merged triple post
Even if you ignore that he's pointing a class 4 laser in public, and at his own face...
It never occurred to him it might look bad if it took 2 minutes to light?
The video is a little bit deceiving.
- The laser was never pointed at my face. It was pointed over my left shoulder.
- The laser was directed toward the underside of the overhanging roof in front of the cigar shop for most of the video. The only exception was at the end, when I was puffing on the cigar.
- My girlfriend was behind me watching for aircraft, with the instruction to warn me.
- The Goggles are rated at greater that OD+5
- Lighting the cigar took a bit of time because I was using fresh cigars, right out of the humidor at the cigar shop, and it's hard to gauge the angle effectively.
I took all appropriate precautions, even if it doesn't show in the video. Gimme a break! :na:
Hi InfinitusEquitas -
I'd like to reply to your well-considered comments (and with thanks & appeciation):
You were wearing goggles, but doing this at a very public location.
Not to be argumentative or confrontational, but why would doing this in public be any matter of concern, as long as proper precautions are taken? Please advise me.
You came close to hitting yourself in the eyes.
I've reviewed the video, and it's a little deceptive. The laser was angled over my left shoulder, and was pointed to the underside of the cigar store's roof for most of the video. The only time it went skyward was when I was puffing on the cigar at the end. The goggles that I was wearing are rated at more than OD +5. I was aware of what I was doing.
You didn't check for aircraft.
Yes, I did. Immediately before we started recording the video. Furthermore, my girlfriend (out of the frame) was tasked with watching the sky overhead and to alert me if any aircraft was approaching while the recording was being made.
The goggles you are using... cheap and possibly not enough for that laser.
My goggles weren't cheap at all. But they are certified to greater than OD +5.
If a cop came along in a bad mood, there is a fair chance you would end up as another article online... shining a laser in the sky.
Well, there's not a lot that anyone can do for an "over-enthusiastic" cop. But I wasn't breaking any laws, and I was taking all proper precautions.
It's not at all what you did, rather just how you went about it that I think rubbed a lot of people here the wrong way. (Feel free to accuse us of being safety nazis now
)
I wouldn't accuse anyone on this forum of being safety nazis, but as safety guardians. Safety must come first, and at all times. To be frank, I embrace it! Keep it up!
While you have years of experience with lasers, and may very well know exactly what you are doing, but a kid watching your video would not. Rather he would see it, think, hey, that's cool! Try it, and possibly mess himself up for life.
Point taken, and it's a very valid consideration.
All of that said, welcome to the forum
Thanks! Glad to be here. Hope to make a few new friends.
Also careful with using your camera and the arctic... the laser beam can easily damage some lens coatings, so you may want to test with a cheap setup first.
My plan is to use an old film-based leaf-shutter camera body (with the lens removed). I would only want to use the camera body for its shutter mechanism. You can buy those for under $25 bucks at estate sales, and I've already collected two. I intend to try it first with half power on the Arctic S3, because it eliminates the burning factor. I may fail in my stop-action holography project, but that's all part of the experimentation, right?
Given your feedback, especially about the video being viewed by kids, I'm going to pull the video.
Maybe I'll re-do it with a preamble that includes all appropriate warnings of the potential dangers of lasers, but given your input, I wouldn't want a kid doing something that could hurt himself or others. Thanks for that, InfinitusEquitas.
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Meanwhile in Portland...
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Hi ped -
I've already responded to Infinitus's comments on this thread, but I'd like to also respond to yours, too.
Among the things Infinitus rightly pointed out, you didn't even check for aircraft.
Actually, I did. Immediately before we started the video. Furthermore, I tasked my girlfriend (off camera and behind me) to watch the sky while the video was being taken.
You may have taken VERY basic safety precautions , but your promoting irresponsible behavior.
No, not at all. Please see my comments to Infinitus.
kids will see that video, not have goggles and think "ill just close my eyes" , then open them to find the cigarette, then blind themselves.
Infinitus pointed this out and he (and you) are both right. I hadn't considered that. I had set the video for "adult" viewing in an effort to prevent kids from seeing it, but after his comments, I realized that kids can misrepresent their ages when getting an account on YouTube. I have deleted the video from YouTube.
We simply steer clear of things like that.
I agree, ped.
I appreciate everyone's feedback and concerns. I'm every bit as concerned about safety, and I did take every appropriate precaution at the recording of the video. But the game-changer for me was Infinitus' comments about the possibility of kids seeing it, and not be aware of the dangers.
Thanks!
