Prof debuts miniature laser diode for fast networking

Miniature laser diodes emitting intense single wavelength light could speed data networking. A professor Denis Deppe of the University of Central Florida has invented a new small laser diode that has fewer impurities in it. This brings several benefits. Firstly, the emitted light has a single wavelength, making its detection …

[K. Adams]

"They could be used ... in space to remove unwanted hair."

Black holes have no hair:

-- -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-hair_theorem

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing says "Future"...

...quite like the smell of burning hair in zero-G. Who'd've thunk it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mini-lasers for mini-sharks?

Perhaps something to put on the boy's goldfish.

Just as a starter. When he starts proper school I'll get him something more "entertaining"

[Jim_aka_Jim]

title

I'm not sure hair removing goldfish is a good way to start a career in evil; try getting him a carniverous plant instead.

[Thomas 4]

All the cool kids have carnivorous plants

Terry Pratchett for one - according to the last update we had on them (which was a few books ago), they were doing well.

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone know how...

Anyone know how lasers are used to quit smoking?

I keep seeing these adverts purporting to allow people to quiet smoking by the use of laser therapy.

I have this Bond-esque image in my mind of said customer strapped to a table: the good doctor asks "Do you want a smoke?" The desperate patient responds "Yes please"....zap "AAAARGH"

...."Do you want a smoke?" The desperate patient....

[Kevin Patrick Crowley]

A few thousand acres of these

Could take out incoming missiles.

Just a thought.

[ShellShockeD]

realy

I suppose it would depend on who the Brazilian is

[Alan L]

Because

... in space no one can hear you scream?

[Ball boy]

Brazilian in orbit?

Old news: Marcos Pontes was the first Brazilia.....ah, I'm with you now. <snigger>

It's a joke: don't feel compelled to believe I'm a fool; enough already think this - but then they probably know me better than you do.

[Anonymous Coward]

Err...

Ok, I'm a little hazy on LASERs, because it's been a while since uni, but isn't the whole point of a LASER that it only emits a single frequency?

Also, the vast majority of intra datacentre communications, over fibre, use LEDs rather than actual LASERs. IIRC mono-mode fibres take LASER light over some number of Km, whereas the much more common multi-mode fibres take normal LED generated light over a much smaller distance, ~300m ish, I think. I don't really see the advantage of replacing LEDs with LASERS, which are always going to use more energy and cost more in terms of energy to create.

As for embedding LASERs into optical fibres for use in the home - Optical fibres aren't nearly robust enough to embed the device into, it would just make for super expensive cables, which can be easily damaged. It would be much better to have the LASER embedded into the device, rather than the cable.

[P. Lee]

wtb

Lightpeak. Proper Lightpeak.

[Antony King]

zap!

Not sure I like the idea of laser hair removal from space!

[Thomas 4]

Oh

So when I was frying masses of troops with the Ion Cannon in C&C, I was actually just giving them a short back and sides?

[Asiren]

Not quite...

With the strength of that Ion Cannon, I think you were giving them permanent bald spots!

There's nothing like the smell of balding in the morning...

[TRT]

And now I, ...

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew will demonstrate my orbiting laser hair removal studio with the help of my assistant here, Beaker.

Meee, meee, me, me?

[TRT]

Nothing like

the smell of hairy palm in the morning.

[hplasm]

Nothing-

smells like Hairy Pam in the morning...