obscurion - Slashdot User

Directed Energy Weapon Downs Mosquitos 428

Posted by samzenpus on Friday February 12, 2010 @04:36PM from the two-pound-hammer-and-ten-penny-nail dept.

wisebabo writes "Nathan Myhrvol demonstrated at TED a laser, built from parts scrounged from eBay, capable of shooting down not one but 50 to 100 mosquitos a second. The system is 'so precise that it can specify the species, and even the gender, of the mosquito being targeted.' Currently, for the sake of efficiency, it leaves the males alone because only females are bloodsuckers. Best of all the system could cost as little as $50. Maybe that's too expensive for use in preventing malaria in Africa but I'd buy one in a second!" We ran a story about this last year. It looks like the company has added a bit more polish, and burning mosquito footage to their marketing.

Comment Copyright should be about two different things (Score 1) 307

by obscurion on Friday July 01, 2005 @11:57AM (#12961354) Attached to: Copyright Issues in the Mainstream

It seems to me that the copyright arguments blend two different things.

1) the work overall. 2) the characters/worlds/whatever the work contains.

I think that the 30 years someone above advocated for works overall is a good length of time. If it hasn't made a profit by then it isn't going to.

But the cgaracters or other intellectual works within the copyrighted work can have a much longer life. Think mickey mouse. The little blighter has been going on for decades through indidual works. One might make profits from mickey for at least ninety-nine years.

So give the intelectual property within a work 99 years. Give the work overall 30 years.

Yes, cutting the dividing line between those two could be quite tricky. A very well written law would be needed. That's a good reason why someone outside of congress/parliament is needed to write the thing...

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