behavior (or behaviour, if you're in the UK!
) D