As a follow-up to my previous Savor the Day blog, I asked John what camera he was using to take the pictures of his Millennium Falcon because I consider these photos to be rather spectacular.

Along with today’s image (shown to the right), John replied that he’s just using his iPhone. Good Golly Miss Molly, the lenses and sensors in iPhones sure are getting good these days (I wonder if they are using Panomorph ultra-wide-angle lenses and de-warping software from Immervision?).

Regarding today’s offering, John commented: “So, progress. In the top left we now have a fuel inlet valve (I’m guessing that’s what it is), a seating area in the bottom right, and some work on the front.”

I immediately responded: “Fuel inlet valve? You poor deluded fool. That’s a retroistic futuristic version of a neoclassical Rockwell Retro Encabulator. Furthermore, since the Millennium Falcon had already been well driven by Episode IV, it must have been created quite a few years BBY (‘Before the Battle of Yavin’), which means they would probably be using an Encabulator Mark 4.”

It was whilst engaged in this idle email banter and reflecting on how much John likes Star Wars that I recalled this video of the folks at Hacksmith Industries creating a 4000-degree plasma lightsaber prototype. I particularly like the way the plasma column grows out of the hilt when the lightsaber is activated.

It’s also fun reading the comments to this video, like “When you don’t know how to use special effects, so you just build a lightsaber” and “I feel bad for anybody who tries to break into this guy’s house.”

If I ever win the lottery, I’ll purchase one of these bodacious beauties for John as a present. I bet this would make him the envy of all his neighbors if he were to run through the streets waving it around (even better if he were riding a unicycle like Darth Vader). Ooh… Ooh, speaking of Darth Vader, and remembering that John’s Millennium Falcon is made out of LEGO, I just recalled the classic Darth Vader in the Death Star Canteen sketch by Eddie Izzard.

If you are interested in learning more, there are videos galore on the Hacksmith Industries YouTube Channel. I would waffle further, but at the moment I’m running around juggling more balls and performing more tasks than Hans Klock (The World’s Fastest Illusionist).

I feel a bit like Hans’s assistant around time 2:55 (not that I’m trying to influence you or tempt you to watch this video in any way — just by looking at you, anyone could see that you are far too clever and sophisticated to allow such a clumsy and contrived trick to sway your iron will).

In closing, I’m not sure if I would actually like one of the plasma lightsaber prototypes from Hacksmith Industries myself, because I know the sort of damage I could cause with it (I’ve never really been the same since… the incident). On the other hand, I would love to have a real lightsaber should one ever trip through a timeslip or take a tumble through a wormhole. How about you? If someone were to proffer a plasma lightsaber prototype, would you say “Yay” or “Nay”?