Re: <nettime> RE: New Scientist: Microwave Crowd Dispersal Tested (ADT)

[Patrick Lichty <voyd@voyd.com>]

>> i've been following the development of this skin heating
>> device for a while, and am keen to learn if there may be
>> an effective means to counter its use.
>> 
>> the new scientist article suggests that the cornea is not
>> as resilient as skin when it comes to being bombarded with
>> microwaves, hence i seek opinions on how one might protect
>> oneself.
>
>Leather or wet clothes may shield most of the body. A wild 
>guess to protect the eyes would be something that puts a 
>transparent conductive material over them - mirror 
>sunglasses, the mylar glasses used for eclipse observations 
>(though you could not see anything else through them :-(), 
>or the conductive, mostly transparent plastic material 
>which is used to package static sensitive electronic components.
>Another possibility is to make goggles out of metal flyscreen -
>since the wavelength is 3mm, it's doubtful that they can penetrate.
>Chain mail would also work for the body.

Right.
My guess here would be to use a lot of metal weather screening underneath
leather clothing.  From the ideas I have regarding microwaves, the screen
should create a sufficient Faraday cage to prevent the body from hhaving the
radiation enter.  If I remember correctly, I believe that there are thin
perforated metal products that could be made into eyeshields (flexible metal
screening with very fine round perforations.

My idea for an encounter suit would be the following:
would be the following:

Face:
Gas mask with polycarbonate shield and thin gauge mesh beneath the face
shield.  Replace leather/rubber straps with padded steel hose clamps -
impossible to get off.

Headgear:
Fireman's helmet, motorcycle helmet, or hard hat (note order of preference)
with same mesh installation (protects head from exposure while adding
resistance to tonfa blows)

Neck:
Probably a wire mesh gorget (screening again)

Body: (unless it is fine aluminum chain, mail is very heavy)
Long leather duster with reinforced padding and internally placed screening to
deflect rubber bullets, deflect blows, allow freedom of movement, and dissipate
energy.  Military web belts prevent removal of gear.

Arm pads with screening or foil on inside to secure joints.

Leather vest with additional screening (aluminum metal screening should be
lightweight) 

Athletic protector (or athletic corset for the female colleagues) with mesh, or
even light aluminum mail.

Hands:
Light mail gloves used for kitchen preparation (avail. at many gourmet
appliance shops)
48" Shield made of fiberglas, wrapped with foil. 

Legs:
screened jeans, with BMX/Hockey shin pads

Feet:
Leather Steel Toed shoes.  Doc Moartens should work fine.

Notes:
Understand that the radiation will probably induce a very high potential within
any carried electronics, so, keep them within protected areas AT ALL TIMES!

Exposure to microwaves are PROVEN to cause cancer in large doses.  I cannot
believe that getting hit with one of these is not severly disruptive to the
cellular structure of the skin.  I would expect skin cancer.

Turnabout: Fair Play?
My thought in this area would be that a couple car batteries, a high power
microwave oven, a waveguide, a good power inverter, and a parabolic reflector
in a meshed shopping cart would be a good way to return the favor.
However, I do not condone this sort of behavior.
Perhaps a better defensive measure would be an EMP discharge device to fry the
transmitter.  

Why do I feel like I'm in the middle of a Gibson novel?

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