I can imagine someone similar forty years from now saying they want a steel cased computer instead of this carbon fiber nanotube composite ceramic mimetic polyalloy crap they have to deal with.

I'm thinking ceramic would've been a better container.

>> ^Pooterius:
Considering it's from the film "Strongest Karate", the title of "70s Kung Fu Footage" might be a bit off. Also, it may be (mostly) non-fake. Breaking boards along the grain, blocks of ice, ceramic tiles, rocks with a hammer. Smashing watermelons in mid-air. All doable stuff. Neat shuriken hukking too.


Seconded, on everything. This is definitely Karate.

Considering it's from the film "Strongest Karate", the title of "70s Kung Fu Footage" might be a bit off. Also, it may be (mostly) non-fake. Breaking boards along the grain, blocks of ice, ceramic tiles, rocks with a hammer. Smashing watermelons in mid-air. All doable stuff. Neat shuriken hukking too.

He doesn't like the noise his metal tag makes on the ceramic bowl. Or am I just stating the obvious?

If the different kinds of stones were some kind of myth, say, Unglazed ceramic tiles make much crappier pizzas than glazed ceramic stones, then, yeah, I could see an episode on it.
Huh?

we drink ours sweet and warm, from a ceramic bottle into small ceramic shot glasses. Love it!

^ I think that's also under selling the potential here. Soldiers would kill for camo that good -- something that only made their eyes visible, especially if you could at will decide to go blind in exchange for being completely invisible for a time (like when a patrol is coming by, or a helicopter is flying past, etc.)

Then think bigger, what if a tank could be completely invisible, except for a 4" x 4" pane of glass over a camera? What about a fighter jet, or an aircraft carrier?

If it's all spectra of light, even infrared and radar couldn't see the invisible part.

Have fun spotting that little piece of glass flying through the air at twice the speed of sound...

@Drachen_Jager, far be it for me to defend the Pentagon's intelligence, but you're selling the F-22 and F-35 programs short -- they're both supposed to be platforms we use for at least 50 years. They may seem like expensive overkill now, but in 2045, they'll barely seem worth the metal-ceramic composite they're made of. The F-35 program in particular is mostly an exercise in cost-savings. It's a single fighter meant to replace essentially every other fighter in the Air Force's inventory, except the F-22. It's even being designed to try to replace a portion of the RAF's fighters as well.

As for submarines, yeah, I'd have a hard time justifying any budget for a new submarine program post-Cold War. Maybe a refresh on the old designs, but an all-new terrorist-fighting submarine is definitely defense pork.

>> ^Bigboomer:
He only mentioned its capable of stopping shotgun / small arms fire... Vest's that stop rifle rounds start at 50lbs alone.



Um, no. Try 7 lbs.

One SAPI plate (small arms protective insert) - a ceramic plate weighs 7 lbs. The vest they go in is about 4-5.

I was reading Mental Floss magazine, which had an advert for Neatorama, which at that time had a widget (?) w/ VS's top 15. Watched those from Neato for a while, then I was hooked. I don't get enough mental/social stimulation living out here kinda isolated like I do... polishing the reproductions of pre-colombian psychoacoustical ceramic whistling vessels that my hubby makes, being a housewife, mommy, teacher...
I don't get out much because every time I do, I somehow always end up thinking what a boring waste it was, that I would have had much more fun if I had just stayed home. Yes, I'm working on that.
You all provide intelligent and fun social relief, but as cool as this is, I can't exactly call any of you up and have you over for dinner & a dip in the hot tub under the stars. I can't ask you to water my plants while I'm gone on a trip & so on... but I like you anyway!

2) The search might have been fully warranted.

The onus is on the officers to prove that there was reasonable cause, not on the victim to prove that there wasn't. Strip search is unnecessary in almost all situations. They can use a fucking metal detector like airports, and the chance that she'd pull a ceramic glock out of her ass is next to nil. And even if she did, the cops could defend themselves reactively instead of indulging in this preemptive oppression. Protecting her from herself can never justify a strip search.

5) This video would have seemed a LOT less dramatic had she not been screaming bloody murder the whole time.
If the cops cross a line, it's her duty to resist them.

I highly doubt that saves water

1) you have to flush the toilet in order to use the water in the sink, so if there's no dirty business in the toilet bowl, you end up wasting whatever water is in the bowl of the toilet.
2) the water continues to pour well after you've finished using the sink

And do you end up filling up the toilet tank with the dirty water from the sink? That can't be good for the ceramic (porcelain?).

Space saver? Yes. Water saver? No.

Failed some closed testing done by the US army. I think it was to do with extreme angle shots penetrating where they would just glance off ceramic plate. Anything which doesn't get specific approval is banned as an insurance type of thing.

Of course its also likely the cost scared them so they decided to avoid the sticky question of why they weren't shelling out for it, by making it seem as though it wasn't fully capable.

Testing methods and examples are a bit crap here though. Since when did terrorists carry AP rounds? And most armoured cars are only designed with taking low calibre rounds anyway. Still steel sheet is a terrible material as far as bullet resistance goes. The ceramics and kevlar composites used in modern body armour are much better.

He promises that he will stop when the bear count reaches 10,000. This morning he told me a little girl on a Sunday tour said she wanted to have collection just like him. He said to her “No you don’t; it’s exhausting.”


My uncle (no deceased) blew smoke rings for a photo. He became Captain Puff. His speedboat became “Puff.” Then he and his family bought ceramic dragons at a pottery place in North Carolina. Their den is now covered with dragon objects all because of a family joke.

Heres a few practical benefits:

TV Satellite Dish

NASA developed ways to correct errors in the signals coming from the spacecraft. This technology is used to reduce noise (that is, messed up picture or sound) in TV signals coming from satellites.

Medical Imaging

NASA developed ways to process signals from spacecraft to produce clearer images. (See more on digital information and how spacecraft send images from space.) This technology also makes possible these photo-like images of our insides.

Vision Screening System

Uses techniques developed for processing space pictures to examine eyes of children and find out quickly if they have any vision problems. The child doesn't have to say a word!

Ear Thermometer

Instead of measuring temperature using a column of mercury (which expands as it heats up), this thermometer has a lens like a camera and detects infrared energy, which we feel as heat. The warmer something is (like your body), the more infrared energy it puts out. This technology was originally developed to detect the birth of stars.

Fire Fighter Equipment

Fire fighters wear suits made of fire resistant fabric developed for use in space suits.

Smoke Detector

First used in the Earth orbiting space station called Skylab (launched back in 1973) to help detect any toxic vapors. Now used in most homes and other buildings to warn people of fire.

Sun Tiger Glasses

From research done on materials to protect the eyes of welders working on spacecraft, protective lenses were developed that block almost all the wavelengths of radiation that might harm the eyes, while letting through all the useful wavelengths that let us see.

Automobile Design Tools

A computer program developed by NASA to analyze a spacecraft or airplane design and predict how parts will perform is now used to help design automobiles. This kind of software can save car makers a lot of money by letting them see how well a design will work even before they build a prototype.

Cordless Tools

Portable, self-contained power tools were originally developed to help Apollo astronauts drill for moon samples. This technology has lead to development of such tools as the cordless vacuum cleaner, power drill, shrub trimmers, and grass shears.

Aerodynamic Bicycle Wheel

A special bike wheel uses NASA research in airfoils (wings) and design software developed for the space program. The three spokes on the wheel act like wings, making the bicycle very efficient for racing.

Thermal Gloves and Boots

These gloves and boots have heating elements that run on rechargeable batteries worn on the inside wrist of the gloves or embedded in the sole of the ski boot. This technology was adapted from a spacesuit design for the Apollo astronauts.

Space Pens

The Fisher Space Pen was developed for use in space. Most pens depend on gravity to make the ink flow into the ball point. For this space pen, the ink cartridge contains pressured gas to push the ink toward the ball point. That means, you can lie in bed and write upside down with this pen! Also, it uses a special ink that works in very hot and very cold environments.

Shock Absorbing Helmets

These special football helmets use a padding of Temper Foam, a shock absorbing material first developed for use in aircraft seats. These helmets have three times the shock absorbing ability of previous types.

Ski Boots

These ski boots use accordion-like folds, similar to the design of space suits, to allow the boot to flex without distortion, yet still give support and control for precision skiing.

Failsafe Flashlight

This flashlight uses NASA's concept of system redundancy, which is always having a backup for the parts of the spacecraft with the most important jobs. This flashlight has an extra-bright primary bulb and an independent backup system that has its own separate lithium battery (also a NASA developed technology) and its own bulb.

Invisible Braces

These teeth-straightening braces use brackets that are made of a nearly invisible translucent (almost see-through) ceramic material. This material is a spinoff of NASA's advanced ceramic research to develop new, tough materials for spacecraft and aircraft.

Edible Toothpaste

This is a special foamless toothpaste developed for the astronauts to use in space (where spitting is not a very good idea!) Although this would be a great first toothpaste for small children, it is no longer available.

Joystick Controllers

Joystick controllers are used for lots of things now, including computer games and vehicles for people with disabilities. These devices evolved from research to develop a controller for the Apollo Lunar Rover, and from other NASA research into how humans actually operate (called "human factors").

Advanced Plastics

Spacecraft and other electronics need very special, low-cost materials as the base for printed circuits (like those inside your computer). Some of these "liquid crystal polymers" have turned out to be very good, low-cost materials for making containers for foods and beverages.