Lightsaber Becomes Deadly Reality

If you’ve ever wanted to own a real lightsaber, your dream has come true. But safety officials have warned that the product is no toy and could cause serious injury or worse.

The Spyder III Pro Arctic is sold by Shanghai-based firm Wicked Lasers and costs US$197.97, shipping to 70 countries. It takes the direct blue laser diode used in extremely powerful home theater projectors and turns it into a 1W beam.

That might not sound much, but bear in mind that a standard laser pointer of the type used by idiots to piss off other crowd members at sports and entertainment events has the same power as sunlight on the skin. This device has 1,000 times that level of power.

The manufacturer admits that at close range the beam will cause “immediate and irreversible retinal damage” and could set fire to skin. But a laser safety expert told Britain’s Sky News that was, if anything, an understatement, noting that pointed in the wrong direction it could cause a deadly car or even plane crash.

The device comes with eye protectors and buyers must read and agree to a hazard acknowledgement form before purchasing one. But safety experts warn that the device is for responsible industrial use only and should not be sold openly to the public, particularly online.


Doctor Who Crack Appears in Space

Well, the crack didn’t really just appear in space; it’s an image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope from several years ago. It was notable at the time for looking like a snake slithering across the Milky Way, but the crack is actually a “core of a thick, sooty cloud large enough to swallow dozens of solar systems.”

But then last week an astronomy blog posted the image as its picture of the day, again finding it interesting for being a “ghost snake.” However, some Doctor Who fans saw the image and were reminded of something else: a crack (warning: spoilers!) in the fabric of time and space that’s been a focal point of the new season of the show.

Luckily the snake/crack/solar-system-swallowing cloud is 11,000 light years away, in the constellation Sagittarius. So we’re probably safe.

[Image Sources: NASA; TARDIS wiki (screencap)]

Breaking Through The Fourth Wall in Dragon Age

For me, the appeal of video games has to do with escape and immersion. It isn’t just about gameplay. It’s about story, about investment, and about character. From the very beginning I’ve been drawn to video games that tell stories and introduce me to characters. And in the last 10 years video games have changed drastically in that respect. In fact, I’d wager that the entire formula is changing; games that immerse the player in the actual story are vastly re-writing the rules of the industry.

The first game that really made an impact on me was the original Fable. Now, I know there are plenty of naysayers out there, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was quite groundbreaking at the time. Up until that point I had never played an RPG that so fully kept my attention, that made me feel I was a part of that world. Even more so, it made me feel like I was exploring a new world, rife with possibilities. There was no single way to win. (There was, however, a way to be completely swarmed by adoring townspeople who all wanted to marry me and have my children. Horrifying.)

Having recently come to the conclusion of Dragon Age, however, I see there is a great deal of room for improvement in this kind of game. I freely admit that Dragon Age is the best RPG I’ve ever played. The storyline, the characters, the customization, the design… there really is so much that is laudable. As it is, my gripe has nothing to do with Dragon Age as a run-of-the-mill-RPG (because in that case, it’s head and shoulders above many others), but rather with what I think it could have been: and that’s so much more than an RPG.

(I’ve tried to keep this relatively spoiler free, but if you’ve never played the game and are planning on it I’d suggest turning a blind eye.)

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Facebook: Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Chances are good you have a Facebook profile. Chances are even better that, if you do have an account, you check it at least once a day. You might be a professional Farmviller or the President of 100 Facebook groups, but do you really know Facebook and what you’ve gotten yourself into?

It’s time for a little Facebook re-education.

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Library Mayo Vandal Caught

Seeing mistreated books just makes me hurt inside. No, don’t drip ketchup onto that library book! Broken spines, curses! Also, I have a deep loathing for mayonnaise (yes, I realize that many of you think I’m crazy, but I really do find it gross). So reading about the capture of this serial book defiler in Idaho was just painful.

A 74-year-old woman was recently arrested in Boise after being caught pouring a jar of mayonnaise into a library drop box. However, this wasn’t her first act of trying to turn innocent books into lunch – library employees had previously found books covered in corn syrup and ketchup.

This “person of interest in at least 10 other condiment-related crimes” faces a misdemeanor charge of malicious injury to property. Released from jail, she’s back on the streets – so lock up your books! And your mayonnaise!

Those poor, poor books.  What an awful way to go.