A Blinding History of the Laser Pointer | MEL Magazine

A Blinding History of the Laser Pointer | MEL Magazine

I often wondered who and what made it possible for my alcoholic buddy to wield such a dangerous tool. They’ve been around in one form or another for a while, of course — the invention of lasers writ large can be traced all the way back to 1900, which was when famed German physicist Max Planck published a paper surmising that energy is made of individual units, which he called quanta. His theory would later inspire Albert Einstein, who became the first person to realize that light is made up of photons in 1905. Using this knowledge, Einstein proposed a theory called stimulated emission, a process by which electrons (previously known as the aforementioned quanta) can be stimulated to emanate light of a particular wavelength. This is the process that would eventually make lasers possible.

Forty years later, Columbia University professor Charles Townes conceptualized a device that would come to be known as a maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) while sitting on a park bench in Washington. Based on Einstein’s stimulated emission theory, the device was able to amplify and even generate electromagnetic waves. A few years later, in 1957, Columbia University graduate student Gordon Gould scribbled the acronym LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) and described the elements needed for constructing one in his notebook, which would eventually become the focus of a 30-year court battle for the patent rights to the device.

Conspiracy theories

I don’t like conspiracy theories.

It seems like more and more people out there are questioning people’s motives, claiming that they are up to no good. Many believe the wealthy and the powerful are doing things dishonestly to make themselves wealthier. Maybe there is some cheating around the edges but I think most people act professionally and while incumbent players may benefit from the established rules, and as such I find most conspiracy theories hard to believe. Folks like to talk and there are always investigative reporters and whistle blowers willing to leak out any conspiracy. As such, most conspiracy theories are unlikely to exist.

This Company Hired Anyone Who Applied. Now It’s Starting a Movement.

This Company Hired Anyone Who Applied. Now It’s Starting a Movement.

Currently, 5.4 million people in the U.S. want a job but can’t secure one; according to the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, around 75 percent of formerly incarcerated people struggle to find work. Lack of access to employment and incarceration in the U.S. go hand in hand, but Brady believes that open hiring proves they do not have to. In a sense, it comes down to pure math: It costs around $30,000 a year to incarcerate a single person. Imagine if that money was used instead to pay someone a living wage?

Especially in places like Yonkers, which is struggling with disinvestment after its textiles industry went under several decades ago, the idea is transformative. Greyston has employed 176 people from the poorest neighborhood in the city over its history, and, in doing so, it’s equipping people with the resources to remain in place and contribute to the local economy.

House Pond

A look around House Pond in Stratford, off of Piseco-Powley Road.

Near Max Shauls

Heading south on NY 30 from Fultonham, towards Max Shauls Campground.