Laser pointers made in Corvallis, Oregon

The laser shined at a helicopter pilot in New Jersey last Friday (resulting in the arrest of Parsippany resident David Banach) was made by a company in Corvallis, Oregon, called (don't laugh) Bigha. The outdoor company, best known for its high-tech recumbent bicycles, says the lasers are intended for bird watchers, astronomers, and lecturers to point out faraway objects. The lasers have an advertised range of 25,000 feet, or 4.7 miles. They retail for $119.

According to Bigha founder John Acres, the company warns users not to aim the lasers at aircraft, cars, or homes. (While you're at it, don't think of an elephant.) Ever since the NY Times ran a story about the helicopter incident naming Bigha as the laser's maker, the company has been inundated with orders from around the world.

We wonder how many of those orders came from Al Qaeda.

http://barometer.orst.edu