Laser pointers for stargazing

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by rainwatcher

.... The even more facetious logic of only dangerous when placed in the wrong hands can be applied to bombs, guided missiles, arsenic, LSD and heroin. This is logic not worthy of the contributors to this forum.

If you are in a hole it's sometimes a good idea to stop shoveling.

There are any number of equally benign objects that in the wrong hands can and often do harm...yet we do not ban them as they are useful and it's always hard to account for Darwin Award winners.

The facts speak for themselves :

This is a total of approximately 10,201 (laser) incidents reported to FAA, from 2004 through the end of 2011.
None of these effects was classified as a recordable injury by FAA medical experts.

None had safety consequences.

So explain to me again how has Amateur Astronomy use of Diode based lasers posed a measurable hazard???

[Jaybee (John)]

Originally Posted by rainwatcher

Lots of foolish replies as expected, calls of "ignorance", "what next, banning astro gatherings", they might be dangerous, etc etc. The usuall knee jerk reaction from the easily offended. They are dangerous, ban astro gatherings - too silly to respond to. And for the even more easily offended - guns should be banned too, of course they might be dangerous. As for the rest of the facetious arguments, all of the current uses for a high powered laser in astro. viewing can easily be carried out without them. Laboratory use and collimation excepted and in both these instances they are not used for general viewing or by the apparently ignorant public.
p.s. The even more facetious logic of only dangerous when placed in the wrong hands can be applied to bombs, guided missiles, arsenic, LSD and heroin. This is logic not worthy of the contributors to this forum.

Hang on, I didn't think my reply was foolish and I wasn't in anyway nasty or condecending to you, like your reply has been...I thought I was being rather nice, and politely asked you to justify your claim. Rather than do this you have attacked other members of this forum with italics, and bold highlights. I certainly don't think you have justified your original statement. Perhaps it was us "Expected Fools" that should have ignored the comments of an ignorant member that clearly has no idea what he's talking about.

[rainwatcher (Peter)]

Ouch ! wet bus tickets as 10 paces.

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

I'm a little saddened by the indiscriminate use of BAN.
A sharp stick is as lethal as a laser diode? No it's not, the sharp stick has killed more than any gun, laser, bomb, toxic gas, etc.
Lasers? Zero.
They've even tested green lasers on people's eyes to see if they damage them and no discernible damage has been noted. (Third hand knowledge so I can't back that statement up)

I think it's a ruse to stop nasty guys with road rage using them on hapless drivers and temporarily blinding them, which could be quite dangerous.

My freedoms are constantly being eroded by this gobby minority with an axe to grind.

Personally I think they should leave firearms alone and concentrate on Taxing Religion.

[Paduan (Brett)]

Not to start a war. Nor is it intended as a dig at your statement. it is merely an opinion, but i believe that lasers do serve a useful purpose in astronomy if used correctly.(which is i am sure what you meant) If we are to ban things why do we not ban cars. They are 2-3 ton metal objects operated by idiots and there are more deaths caused by them than GLP, while we are at it we should ban nursing homes because the odds of you coming out of there alive is buckleys and none. Something is going to get you in the end whether it is dangerous or not, like sleep or old age

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

Originally Posted by rainwatcher

Ouch ! wet bus tickets as 10 paces.

It might be time you changed your avatar name to Hand Grenade. You like to lob a few prickly pineapples.

As stated earlier, we are free to disagree.

[rainwatcher (Peter)]

agreed shark bait - we should all be free to disagree

[mikerr (Michael)]

Originally Posted by jenchris

Personally I think they should leave firearms alone and concentrate on Taxing Religion.

In shaa'Allah

Michael.

[Peter Ward]

Now there's a well researched rebuttal. Bus tickets? Cheesh!

If you swallow that nonsense, then you'd best avoid supermarket check-outs... those laser bar-code scanners could be leathal

[AndrewJ]

If you swallow that nonsense, then you'd best avoid supermarket check-outs... those laser bar-code scanners could be leathal

They are lethal
Why do you think supermarkets etc now force YOU to do the scanning.

Its a proven third party hearsay fact that too many checkout chicks were being maimed by the scanners, so to improve OH&S,
the risk has been silently passed on to the users

Andrew

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by rainwatcher

agreed shark bait - we should all be free to disagree

Well, yes.

People also believe the earth is flat, and in a free society that's OK.

The only problem with that would be if, they managed to ban air travel to save us non-believers from flying off the edge of the world (there be dragons there... )

[rainwatcher (Peter)]

Mr Ward,
I seem to have interfered with your "i have a bigger one than you" thread. You now seem to be saying that we should not be free to disagree.
Oh well i guess i will have to get a 2000 mW laser and join the boys pissing up the wall club.

[vespine]

Just a heads up that the AFP HAVE been to these forums before to monitor discussion of laser pointers.. I bought a green laser pointer years ago on ebay, a 20mW or something and it "got through". About 6 months later I got an email from the AFP saying that I had to hand it in or face the possibility of my house being raided. I'm not even kidding. I thought it was a prank at 1st so I actually called the AFP and talked to the guy who sent the email. I came here to tell my story and the same officer actually registered to reply to some of the comments! I hadn't told him about this forum.. This was a few years ago and I can't be bothered searching though my posts, but yeah. Just keep in mind, you might have "got it through customs" but don't assume you're scott free,,