Monday, May 17, 2010

Secret Laser Beam Topples Buildings

This may sound like science fiction, but yesterday's Hebrew edition of Haaretz carried a story, apparently serious, about how the Ministry of Defense operates secret laser-beam communication systems, and that a number of high-rise buildings in Tel Aviv and Netanya can't be built because the beams would bump into them. Or something. The result was going to be that the two municipalities were grubbing for 55 million NIS to pay the defense folks to bury their lasers underground.

Honestly.

Today Haaretz offers the same story in English, only this time it's much less outlandish. Almost boring, you might say. Which is too bad, because the Hebrew version yesterday was far more exciting.

1 comment:

Avi said...

Yaacov hi,

This is old hat IP communications technology. I was working with these systems years ago both in Israel and abroad. It is a short range alternative solution to wireless IP systems when you do no have access to copper or fibre optic cables.

The advantage of a laser system is that it is almost impossible to tap the line, so the communications are very secure.

Obviously there are or were a number of local manufacturers of such boxes here in Israel.