Memories of Ray Guns

Wired Magazine has a fun post about Christopher Howarth's extensive ray gun collection that he's sharing with the world via his blog at http://www.kitt.net/blog/raygun/

It's a fun little trip down memory lane, with a few modern entries as well.

Howarth makes an interesting argument for why we should appreciate the design and aesthetics of these toys as they've changed through the years.

I particularly found his collection of Chinese and Japanese ray guns intriguing when juxtaposed against U.S. and European designs.

In the coming years ahead, this and other collections could prove to be an interesting way to examine various cultural histories, especially given the tumultuous wax and wane of Asian and Western relations.

Granted, I may be partial to this whole business based on my old poem "Aliens":

We turn our dishes to Heaven,
But what manner of dog will come running
To lick them,

Drawn to the censored moaning groins
And the pyrotechnics of false death
And chemical love?

Fetch me a big stick to shake
At these stellar voyeurs!

I want nothing to do with them
As I run down my strange streets,

An accidental alien without
A ray gun.


So take this post as you will. :)