Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.
Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.
Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.
Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.
17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.
Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."
Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?
It seems the disturbingly common incidents we've seen in the US relating to improper laser pointer usage and the resulting arrests of those doing the pointing aren't exactly limited to the states. In Western Australia, such offenses have become so common that laser pointers have been classified as a "controlled weapon," meaning improper use could result in a $4,000 AU (about $3,700 U.S.) fine or 12 months in prison.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bryan Halco said 4:00PM on 4-16-2008
FIRST!!!
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Rupert said 10:07AM on 4-21-2008
Switched? Is this the stupid person version of Engadget?
Your on board? of another piece of pointless legislation?
You really think that someone can point a laser at both the pilot and the co-pilot within seconds of each other and cause a crash?
That's a plane traveling at 180 - 300 mph, and probably with the nose pointing up slightly so you would have to be at least 10 miles in front of the plane. Not to mention the glass in the way which would reflect the majority of the light at that angle?
Seen any hand held lasers latterly brighter than the sun? No? Well how about just using a mirror? Would that not be 10,000 times brighter? Lets ban mirrors then, oh and glass for that matter. All those reflective windscreens on cars must be removed!
Rupert, BPhys
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Another way said 3:12AM on 4-24-2008
As lasers by their very function produce a very narrow spectrum of light it would be very easy to put filters on the windows of aircraft and helecopters to stop laser wavelengths at common frequencies
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Hux said 8:18AM on 10-11-2008
blocking those wavelengths of light getting to the pilots would cause a visibility issue for them flying the airplane. many of the synthetic materials used to block out laser lights are colored like red cellophane they are also only effect for temporary protection .
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lazors said 5:03PM on 10-28-2008
This is obviously targeting "Star Pointers", not the Radio Shack laser pointers. Let me clarify, a standard laser pointer has a range of about 1 mile (FCC regulated of course) and are much less intense then the sun. Star Pointers on the other hand, do not fall under this, but are still a laser. Star Pointers (ones that are about 300.00 or more) are 10 times greater then the sun, and can cast a beam of light for upwards of 20 miles, hence the reason they are used to point out stars, and in most cases are green in color. Yes a Star Pointer can cause almost instant blindness from two facts, one the intensity of the light, and two it does have the ability to burn if left in place for more then 3 seconds. A regular laser pointer can cause blindness, but can not burn.
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beamq said 9:27PM on 3-11-2009
High power laser pointers can be very dangerous.
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