*Pew pew pew*

Yes, that's right. Laser beams. They're out there, in working condition, being tested on military vessels, proposed to be fully operational in about six years.

The future in fact is not far away at all. Raytheon released a recent video depicting a test of their Phalanx and LaWS (Laser Weapon System). The test reveals a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) flying through the air for short time before literally bursting into flame and crashing down into the ocean. The LaWS is made up of six solid-state lasers simultaneously focusing 32 kilowatts of power onto a single target.

While it seems like science fiction becoming reality, the truth is that lasers have actually been in use by the military for years. In 2006, tests were done in which a laser destroyed a static mortar. In 2008, the test was successfully performed on an incoming mortar. However, shooting down UAVs over a moist environment such as the ocean has been a daunting challenge says Mike Booen, vice president of Raytheon's Advanced Security and Directed Energy Systems line. This new and improved version of the in-use land-based version of the Phalanx (in use in Iraq since 2005) will be ready to equip the Navy by the year 2016. Even more incredible is that the laser runs only off of electricity, and thus cannot run out of ammo as long as it has a current.

There was once a time where gun powder seemed like science fiction. Now science has progressed so far that even laser beams are not uncommon in society. Perhaps satellite warfare will be next, or terraforming. Cloning has been making huge leaps in recent years. Ideas such as Jurassic Park may not be far from reach, and soon after space travel may be a factor. it seems that truly, the only thing stopping man from reaching the infinite is not physics, resources, or other limitations, but simply the passing of time.

Plus, LASERS.

Unfortunately there was no embed link, so hopefully this will do.

Will technology end the world?

With the way technology has been advancing it seems as if anything is possible. For many people this is a frightening situation, especially when dealing with any kind of weaponry. Just recently an article was put out about a heat-beam ray gun which uses a heat-beam to help control unruly inmates at an LA jail (Watkins). Just one generation ago no one would have thought that a ray gun was possible to make, just something you may see on Star Trek.

To make it worse with enemies all over the world fighting and striving to develop new technology on how to kill each other more efficiently. If every country is racing to develop the best weapons when we already have nuclear weapons that can destroy entire countries what is next. This video explains it quite simply.



Although the video is a bit comical, and exaggerated it points out a potently possibility that may have to be dealt with at some point in time. Even with our current technology we can already destroy the world, what happens when we improve it even more?



The end of the world [video]. (2006). YouTube. Retrieved 5 Sept 2010. .

Watkins, Thomas. ACJ. LA authorities plan to use heat-beam ray in jail. 27 Aug 2010. 5 Sept 2010. .