Microwave Drill/Death Ray

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

If any of you watched this week's episode of EUReKA on the SciFi channel, you would have seen a REAL, Ok, fictional representation of, a REAL Death Ray.

For those that don't watch the show, Eureka is the name of the super-secret small town populated by former government brainiacs who are either retired or now working for the privatized research center. Eureka seems like a magical place, but all the wonders are actually scientific inventions. The new sherrif in town, not a geek himself, but with an understanding of how these people think, keeps things in order.

On this week's episode, a newly promoted young scientist is given a new fourth floor (below ground) office just off the utility corridor full of old relics from bygone days (visualize the X-files office). Cleaning up, he and his helpers uncover an old control console from the Cold War era, which, what a surprise, comes with a pair of keys to turn it on. Like typical nerds, they jump in without reading the instruction manual and end up activating the Death Ray, although the Head Technocrat refuses to call it that. The sherrif, ever keen, says, well, it causes Death, it is a Ray, ergo, Death Ray!

Now the scope of this thing puts the little Israeli device that is the subject of this article to shame. On activation, it bursts through the ground in the center of town, cracking and buckling the pavement, and appearing like an ICBM preparing to launch. However, the device is a high power laser designed to bounce its ray off of mirrors put on the moon by Apollo astronauts targeting key cities in Russia and China.

Long story short, the sherrif finds the old doddering scientist with Alzheimer's who created the machine, and gets him to reveal the code to stop the Death Ray, but another geek had already "clipped the Blue Wire" that initiated the Mutually Assured Destruction override feature on the device. To prevent the start of World War Three, with seconds to spare,the sherrif rams the towering apparatus with his SUV, tipping it slightly. The Death Ray fires, but misses its target on the Moon. "We missed the moon!" chants an obliviously happy crowd which had gathered around the Death Ray, until somebody says, yeah, but where did it GO? Cut to an unmanned spacecraft approaching Jupiter, with voice-over by Ground Control and other flight controllers, as a big blue flash streaks through the blackness of space. In an instant, sparks fly, shrapnel is strewn about, and the spacecraft disintegrates. "Uh, Ground Control, I think we have a problem!"

Now THAT's a DEATH RAY!

That show is on my list now (along with Dead Like Me, which is on just before it).

Checkout the following link for the Israeli Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL)for more interest, http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Kh78Gw3cM3sJ:ww w.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/syst ems/THEL.html+thel&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd= 1

Now THAT is a DEATH RAY!

Looks like the "Star Wars" research lives on. Interesting reading. But the link took some fixing. Here it is:

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Kh78Gw3cM3sJ:ww w.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/syst ems/THEL.html+thel&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd= 1

If Microwave can do you harm then sure your cell phone will do the same thing. Difference is power. Cell phone may use peak power of 2W near your head and Microwave can reach 10kW.

Microwave ovens are shielded and are made safe for use in homes. Directed Microwave energy sure can be fatal. Call it Microwave cannon.

Laser can do much worst and can drill through 1m steel sheet.

Now there are X-ray lasers.

Knowledge spreads both sides of minds - good and bad and by itself it is neither good nor bad.

Shyam