

Transparent Aluminum - 127001brewer
http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/17/transparent-aluminum/

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gus_massa
The title is a little misleading.

This material is not _metallic_ transparent aluminum. It is a transparent
aluminum _ceramic_.

A lot of ceramics are made (in part) of aluminum. I think that this is
interesting because it's transparent.

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starwed
It's phrased that way because of the Star Trek IV reference.

I think it comes up in the same scene where Scotty is flustered because the
1980's computer doesn't respond to voice commands...

~~~
redthrowaway
"Use the mouse."

 _Scotty picks up mouse, speaks to it_

"Hello computer..."

From the comments, it seems not many people got the reference. That's a shame,
as it means people are either not a fan of Star trek (blasphemy), or are not
old enough to get the reference, which makes me feel antiquated.

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ximeng
That other engineering news source "The Daily Mail" has a non-blacked out
article on this.

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2088257/Star-...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2088257/Star-
Trek-really-IS-good-guide-future--Scientists-able-produce-transparent-
aluminium.html)

~~~
lotharbot
Non-blacked out wikipedia entry:

<http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride>

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twelvechairs
Key sentence: "successfully resists a huge, powerful .50 AP bullet that
smashes easily through more than twice that thickness of conventional
laminated glass armor"

So in reality this is a modest improvement (2x) over existing laminated glass
armour for use where both thickness and resistance are critical (ie. probably
for specialist military applications only)

~~~
jonhendry
How do their weights compare?

If the new stuff is the same weight by volume as conventional laminated glass,
then you'd have a 50% weight savings.

If the new stuff is thinner, and lighter, then it'd be useful for applications
where the current glass is too thick and/or heavy.

Also, in applications like secure windows for bank tellers and such, something
thinner would probably be better aesthetically. When you're dealing with
someone behind a thick sheet of glass, it puts a different tone on the
interaction.

~~~
aidenn0
Alon is ~3.7g/cc which is about twice what ordinary glass weighs. Not sure how
it compares to laminated glass. They probably use a denser glass than I'm used
to for armored glass, but it's layered with other, presumably less-dense
material.

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rplnt
Blacked out. This SOPA thing could be really bad.

~~~
billswift
Those sites that are completely blacked out, like makezine and Wikipedia, are
doing exactly what many accuse DRM of doing. Annoying their users while
producing no real benefit. Google's and HN's methods are better.

ADDED: Most of them don't particularly matter to me, I rarely use Wikipedia,
for example. The one that has annoyed me is the Internet Archive blackout -
www.archive.org

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slmbrhrt

      McCoy: You know, if we give him the formula, we'll be altering the future.
      Scotty: Why? how do you know he didn't invent the thing!

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powertower
The Presidential limo is rumored to have its windows made out of this stuff.

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dspillett
I has also been used to build a tank for transporting humpback whales between
the 20th and the 23rd centuries.

~~~
bdg
I heard it was designed with a manual interface as well. How quaint.

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mindhunter
So this is what the next macbook pro will be made of?

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pavel_lishin
Only if a significant number of people show up at the Genius Bar with bullet-
riddled macbooks.

~~~
ben1040
Here's one to start you off.

[http://www.tomshardware.com/news/macbook-gun-shot-israel-
sec...](http://www.tomshardware.com/news/macbook-gun-shot-israel-
security,9269.html)

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kingkawn
remind me to try reading this tomorrow

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RBerenguel
I was expecting some Star Trek reference in the comments. Seriously, nobody?
Everyone blackened their geekdom to fight SOPA?

~~~
Ctech237
That was the first comment I was gonna write when I saw the title, but you
beat me to it.

