Here’s a Reuters story I found interesting. The story starts out with:
A major Australian state has banned laser pointers after a spate of incidents in which aircraft pilots have been temporarily blinded, the government said on Monday.
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.
Here’s a thought – why not put the punks who pull these stunts in jail instead of punishing everyone else?
For those of you who don’t know about these lasers, they are called “star pointers” for a reason, namely, amateur astronomers use them to point out where something is located in the sky to their fellow amateurs. I have one myself.
Unlike red lasers, the green “star pointer” lasers are bright enough to see the path of the laser, so it’s really easy to take the laser and trace the outline of say, the little dipper (technically Ursa Minor) to someone who’s never seen it before.
The problem is when idiots use it for mischief. My solution is to punish the idiots, not everyone. In leadership development courses, what Australia did is called “leadership by regulation” as opposed to “leadership by inspiration.”
Idiots.
gk
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | astronomy, Australia, laser, lasers, leadership, star pointer
