Ask Dr. Notebook

By Kathleen Adams, Ann Marie Bonardi, Mitch Frank, Randy Hartwell, Benjamin Nugent, Joseph Pierro and Sora Song

Q: What ever happened to the quiet riot? Or was that just an '80s metal band?

A: Yes, there's a big push to keep riots civil. Check out the latest in crowd-control tech: beanbag guns, Spidey-style Webshots that launch Kevlar nets, PepperBall shooters and tasers that fire probes charged with a 50,000-volt shock. The heavy-duty stuff is yet to come: the U.S. military is developing a microwave gun whose beam feels like burning, and it's toying with sonic weapons that emit sound waves strong enough to knock you over or vibrate your internal organs to the point of nausea. By the way, Quiet Riot is still around; catch them touring in Mexico.