Tag: cannon

Bouncing metal is pretty historically factual

Just about everyone’s shot a gun, in some form or fashion, at some point in their life. Maybe it was a real gun. Maybe it was a fake toy gun. Maybe it was you shooting a target on your screen with a Wiimote using the virtual equivalent of a gun. Nonetheless, you shot a gun. Whether you were steady and true in your shot, that’s a different story. Me, I’ve shot my fair share of bullet based projectiles in my life, all the time with horrid attempts at accuracy.

Still, if was using a Civil War era cannon, I’d like to say that somehow I don’t think I’d be unlucky enough to make the cannonball bounce off of a hill and go through my neighbor’s house.

Science inches closer to jumping the Ewok

Everyone who’s seen Star Wars (any of the good movies, that is) remembers the Death Star-large, gray beach ball ship that used green lasers to blow up a planet. Blew up exactly one whole planet in the movies. More bark than bite, truthfully.

Scientists in California would like to prove that wrong. A new laser was debuted recently, detailing about how it has the power to burn as hot as a star.

“We have invented the world’s largest laser system,” actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said during a dedication ceremony attended by thousands including state and national officials.

Coming from a man who’s sole mission in film is to be more violent and Arnold-ier than anyone else in movies, that’s only fitting. Granted, the press may be saying that real purpose of the laser is to create large amounts of energy, but, c’mon, we all know its true use.

Next step: star powered gravity drives on spaceships. Why? How else are we going to tow our massive laser cannon into space and blow the hell out of a planet?