SkyMall Monday: Beamz Interactive Music System

by Mike Barish on

You simply don’t hear very many people complaining about the lack of new instruments being invented. Basically, since we electrified the guitar, we’ve been set with all of the instruments that humanity needs. Granted, converting turntables from music players to music makers was pretty ingenious, but it wasn’t necessarily the invention of an instrument. At this point, we’re set for making music. Yet, this week’s SkyMall Monday features the quintessential SkyMall instrument because it, of course, has lasers. Sit back and enjoy the melodious seduction of the Beamz Interactive Music System.We’re long overdue for an instrument that combines the digital presets of a synthesizer with the hair growth-encouraging powers of lasers. Previously, only John Tesh was able to create riffs that simultaneously mesmerized and annoyed listeners. Now, however, we can all produce the kind of smooth adult contemporary jams that dentists’ offices so desperately need.

Think that lasers have no business in music? Believe that instruments should not be called “interactive music systems?” Well, while you play the triangle, we’ll be reading the product description:

Don’t just listen to your favorite music — join the band! You don’t have to be a musician — with the Beamz, anyone can steal the show.

Pass a hand or finger through the laser beams to jazz up your favorite tunes with hundreds of sounds.

No longer does listening to music need to be a passive activity. Finally, you can “jazz up” the songs that were produced by professional musicians with your own laser-induced ideas.

But, you don’t just have to alter existing songs. Once you become proficient in the Beamz Interactive Music System, you can create your own masterpieces that will enthrall your friends and confuse your grandparents. I, for one, look forward to hearing your laser tunes the next time I’m walking through a shopping mall.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Man arrested for pointing his green laser at Phoenix planes

by Scott Carmichael on

You’d think that by now, enough people have seen the news warning us that shining a laser pointer at a commercial plane is a very bad idea?

Apparently, that news did not reach 19 year old Vincent Bodin in Phoenix, because this young man was just arrested for doing just that.

He’d been up to no good for several days, and it took a police helicopter to finally catch him.

The really stupid part? Mr. Bodin is a French citizen here on a student visa, which means he runs the very real risk of being deported back home. Crime does not pay, and being a total idiot pays even less.

The current generation laser pointers are extremely bright, you can purchase pen sized pointers with enough power to light a match, so imagine the intensity of that beam when it hits the cockpit window – most certainly not something a pilot will want to see when he’s on his final approach or take off.

Lasers cause havoc on Australian flights — soon to be outlawed

by Grant Martin on

The latest terrorist weapon in Australia isn’t dirty bombs, oil attacks or hijackings. It’s lasers. New high powered lasers that have recently become widely available on the market are turning out to be a formidable tool in harassing pilots while on sensitive landing patterns.

When shined into a cockpit, these high powered devices can refract around the cabin, temporarily blinding crew and potentially damaging their vision. Opposed to older lasers commonly used in classrooms and during presentations, strong lasers have the ability to reach long distances, allowing attackers to strike from relatively long (and well covered) distances.

Here in the United States we’ve seen sporadic instances and subsequent prosecutions of laser strikes, but in Sydney the problem is starting to get out of hand. So far this year there have been six sightings of lasers in cockpits and the government is getting ruffled. They’re passing legislation to ban possession of high powered lasers without a reason, saying that they can now search and question perpetrators on why they own the devices.

Meanwhile, casual users from teachers to hobbyists are up in arms about the legislation, saying that not all lasers need to be banned from use. I suppose if more flights are safer and normal users can prove they’re using the lasers for the right purposes it’s not too big of a deal, is it?