MICHAEL BELCHER JUL 3, 2023 Growing up through the 1980’s one became accustomed to the Hollywood tactical employment of laser beams in movies and television to signal that a character was under the gun – a long gun, to be specific. This red dot would be noticed by the afflicted actor, and the behavior would change accordingly to signify defeat, often with a melodramatic flare. These days the operators of cinematic gunplay have transitioned to the hyper-realistic use of infrared lasers and Night Observation Device Systems (NODS). The action is fast paced – the violence of action is palpable. The laser, however, is invisible to those so afflicted. There is no change of behavior with the presence of the green dot. Just a dampened 120 decibels, suppressed flash, impact thud, and a confirmed “tango down.” This transition through cinematic history provides an adept analogy for where we find...

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