This thing nearly makes a sidearm seem peaceful. Taser International, which recently granted conspiracy theorists license to suspect a machine revolution after announcing a partnership with iRobot, just released a powerful new product, the C2 stun gun.

Though it looks like an electric razor, the C2 spits out 50,000 volts, and can incapacitate its target for 30 seconds. It works from 15 feet away, but just in case its customers want to be really precise, Taser has equipped it with a laser sight, too. Hit 'em where it counts, ladies.

Taser has had a civilian version of the gun out on the market for a while, but this one is small enough to fit in a purse - a fact that the company hopes will make it more popular with women. Several police organizations have protested, noting that officers who use the stun guns are trained to do so, while regular customers can just buy one and go. Hopefully they don't stack them next to the Norelco razors on store shelves. That would be a serious mix-up.—Gregory Mone

Via Reuters

Conspiracy theorists, beware: That aluminum foil beanie-headwear believed, since at least the 1950s, to stop brain-control rays-may make it easier for The Man to read your mind, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad students. Inspired by fringe beliefs that invasive radio signals can probe citizens´ thoughts and that wearing foil on your head may fend them off, an experiment by four Ph.D. candidates found that certain key frequencies-owned by the Feds, naturally-are actually enhanced by such â€protection.â€