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Laser Features 2005 p1:

• Keeping pace with optical communications at OFC/NFOEC 2006
  OFC/NFOEC continues to be the "must-attend" event for experts in the field of optical communications. The bubble may have burst, but the technology that spilled out is gaining momentum as optical fiber creeps closer to home.
• Fiber lasers ride high on telecom's wake
  While the telecommunications boom resulted in an exodus of talent from that industry, its demise has helped fuel commercialization of the fiber laser.
• Very high-peak-power lasers catch up with reality
  Development of terawatt lasers continues as performance improves in terms of pulse duration, energy, peak power, and repetition rate. High-performance terawatt lasers are now commercially available with increased levels of reliability and user friendliness.
• Are laser pointers really a hazard?
  Distracting, ground-based cockpit illumination in the vicinity of airports is not new or even specifically related to lasers. David Sliney of the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine discusses the recent flurry of reports by aviator crews being "blinded" by visible green laser beams and speculation these reports have led to possible security issues related to the laser pointers.