Set Phasers on Stun

The Pentagon has taken the first step toward Star Trek-inspired weaponry with the announcement of a new “active denial technology” gun. Developed for $40 million by Air Force research laboratories in New Mexico and Texas, it’s a real raygun: it shoots microwave beams that heat up a target’s skin, causing pain similar to “touching a hot light bulb.” A spokesman from Kirtland Air Force Base says it’s “the kind of pain you would feel if you were being burned. It’s just not intense enough to cause any damage.” The military wants a non-lethal weapon for use against civilians in peacekeeping operations. (AP) ...Protestors have already figured out a defense: packets of popcorn that they call “pocket airbags.”