this is a double post, as this was a reply i posted in another thread. But i think its important, so I am posting here also.--
I think we need to be a *little less* "attacking" toward new comers here about the whole pointer issues. TRUST ME, i am annoyed as hell with the whole pointer situation right now also. But i think it be best if we try to educate rather than immediately jump on someone for making a reference toward a pointer.
Our community here (for the most part) is much more educational than many of the other forums out there. If we turn new members off due to our sarcasm and/or "attack" on them regarding laser pointers, it is a potential person we could have corrected when they ask a question.
All of us here know that burning tape with lasers is boring and WAAAAAY beyond what 99% of us do with our coherent light. But try to remember back to that very first time we got a "hot" beam in our hands. we *ALL* burned the shit out of EVERYTHING!!!
Education and direction is the #1 deterent (sp?) to start changing the way people use pointers.
--ok, after school special pep talk over!--
-Marc