Awesome Tee: The Future is Open Source

[Get the shirt @ Splitreason.com – 10% off with promo code “geeksaresexy” – Also available on a baby tee right here]



Harry Potter Marriage Proposal [Picture]

In the same vein as the Pokemon marriage proposal we posted earlier today, here’s how Reddit user Trehlo proposed to his girlfriend. Oh, and be sure to check out the title of the chapter where the rings sits on. Pressure much, future wife?

[Via Reddit]

Navy succeeds in laser quest

After more than 30 years of experimenting, the US navy has fired a laser gun from a ship.

In a test off the coast of California, the ray gun successfully ignited the engines of an inflatable boat. It’s the first time a High Energy laser has been used on a Naval ship and fired at a water-borne target. (Previous tests were carried out from land.)

In this experiment, carried out from the retired USS Paul Foster, the beam was only 15 kilowatts, which doesn’t qualify as a “genuine combat weapon”, and more to the point doesn’t make for a massive explosion and awesome looking balls of fire.

The idea now is that multiple lasers can be hooked up to produce much more powerful beams. In full-scale military use they wouldn’t just be used to attack other craft, but also as a way to intercept missiles at a much early stage than with current technology. The lasers would prove a cheaper alternative (albeit in a complementary rather than total replacement role) to existing kinetic energy weapons.

The water-borne demonstration capped off six months of testing that included the first time a laser system had been integrated with the radar and automatic navigation of a Navy craft. Arguably the most impressive element of the tests was that the control system allowed the laser to fire accurately even when the ship was subject to waves of up to seven and a half feet.

The BBC notes that commercial shipping may one day have access to a non-lethal form of the technology. BAE Systems is working on a beam that would temporarily blind pirates. (Presumably a Lasarrrr.)

 



A Call for Help: Relentlessly Cheerful Artist Needs YOUR Help!

For those of you who’ve been with us for a while, you’ll probably remember our post featuring James Hance’s Star Wars-themed art. Since we’ve posted this, I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging a few emails with James, and he’s a really an awesome and nice person… with a really sick little daughter, and he needs our help.

I’m usually very private about my private life, but I really need your help right now – I have a beautiful 6yr old daughter who lives with her mum in Palm Coast, FL. She’s the most imaginative, caring, hilarious little girl I know and she’s on her way to a Children’s Hospital in Boston ( http://www.childrenshospital.org/ ) for specialized diagnostic testing for a rare intestinal disorder she has suffered with since birth.

The medical bills are astronomical – I’m asking that, if any of my ridiculous doodles have made you smile, please consider donating a couple of buckaroos to help Maddy get back on her relentlessly cheerful feet? Let’s show her how many friends she has :)

I’ve never helped raise funds for a good cause on [GAS], so I have no idea how you guys will react to this, but there’s one thing I know for sure: If one of my children would be really sick, I’d be ready to give my whole world to make him feel better. Fortunately for me, I’m in Canada, where getting medical help doesn’t cost me a penny (not directly, in any case), but James lives in the U.S.A, where getting treated for a disorder can literally bankrupt you.

If you can afford helping James’ daughter out, be sure to visit this page, where you can donate as much as you want to help her get well again.

Deluxe Balloon Link [Picture]

It seems like building things out of balloons is a popular pastime for geeks! A few weeks ago, we posted this awesome balloon Tardis and Dalek, and now, here’s a balloon Link!

[Via Dorkly | Source: Puppetpirate]