I applaud you Doc !!!

1st Amendment. Don't let weenies, wimps, or Liberals force you to remove anything from your website. Your disclaimer after the write up need not even be present because you can not be held responsible for someone else's ignorance & stupidity.

2nd Amendment. Need I say more.

My 11 year old daughter and I made this and her response was "COOL!" can I use it in as a Science project some how?

I too use to "play" with the techie components when I was a kid. We did find ruby chips cheap and rubbed & grinded our own lenses with cesium powder, we built rocket engines with common stuff from the local pharmacy's shelves, explosive to say the least, but fun and a learning experience! Interest in the sciences and math has dwindled in the past couple of decades and we really need to foster more interest in them just to be able to stay competitive with our world neighbors (aka. Korea, Iran, China) The 50's & 60's had an explosion of technical achievements and ideas that certain people went after with fervor. Just look at 'Star Trek' and think cell phone, PDA, DNA and other medical advances CAT, CT, MRI, EEG just to mention a few.

Ideas and Information sharing is what can light the flame of interest in a young mind rather than the Music & Sex culture that seems to be running our children's lives in recent history.

Now, if you'll excuse me, My daughter and I are going to see what else we can ignite with our new toy... maybe a heilium filled - no wait, what would happen if we put more than 1 laser on it and maybe a more powerful energy source, sorry I GOTTA go...  ;-)

And what's wrong with McGyverism, it has got to be better for the brain than just sitting there vegetating or playing video games.

Now let's think about what could happen if we stop giving kids soda (and HighFructoseCornSuryp juices) and candy and fast foods - and medication that lazy 'social sheep' doctors prescribe to treat non-existent disorders, divert all that misdiagnosed 'ADHD' energy (aka. youth) to directed thinking, exploration, experimentation, adventure, fun activities???

And actually do some of all this with our kids instead of drugging them up and/or leaving them with babysitters or worse alone and to their own devices? (remember the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, if not then my point has been made apparent) Carpe Diem because Tempus fugit, and Primum Non Nocere. That is what we should be teaching our future.

These comments bring to mind a song called Hippies Lament by Wally Pleasant, an East Lansing musician.   It goes like this..."I'm self rightious, pretensious, and politically correct..."  Is it possible to be both a social activist and have a sense of humor.  Hmm, ponder that.

Lol @ dangerous and take it off. Have some faith in common sense. Kids play with things much more dangerous than a laser pointer that can pop a balloon.

I have a M.S. in radiation biophysics.  I say this only because I hope that it will persuade you to consider my comments carefully.  I am not a cautious person, made made my first laser from a He Ne tube, nitro-glycerin (worked too well) as a teenager and worse yet still drive after drinking too much.  I believe that every law abiding household should have a gun after properly training the family.  I almost grabbed my old cd writer to make one of these, but after about 10 seconds I realized how incredibly dangerous this device is.  Pay particular attention to the writer who talked about how the first thing anyone does when they pick up a flashlight is turn it on and point it at their face to see if it works.  How would you like to permanently blind your 5 year old granddaughter or whoever.  THIS DEVICE WILL DEFINITELY DO THIS!  It will not start fires except under special conditions and is really not that dangerous  EXCEPT TO THE EYES.  That is the real danger.  It seems so harmless that it begs to be abused.  Most people quickly realize the danger of guns, napalm and automobiles.  This device reminds me of the German booby traps from WW2.  A fountain pen with just enough explosive to cripple you for life.  The other real danger is that unlike a gun which is, with rare exception, only dangerous in the direction which it is pointing, the laser easily can be just as powerful after after multiple reflections and STILL  IRREVERSIBLY FRY THE FIRST AVAILABLE RETINA.  This isn't about first or second  amendment rights.  It's normally not a good idea to let poisonous snakes loose in your house.

I can not imagine this is a legal use of a class 3b laser device.  It is downright irresponsible...not unlike having a gun in your home.  The difference is that the laser doesn't have the power to kill someone.  However, the laser could easily be used for malicious purposes by kids or immature grownups in such a way that it's impossible to link the damage/crime with the perpetrator.  It's the perfect weapon to ruin somebody's life.  Thanks for sharing this.

I'm really surprised to see this type of instruction on this site.  Haven't we heard enough about kids, in particular, that find instructions on the internet and build an item that they sometimes use foolishly causing pain or distruction with it.  It's not always even done deliberately....... maybe just out of ignorance.  

I refer people to this site to learn about health related issues and hope this type of potentially dangerous information is kept off in the future.