A major Australian state has banned laser pointers after a spate of incidents in which aircraft pilots have been temporarily blinded.
High-powered hand lasers, including so-called “star pointers” used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons in New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for anyone carrying them without a permit.
“It is a gutless and cowardly act that could result in an horrific outcome. It only takes a fraction of a second for a pilot to become temporarily blinded and that could have catastrophic consequences,” said state Premier Morris Iemma…
The latest incident occurred over Sydney’s south at the weekend when an ambulance helicopter was hit by a green beam.
Wanna bet a comparable offense here in nanny-land would get 6 months community service?
Why does this crappy site not work in FF3? I can see the million annoying ads but none of the content. I have no extensions installed and it appears fine in IE
#1, I expect you can found a sub-chapter of the NRA just for carrying lasers under the 2nd Amendment.
Not that these kreeps need much encouragement; but, here’s a site that sounds like it supports stupid behavior like this:
http://www.wickedlasers.com/
#2 ’cause nobody comes here ’cause there’s nothin to see.
>>Why does this crappy site not work in FF3?
Wtf is FF3? If you mean Firefox, you must have an “Inside Track” (whatever happened to that, btw?). I have the most recent release, and it’s 2.0.0.14
“Wanna bet a comparable offense here in nanny-land would get 6 months community service?
Yeah, I’ll take that bet and raise you a Domestic Terrorist Act with the offender suddenly becoming Homeland Security’s bitch. That sort of crime could get a person 20 years, Gitmo or, worse, on Obama’s political campaign staff.
is it really possible to hold a laser steady enough to hit the cockpit of a plane going 150 miles/hour a mile away?
#7 – Coulda, woulda, is always tough enough for neocon nutball wusses.
Google is your friend, though. Look around and see what the reality is. 1st of 2 cases in the “tough” USA results in 24-month sentence – 10 months with time off for good behavior. This meathead zapped a police helicopter.
2nd case got 24 months suspended sentence.
#1 right-on. These are just tools, and like any tool it depends on who’s using it.
#4 I don’t think the site encourages lasers being pointed at aircraft. They have a laser safety link at the bottom of their page specifically describing how lasers should/not be used. Either way, the folks pointing the laser are responsible for their actions. I’ve read some of their forums and the majority of contributors I’ve seen come down hard on the side of safety.
I use green lasers all the time for pointing scopes and for lectures under dark skies. They indeed “point all the way to the stars” for a small crowd.
Mounted on a computer controlled scope, they are certainly capable of targeting the cockpit of an aircraft less than 10 miles away and inflicting a damaging beam on the crew.
Thus, unless I’d like to spend some ‘quality’ time answering for a stupid crime, I’m extremely careful when using the equipment and always survey the sky prior to use.
#2 Works fine with FF3b5
#2 DEMAND a refund for the ID 10 T error and move on.
Hey, #2-go back to ff2. there’s nothing wrong with this ‘crappy’ site, it’s your ‘crappy’ computer
#6 Mister Mustard – “Wtf is FF3? If you mean Firefox, you must have an “Inside Track” (whatever happened to that, btw?). I have the most recent release, and it’s 2.0.0.14”
The vast right wing conspiracy to keep the wool pulled over your eyes is working.
Firefox 3 is in beta. (ff3)
I’m surprised you haven’t blamed your lack of knowledge on Bush and Cheney.
And, as Patrick Norton is so fond of saying, beta means “not finished,” kiddies. This blog is optimized for Firefox. Thanks, John!