High powered laser from a dvd burner

I really don't know if I want to do this or not... but I found several sites talking about how to salvage the laser from a dvd burner and use it as a VERY high powered handheld laser. (i.e. "light that candle" kind of power....) Don't get me wrong, I would like to be able to start the campfire from 10 paces just like anybody else would... in fact that would be VERY cool.... but the whole "instant blindness" thing kind of slows my eagerness down a bit. (Plus maybe the "is that skin burning?" thought that comes along there too...) You see I've got a 6 year old in the house (and another due in February... well - he won't be six but... ) I know how much my 6 year old likes to get his hands my combo flashlight/laserpointer that I carry with me all the time and in fact when it was first given to me at Christmas (my brothers got identical ones), he was very quick to scarf one up that was within reach and start playing with it. Now we've had talks about being careful, not pointint it at someone else's eyes, not looking into it, etc... but he's not at an age where that really clicks... so if I build one of these I'll need to lock it away in a gun cabinet.... And really ANYBODY that makes one of these OUGHT to treat it with the same respect as a loaded weapon. (No you're not going to kill anyone, but blinded for life would not be fun....) Treat them responsibly. Links below the fold.

Once again, SERIOUSLY, you couldn't flinch in time to prevent blindness, be careful and treat these with GREAT care.

Here's one article, here's a howto at instructables, here's a place selling laser modules (the assembly from one of these might be suitable for the hack.) and here's another link to a laser assembly.