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One Shots: Original gangsters
Star Wars Galaxies may be going away at the end of the year, but for many of us it will resonate for far longer. One of a thousand seminal moments is captured above courtesy of an action shot inside a Naboo cantina. Naboo was a roleplaying hotspot circa 2004, particularly on the Starsider server where regular events and spontaneous fun could be found at the player cities in Vagabond's Rest, Rauha, Thornhaven, and all points in between. These particular gents are demonstrating their displeasure at a spice deal gone wrong, as well as sporting some old-school weaponry in the form of a laser rifle and two early pistol favorites (the FWG-5 and DX-2). All this week, Massively writers are spotlighting some of our personal favorite One Shots. What exciting stories revolve around our screenshots? Stay tuned to find out. Next week, after staff picks week, will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for next week's One Shots! %Gallery-112285%
Cakes of nanotubes may measure terahertz laser power, not years wasted
Terahertz lasers sure are awesome but, there's one big problem, we have no reliable way of measuring their power -- a pretty important piece of data to have before you start bombarding people with their flesh penetrating rays. A new coating for laser calibration tools called VANTA seems like a viable candidate for sucking up those longer than visible wavelengths. Constructed of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, up to 1.5mm in length, cakes of VANTA are not only more absorbent than other materials used for measuring a laser's power (which makes it more accurate and faster), it's also quite easy to handle. Chunks of the stuff can be sliced off with a razor and shuttled to the detector on the blade's side. We give it a week before someone cuts a piece with one of those new MacBook Airs.
Senate denies Navy's missile-destroying laser funding, puts the kibosh on annoying Dr. Evil impressions
Leave it to the Senate to crush the military's fragile dreams. All the Navy ever really wanted was a giant ship-based laser that could be used to shoot down missiles. Despite some record breaking stats, however, the latest defense authorization bill handed down from the Senate Armed Services Committee throws a giant congressional wet blanket on the free-electron laser. The project, it seems, has simply proven too expensive -- among other things, the laser's researchers haven't found the ideal method for powering the weapon from a ship. According to the current timeline, the project was not likely to have been completed before 2020, and as such the Navy's request for further funding was, somewhat ironically, ultimately shot down.
Scientists produce laser light from human kidney cells, we get in touch with our inner Cyclops
Scientists have just created living laser light out of a human cell and some jellyfish protein, but it's not quite as terrifying as it sounds. Developed by Malte Gather and Seok Hyun Yun at Massachusetts General Hospital, the new technique revolves around something known as green fluorescent protein (GFP) -- a naturally glowing molecule found in jellyfish that can be used to illuminate living material. After genetically engineering a human kidney cell to express this protein, Gather and Yun wedged it between two mirrors in an inch-long cylinder, filled with a GFP solution. Then, they infused the system with blue light, until the cell began to emit its own pulses of bright green laser light. Researchers also noticed that the cell could regenerate any destroyed fluorescent proteins, potentially paving the way for scientists to conduct light-based therapy and medical imaging without an external laser source. Hit the source link for more information, though you'll need a subscription to Nature Photonics to access the full article.
Kinect hack turns your living room into a crazy one-man laser techno dance party (video)
We've seen it aid surgery, help make smarter robots, and even do some gaming stuff, but honestly, what good is a controller if it can't fuel your crazy techno dance parties? Vimeo user Matt "Namethemachine" Davis posted a video showing a new hack for the peripheral, using its camera-based motion detection, combined with Ableton Live, DMX protocol, and more clever hackery to create a one-man electro-laser light show. It's easy to see this getting a bit out of control real fast in a room packed with overexcited club goers, but if you're looking to recreate the communal experience for you and your cat in your one bedroom apartment, this may be just the ticket.
Researchers create 26 terabit-per-second connections with just a single laser
Remember that pair of 100 terabit-per-second connections we told you about earlier this moth? Impressive? Sure, but not entirely practical thanks to the massive banks of lasers (370 to be exact) that guzzled several kilowatts of electricity. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany haven't hit 100Tbps yet, but they were able push 26Tbps using just one, lonely laser. The new single-laser fiber-optic speed record was set using a technique called fast Fourier transform that pulses light at an incredibly high rate with data encoded in 325 distinct colors across the spectrum. A detector at the receiving end is able to distinguish between the various colored data streams, based on tiny differences in arrival time, and recombine them into a high-speed torrent of ones and zeros. The scientists behind the project believe that, eventually, the technology could make its way into commercial use and be integrated into silicon chips. Now, someone needs to hurry up and jack our FiOS connection into this thing -- all this talk of terabits-per-second and graphene modulators, yet we're still jealous of grandma Löthberg.
MVS California's Volumetric Head Up Display is a 3D laser show for your car's windshield (video)
Your windshield is good for more than just keeping bugs out of your mouth. It's also a big blank canvas waiting to display helpful info like directions, traffic notifications, and safety information. A number big name manufacturers like GM and Pioneer have offered up heads-up display concepts over the past few years, but what makes MVS California's Volumetric Head Up Display really neat is its impressive implementation of the volumetric aspect, using lasers to project images on the windshield in a such a way that gives the illusion of depth. So, if the system is being used to give driving direction via GPS -- its main application, at present -- it can make a turn arrow appear lined up with an exit half a mile down the road. The prototype showcased at this week's Augmented Reality Event 2011 projected in red only, though the company says it's capable of full color. How long do we have to wait for the future? MVS is hoping to get the thing into cars as a premium option in the next few years for around the same price of current high-end navigation systems. Surprisingly dull video of reality augmenting 3D lasers after the break.
Portal turret replica has real laser, insatiable bloodlust
You might not remember Ryan Palser by name, but you'll surely recall the good gent's homemade Fallout 3 plasma rifle. He has since stepped his game up to bigger and badder video game weapon replicas, and has just completed the construction of the first of his forthcoming army of Portal laser turrets. Thankfully, Ryan has been sporting enough to build the older version of these human eviscerators (not the upgraded Portal 2 turrets, phew!), giving us at least a small chance of survival -- provided we have the right gear, of course. See the laser-equipped, GLaDOS-approved, 38-inch tall turret next to its maker after the break, or hit up the source link for some gorgeous photos of its construction.
Lasers prove you can't hold a camera still (video)
If you think schlepping a tripod along with your DSLR isn't worth it because you're convinced you can get a clean shot if you just concentrate hard enough, we have to ask... how's that working out for ya? To demonstrate the destructive power of shaky hands, Camera Technica attached a laser to the hotshoe of a Canon 7D, with the light reflecting off a wall 20 feet away. The lesson: it's challenging enough to get a crisp shot with a tripod -- let alone without. In the video below, the laser point wobbles erratically when the photographer gingerly presses the shutter with his finger. In the second clip he uses a remote release, which visibly cuts, but doesn't eliminate, the shake. Only when he locks up the mirror and resorts to a remote release does the shaking drop to a minimum. Need some more vivid evidence? We highly suggest heading past the break for a demo that might just make you reconsider that decision not to pack a Gorillapod.
Laser steering system uses liquid crystal to destroy the enemy on the cheap (video)
It might look like a poor man's game of Pong now, but a new laser steering system coming out of North Carolina State University could make blowing things up Star Wars-style cheaper and more efficient. The setup enlists a series of "polarization gratings" through which a laser beam passes. Each of these gratings, made of liquid crystal applied to a plate of glass, are configured to redirect the light in a particular direction, thus simply steering the laser beam without significantly decreasing its power -- with each grating comes a new "steerable" angle. The system's creators point out its not only hyper accurate, but also less expensive than existing arrangements due to the use of liquid crystal. Apparently the US Air Force is already using the stuff, but don't expect them to go all Death Star anytime soon.
Laser tripwire does Hollywood-style security on the cheap, precious jewels not included
Sure, you could opt for a laser tripwire that puts intruders on blast via Twitter, but there's something to be said for the simplicity of the latest security system to come from Instructables user EngineeringShock. You've seen this setup before: a group of mirrors are strategically positioned to bounce a laser beam across an open space, ensuring that even the most nimble of invaders -- excepting MacGyver, perhaps -- will set sirens blaring. Consisting of a programmable keypad, a laser and detector, a series of six carefully aligned mirrors, and an LED-equipped siren, the system does Hollywood-style security on a budget -- the siren being the most expensive element at $20. If you're looking to lock your stuff down like they do in the movies, follow the source link for full instructions, or check out the video demo after the break.
US Navy's solid-state laser sets boat ablaze (video)
See that flaming wreckage in the picture above? A laser did that, mounted on board a second vessel similarly bobbing on top of the ocean last week. Yes, even though the United States Navy told us that legitimate seafaring death rays might take another decade to materialize, basic weaponized lasers are ready today, as the 15-kilowatt gun attached to the USS Paul Foster happily demonstrates. Of course, as you'll see in the video after the break, a beam of such minimal power takes a moment to burn through even an unshielded engine and ignite the fuel therein -- once we get some 100+ kilowatt lasers up in there, we shouldn't have such problems.
In lasers we trust: NASA researches 5kW galactic trash disposal system
Space junk is a growing problem -- 200,000 pieces and counting -- and as the amount of earth's orbital debris increases, so does the chance some satellite will be involved in a cosmic collision. As this would cause much gnashing of teeth and woe for the affected terrestrial parties, some researchers from NASA's Ames Research Center have pitched the idea of moving said junk with a laser -- once again proving that everything's better with lasers. The idea is to use a 5kW ray, likely similar to the one we've got at the Starfire Optical Range, to slow our galactic garbage -- perhaps slowing it down enough to burn it up in earth's atmosphere. Current estimates say such a laser could migrate ten pieces of junk a day, which gives us the promise of a future with neat and tidy skies.
Purdue researchers make solar cell manufacturing cheaper, more efficient with lasers
Is there anything lasers can't do? We only ask because they seem to be improving everything from microphones to railroads, and now researchers from Purdue University have leveraged the power of light to better manufacture solar cells. Using an ultrashort (as in quadrillionths of a second) pulse laser to more precisely scribe the microchannels connecting thin-film solar cells -- as compared to current mechanical stylus methods -- the Boilermakers were able to improve energy transfer efficiency between cells and significantly reduce manufacturing time. Having demonstrated the process works, research continues to better understand and prepare it for use by manufacturers -- sooner rather than later, we hope.
US Navy's free-electron laser breaks another record, takes aim at missiles next
The US Navy's free-electron laser has broken a few records already, but it's just plowed through another fairly big one -- one that its creators say could put it on the fast track to actually being used to shoot down missiles. That particular record involved running the system for eight hours at 500 kilovolts, which is a level they've been trying to achieve for the past six years and, according to the researchers, "definitely shortens" the time frame for getting to their ultimate goal of 100 kilowatts. What's more, while this particular test didn't actually involve blowing anything up, the Navy seems confident that the laser will eventually be able to do just that, as it's just recently awarded Boeing a $163 million contract to package the laser in a weapons system that would be deployed on ships and be able to detect, track, and destroy missiles (or presumably anything else ). According the Office of Naval Research, the Navy hopes to meet that goal by 2015. [Image: Wired / Danger Room]
AT&T opens up video archives, shares the history inside
Where can you find Orson Welles, Marconi's daughter, Alexander Graham Bell's grandaughter, and inventors of the transistor and television? You might try To Communicate is the Beginning, a 1976 educational publication tracing the history of electronic communication, which AT&T recently decided to exhume from its archives of Bell Labs material. The 30-minute video's just the first in a series, too, as AT&T's website is already playing host to films about the origins of the laser and integrated circuit too, with more on the way. Find them all at our source link -- you do want to know how your favorite technologies evolved, right?
Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect
You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam's chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the "backward laser" could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact -- the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on "Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats," hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs, and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams.
First Impressions: Battlestar Galactica Online
There's a pretty universal rule among MMORPG players, although many of them are not aware of it: "Never, ever play a human, an elf, or the 'good side' unless you have no choice. Even then, improvise." I try to follow this rule to the letter. Even when I am asked to try out, preview, or generally mess around with the greatest new game in all of history, I try to avoid playing the good guys. So when I was asked if I could take a look at Battlestar Galactice Online by Bigpoint, I knew exactly what to do. While I much prefer the older Cylon look and feel (bulkier, rounder ships), and while I did not find myself glued to the TV set to tune into the latter incarnation of the campy series, I did absolutely love how the newer writers and special-effects masters made the space dog-fighting look. It felt, well, real to me. Would I feel the same way about combat inside my browser? What about my character -- how would he feel while walking around inside a station or base? Follow me past the cut to see what I found.
World's first room-temperature semiconductor plasmon nanolaser created by Berkeley scientists
We're big proponents of the idea that everything is better with lasers, and a team of researchers at UC Berkeley has created a new type of semiconductor plasmon nanolaser, or spaser, that could eventually find a home in many of your favorite devices. The big breakthrough is that Berkeley's spaser operates at room temperature -- previous spasers could only sustain lasing at temperatures below -250° C -- enabling its use in commercial products. Plasmon lasers work by amplifying surface plasmons, which can be confined to a much smaller area than the light particles amplified by conventional lasers. This allows for extreme miniaturization of optical devices for ultra-high-resolution imaging, high sensitivity biological sensors, and optical circuits 100 times faster than the electronic variety. There's no word on how soon the technology will be commercially available, so you'll have to wait a bit longer for your first laser computer.
Beamz laser instrument gets upgraded to please hardcore laser rockers and gamers alike
The demonstration of four-player Rock Band Mobile at Samsung's CES 2011 press conference was pretty slick, but to the folks at Beamz, that kind of music gaming is still so amateur compared to its laser switch-activated jam sessions. That's because they've redesigned their original product to be more living room-friendly thanks to a black paint job and a slimmer profile. They've also tried to appeal more to the gaming set by expanding the Beamz song library beyond the original 80 developed by independent artists to include "top hit jams" - aka cover versions of top 40 tracks -- and 35 licensed "video songs" from Disney and EMI. So if you'd like to laser thump the bass to Blondie's Heart of Glass music video, you can. Additionally, the Beamz software has been upgraded to support up to three laser instruments on the same track and recording for a real band experience -- though it still only runs on PCs. For $200, we don't expect these to fly off shelves, but for those who've mastered the whammy bar, it's at least another way to get your faux music-making fix. %Gallery-113166%
