What got you into lasers?

[JD3]

I'm bored so i'm just sitting around thinking, and drooling over lasers I cant afford.

How did all of you get your start in lasers?
Did you big guys just decided to get a business loan and go straight for the big guns?

My house was robbed of a bunch of sound equipment and DJ equipment. Instead of buying new equipment, I bought lasers. Been broke ever since haha

My first lasers were some cheapy Guitarcenter Scorpion lasers. Saving every penny I can now, to buy ONE 7watt.

[absolom7691]

I saw my first Laserium show at Griffith when I was 12. That was all it took.

[Carl B]

My fascination with lasers stems back to when Blackpool tower and the Piers had installations back in the early 1980's to coincide with the Illuminations along the Promenade.
These lasers could be seen from Preston nearly 20 miles away. Granted they were only doing beams being pointed and paned across the sky but to a 10 year old boy like my self it looked awesome.
Beam's from the South pier. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SqwalzMGkQ.../20120304b.jpg
I would be interested in any info about the people / company responsible and details about the argon heads used back then.

Carl

[Solonar]

Working at Melles Griot got me interested.
Back stage look at Reuben H fleet laser show got me hooked.

[JohnYayas]

The idea of being able to control a laser beam fast enough to make visual images is interesting to me from a technology point of view. Seeing people react to the beams is also interesting. I got into lasers after restoring a car and deciding I needed a hobby that didn't require so much space and make such a mess.

[absolom7691]

I needed a hobby that didn't require so much space and make such a mess.

How's that working out for ya? My garage and my office have been taken over. Even my computer desk has a few laser affiliated bits on it.

[Eidetic]

Read about holography and lasers in a booklet my uncle gave me in '69, saw Floyd Rollfsteadt (sp?) do a show at Triton College near Chicago around '77 or '78, then saw real holograms displayed at Joliet Junior College in'79 (exhibited by Britton Zabka, a disciple of Lloyd Cross). Britton told be they taught holography at Vincennes University in southern Indiana, in the Laser & Electro-Optics Technology program there. I drove down to check it out, and was hooked.

[VDX]

... read around 1985 something about DIY a mercury vapour laser -- but then started with a 1.5W CO2-laser for my first laser-cutter ... so I'm more in material processing than show lasers ...

Viktor

[DSOTM1973]

Camping with the Biscuits.

[dnar]

My fascination started at around 12 when I saw a HeNe running. Low power and no beam....

Fast forward to 45 and I started to realise that I could build something more substantial. At 50 I have been performing safe multi-projector shows, fully licsensed and registered with [insert insane amount of money here] for 3 years.....

How do you spell addiction?