Transparent Aluminum Is "New State of Matter" 406
Professor_Quail writes with this interesting excerpt: "Oxford scientists have created a transparent form of aluminum by bombarding the metal with the world's most powerful soft X-ray laser. 'Transparent aluminum' previously only existed in science fiction, featuring in the movie Star Trek IV, but the real material is an exotic new state of matter with implications for planetary science and nuclear fusion."
This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
This is a great breakthrough. This means that we can now wear full face tinfoil hats for even more protection without risking to bump into something anymore. Thanks that tinfoil hats are actually made of aluminum nowadays ! ;-))
Imagine the progress for this brave user:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JVVaXmiE24g/RuYklvXfUqI/AAAAAAAAFDo/ES8XpC4bcbg/s400/tinfoil2.bmp [blogspot.com]
Tinfoil hats are made of aluminum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_foil_hat [wikipedia.org]
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:4, Funny)
Frankly (Score:5, Funny)
I just can't see it.
I must say... (Score:2, Funny)
Thats a whale of a claim.
Oxford (Score:4, Funny)
Since the researchers are at Oxford, shouldn't the new material be "Aluminium"?
How many times... (Score:2, Funny)
Have you wondered if that soda can over there is empty or full?
Adjectives and YOU! (Score:5, Funny)
world's most powerful soft X-ray laser.
Really, unless you're talking about bathroom tissue, you really shouldn't use the term "World's most powerful" and "Soft" together.
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
A "keyboard"... how quaint.
Re:Doesn't look that way. (Score:4, Funny)
As long as you can see whales through it, that's really all we need. Don't over-engineer things so much.
Re:No, they didn't make transparent aluminum. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
Tin foil hats are made from tin foil. If you're using aluminum foil, you're making an aluminum foil hat.
Incidentally, aluminum is not very effective at blocking the government's mind control rays. Why do you think they replaced tin foil with aluminum foil? Luckily I stocked up decades ago, but anyone who thinks aluminum foil will protect them is playing right into the government's hands.
Posting anonymously for obvious reasons.
Re:How many times... (Score:3, Funny)
Have you wondered if that soda can over there is empty or full?
Or has a cigarette butt in it?
Star Trek fans will not be pleased (Score:2, Funny)
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
Cat's Cradle (Score:3, Funny)
Sounds cool, just as long as we don't accidentally create ice-nine while making these "new states of matter".
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:4, Funny)
But can we be sure that this is the guy who actually invented it?
I know what you mean! I invented the time machine, then it turns out my wife had already patented it a year earlier! Guess that means she's going to find out I've been tapping her sister...
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:1, Funny)
A "keyboard"... how quaint.
"Hello, Computer......."
Missing an important point. (Score:4, Funny)
To say nothing of whale transport.
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:3, Funny)
I mean, don't they still teach Assembly, COBOL and basic tube processor design in the good schools even though we've gone way past these "quaint" technologies?
Re:No, they didn't make transparent aluminum. (Score:3, Funny)
BBQ implications (Score:3, Funny)
I can now see what the status of my tinfoil wrapped dinner is without unwrapping it for a status check!
Hallelujah!
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
I saw this at New Scientist [newscientist.com] yesterday and almost submitted it, until I actually read the article.
Oh you newbies, reading articles before submitting them.
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:4, Funny)
Guess that means she's going to find out I've been tapping her sister...
Only after you find out that her sister is also your own great-grandmother.
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
So, you're saying that NEITHER tin nor aluminum is effective?!?
That's right. The only thing you can do is spend a year building up an immunity to government mind control rays.
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:3, Funny)
We've just tangented from one meme to another so seamlessly it's almost INCONCEIVABLE!
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:2, Funny)
I don't think that word means what you think it means
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:4, Funny)
But can ye tell the young'uns about that nowadays? Noooo...
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:5, Funny)
A "keyboard"... how quaint.
So why was he so good with it? Punch cards are quaint from my perspective but I wouldn't know where to start with them. Is he also proficient with using a morse code transmitter?
Because he's Scotty. He's bad ass!
Don't you watch the show?
P.S., yes, he is proficient in morse code. Even lowly captain picard knows how to write long instructions in binary! :D
And we all know the engineers know waaaay more than the officers, in any time period
(Two more stamps on my geek card and I get a free sandwich!)
Re:This is a great breakthrough... (Score:1, Funny)
...because perhaps Scotty was a true engineer?
Just because they are 'out-dated', whatever that means...
I'm using a netbook to post this, from Japan. But I still know how to use an abacus, as well as a calculator.
I can program in assembly, though I usually code in Python, C, etc.
And yes, I did learn programming on a keypunch machine in high school, circa 1972. :-) ROTFL
And yes, I know how ALL digital technology works, on a binary level, thanks to being introduced to assembly coding in 1972. Assembly line statements typed into a keypunch machine. Then card deck sent to university main frame by mail (PCs hadn't been invented yet! :-)). Received printout (usually full of errors :-)) about a week later. Repeat ad nosium. My first 'high level' programming language was Fortran. Haven't touched it much lately...:-)
Jeez, young'uns these days. Just because they walk around with a netbook and an ipod, they think they have a clue. Ask any of them about the binary code actually being run on these devices and you'll get a blank look.
Obviously, not 'Scotty' level material, these younguns...no doubt most younguns these days would either not be accepted, or flunk out of Star Fleet Academy...:-)
Now get off my lawn.