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heck this out! One of the coolest DIYs I’ve seen in a while. Make sure to read the warning under the video! I also realize that I am late in that I’m blogging about it months after everyone has already talked about it. Oh well.

• This is a very powerful laser!
• Looking at it directly WILL blind you.
• Looking at it, even if its a reflection you’re looking at, WILL blind you.
• Lasers over 5mW are considered strong. Depending on the DVD drive, the laser diode will be over 200mW (100mW+ was needed to light a match, just like in the video).
• Operating a laser over 5mW requires a license from the FDA.
• This isn’t a toy. It isn’t a weapon either, but it can be used as one. Please use the knowledge you have just gained for educational purposes only.

I hope you enjoyed that. I myself, am planning to build one of my own. I know what I am getting myself into, which is why I plan on buying goggles designed to handle the specific wavelength of the laser. I need my eyes. And guys, if you plan on building one yourself, for the love of god, please be responsible.

Edit (May, 7th 2009): This was posted a while ago by a younger version of myself. While I don’t plan on building it any more, I still think the idea is pretty cool.