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How I got my laser eye injury

funraniumlabs.com

191–200 of 378 posts

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#191

So while trying to answer another comment on cost, i ran into this: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09240... and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00303... I had thought, reading the article, that maybe this was a relatively new idea, and they were at least trying something relatively new in an insane way. But no, the latter is from 1999 (so when this event occurred), and t…

> "oxygen shroud-gas"

Do they call it MOG instead of MIG? Although it's Chlorinated Rubber, not metal, so maybe it's CROG.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#192
post #12
post #3

I’m not saying it didn’t happen as described, but this really kinda reads like the “Bald eagle named Albert Einstein flew into the classroom” copypasta…

Never let facts get in the way of a good story. The build-up is great (VP's car, elementary school, military base) and the punchline is funny, but it's just a bit too perfect ("and what's above us?", cue clouds). Even the name Bob sounds like it's been chosen for comedy. It's clearly a mostly true story that's been refined and polished over the years.

Was curious so I looked it up - Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School is right by Moffet Field. The school also abuts an industrial park that fits the description.

One of the current tenants there is Volvo Innovation Lab, which I imagine does laser testing. I have no idea if buildings need certain certifications for working with lasers, so I mention that tidbit.

As well, that office park has 16 buildings in it, by my count.

The pieces of this story very much so line up.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually i do, but there is one acronym in the entire 450 words, and it doesn't really matter to the point what the thing was?

I agree with you. It's also pretty easy to figure out what you're talking about from context.

It's the second post in which he did this. And how should anyone know whether it's important to know what it means without knowing what it means?

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#194
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VMC == Vertical Machining Center PSWAATY == Please Say What the Acronyms Are. Thank You.

Usually i do, but there is one acronym in the entire 450 words, and it doesn't really matter to the point what the thing was?

OK. Thanks for the informative post. Don't want to discourage you from more.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#195
post #28

I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect my Hole In My Eye[0] came from being 30 years old (I'm 46 now) and saying "look, this laser pointer is so low power, I can shine it in my eye to no ill effect!". [0] https://dmd.3e.org/a-hole-in-my-eye/

One of the things I hate most in tourist hotspots these days are the people selling high powered laser pointers, normally selling them to kids, and they are shining it at their faces, in the faces of others, and at the neighbours. I swear they never used to be so commonplace. Having worked nightclub lighting a long time ago I have a deep appreciation for laser safety haha

A friend of mine gave me a high power blue laser pointer, and it was fun for a night but I gave it back to him because I recognized that it was just too dangerous. One slip, one stray reflection, and I'd damage my eyesight or go blind. It's just too dangerous, and I'm a very careful person who takes precautions - I can't imagine kids with laser pointers are going to be able to see very well when they are older.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Low power” lasers are sometimes wildly more powerful than they claim to be. I guess what do you expect when you buy a Chinese laser pointer on Amazon for 5 bucks.

Nd:YAG lasers such as the one in the article use an IR exciter into a crystal to achieve frequency doubling or tripling. Much of the energy from the fundamental exciter makes it past the crystal, so without good filtering, a "safe" class 2 or 3R laser can still produce blinding (but invisible) light. Lots of the cheap lasers don't have good filtering, so be careful what you buy.

Oh yeah, that’s a real problem for cheap green lasers. IR diode laser, doubling crystal, and no IR filter is a good way to go blind.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#197
post #139

Safety guys always ruin the fun. I was in the Marine Corps and every time we got to test some new piece of gear the safety officer was like "No, you can't live fire it off the flight deck of the ship" or "No, not here, that village is down wind of the dust you will kick up when it goes off." No, that has a kill distance of 6 miles, you have to fire it into a hill." Blah, blah, blah. So after I got out I joined the Na…

> I was in the Marine Corps and every time we got to test some new piece of gear the safety officer was like "No, you can't live fire... I thought the whole point of the Marines was to cause maximal amounts of damage. Are you implying there is a constraint on that? But now I understand why the marines hate the navy: I had a buddy who'd been in the navy and he said they kept the kids busy by cleaning and painting ever…

> But now I understand why the marines hate the navy: I had a buddy who'd been in the navy and he said they kept the kids busy by cleaning and painting everything but frequently they'd let 'em blow off steam by tossing cardboard boxes and stuff off the end the flight deck and shooting at them with the 50 cal machine guns.

If anything this should be why the taxpayer doesn't like the navy.

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#198
post #192
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never let facts get in the way of a good story. The build-up is great (VP's car, elementary school, military base) and the punchline is funny, but it's just a bit too perfect ("and what's above us?", cue clouds). Even the name Bob sounds like it's been chosen for comedy. It's clearly a mostly true story that's been refined and polished over the years.

Was curious so I looked it up - Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School is right by Moffet Field. The school also abuts an industrial park that fits the description. One of the current tenants there is Volvo Innovation Lab, which I imagine does laser testing. I have no idea if buildings need certain certifications for working with lasers, so I mention that tidbit. As well, that office park has 16 buildings in it, by my…

Yeah like I said I'm sure it's mostly true. I just don't necessarily buy that he had a comedian's delivery on the day in question

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#199
post #99
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve seen some references to the universal laser glasses: Apple Vision Pro!

No, the cameras would probably not survive laser exposure beyond a cat toy pointer level power (and even then I wouldn't bet long exposure of those).

Cameras are cheap, eyes are expensive.

Ok, the Vision pro cameras are probably very expensive (mostly because I doubt you can just switch them with new ones). Maybe put a bag over it and a Pi camera on the outside? Can you live-stream to a Vision Pro?

Re: How I got my laser eye injury

#200
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, to clarify - what i have is a very nice IPG lightweld 1500 XR. They are normally not cheap (30k), and are very nice and well thought out safety wise. One of the fun parts when i lived in the bay area was that as companies got acquired, they didn't know what to do with the stuff they had before acquisition that isn't needed anymore, and it either sits in a warehouse, or gets auctioned off (or both!) So for example…

VMC == Vertical Machining Center PSWAATY == Please Say What the Acronyms Are. Thank You.

> PSWAATY

I'm keeping that one.

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