I was a bit surprised when a missile launcher came through the post this week.

  

Of course it is a toy – the postman might have balked at the idea of carrying a real one on his bicycle – let alone it being the complete IT budget blown for the next hundred years – and where to code it in the company accounts? Fixed asset perhaps?

This missile launcher arrived from McAfee and is one of an increasing number of toys that can be connected and controlled via a USB port on the computer. Batteries were included fortunately for powering movement of the base unit and once fitted three foam missiles click into position and the device can be switched on from beneath the base. A software installation on the PC completes the weaponry arsenal and the fun can begin. The device is quite responsive and it proved quite fun lining up a few of the kids teddy bears that were previously ready to enter the witness protection program. Of course being a sensible parent I waited until the kids had gone to bed before I started the offensive. I am generally not a big fan of these USB gadgets but this was quite fun for a while and after a short time I became quite adept at position the launcher electronically.

Whilst playing with this thing I felt that a cool development would be to add a webcam onto the launcher itself so the software targetting system could be used from a distance (or even remotely) and you could see exactly what you were about to unleash your wrath upon.

However, remember that even though this is a toy the missiles do move at a very fast pace so remember to play sensibly!