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The Amazing Properties of Aerogel

RideMax writes "We all know NASA is using a substance called 'aerogel' in the Stardust spacecraft to catch pieces of the Wild-2 comet. The NYT is running an article about some other amazing aerogel properties. My favorite quote: 'It's the lowest density of any solid, and it has the highest thermoinsulation properties. Though it would be very expensive, you could take a two- or three-bedroom house, insulate it with aerogel, and you could heat the house with a candle. But eventually the house would become too hot.'" We've looked at Aerogel before.

16 of 556 comments (clear)

  1. Gay / Not Gay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I saw an episode of the Jerry Springer show and the topic was "Transvestites and the Men Who Love Them." And the guy was on with his "girlfriend" and he was saying "to me, this is a beautiful woman. She's got a perfect body, beautiful blonde hair, everything. I love her, and I love making love to her. Now I ask you, does that make me gay?" Most of the audience thought so, and so did I, but it got me thinking about what is and isn't gay.

    Discussing sex with a guy is gay. Discussing sex with a woman is straight. Even telling a woman "sometimes I wonder what it would be like to suck a cock" is straight.

    Sports are gay, especially contact sports unless you're the only guy on both teams, in which case it's straight.

    Gyms are always gay, cause afterwards in the locker room you're showering with guys and that is gay.

    Watching pornography alone is neutral, like eating a sandwich. It's neither straight nor gay. Watching pornos with one or more other guys in the room, no matter how many other women are also in the room, is gay. Watching porn, even gay porn, with one or more women only is straight.

    Here's an interesting one: kissing a gay guy on the cheek or letting him kiss you on the cheek is neutral, as long as the guy is out of the closet. Hugging and/or kissing a straight guy is gay.

    See, look, I know I'm homophobic, but not about gay guys. They don't bother me at all. It's straight guys who don't know they're gay. They fuck my shit right up.

    Like a guy calls me up and says "a bunch of us guys are gonna sit around in our underwear and watch the football game and drink beer and eat chips and you know, maybe wrestle with eachother a little, you know, just us guys. Do you wanna come over?" and I'm like, "no."

    If you've got a guy sucking your dick even if he's dressed like a woman and even if he's got
    the best breast implants you've ever seen, even if you're saying "suck it, bitch. I know you like it you slut, you whore," that's gay.

    Conversely, if a woman straps on a dildo and you're dressed like a woman and you're sucking her cock and she's saying "you like it, don't you? You like sucking my dick you little fucking faggot" and then she rolls you over and fucks you in the ass and says "you love it, you little pussy boy, you love getting fucked in the ass, I'll bet you wish I was a man, I'll bet you with this was a real cock you fucking faggot" and you're getting off on this like you've never gotten off before, that's still straight.

    But then, if you go off to the bar and discuss this or any other sexual experience with other guys, that's gay.

    Here's the most interesting one: sucking a guy's cock can, under certain rare circumstances, be straight. Let's say you've gotten into a betting game with a woman and the bet is whoever loses has to be the other one's sex slave for the night, the kind of thing that happens in Penthouse Forum all the time, and you lose and the woman makes you have sex with another guy. That's not gay.

    I don't know exactly why, but it's not.

    1. Re:Gay / Not Gay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      I saw an episode of the Jerry Springer show and the topic was "Transvestites and the Men Who Love Them."

      And to think, that's time gone from your life you could have spent doing something else... Gone for all eternity.

      And the guy was on with his "girlfriend" and he was saying "to me, this is a beautiful woman. She's got a perfect body, beautiful blonde hair, everything. I love her, and I love making love to her. Now I ask you, does that make me gay?" Most of the audience thought so, and so did I, but it got me thinking about what is and isn't gay.

      Yup, that's gay. A guy who loves another guy, regardless of clothes, is gay. If the guy had an operation and became female, that would have been different.

      Discussing sex with a guy is gay.

      Asking a guy for sex is gay. Talking to a guy about your lack of a sex life or how many times you jerked off the Paris Hilton video isn't gay, it's company for your misery. The stigma that guys can't talk to other guys about their sex life (or lack thereof) is really starting to die off... It's pretty well accepted that one can still be a heterosexual male and talk about his sex/masturbation life with his friends.

      Discussing sex with a woman is straight.

      HAVING sex with a woman is straight. Gay men discuss sex with women. If you have a girlfriend and it's all talkie no nookie, maybe you need to stick your d*ck in her mouth and solve that little talking problem.

      Even telling a woman "sometimes I wonder what it would be like to suck a cock" is straight.

      No, that's bi-curiousity. I really have to wonder if you've done this and gotten slapped. Most women don't like it if you start telling them you'd be more pleased if they had a big ol' member you could bury in your slobber hole.

      Sports are gay, especially contact sports unless you're the only guy on both teams, in which case it's straight. Gyms are always gay, cause afterwards in the locker room you're showering with guys and that is gay.

      This is one of those things where if you look hard enough at something, your mind warps it into what you're TRYING to see. Just like those southern baptists keep seeing pr0n in Disney movies, gays and bi-curious people keep seeing homo-eroticism in things that are perfectly hetero. Read any movie review done by a gay reviewer and he's sure to go into how he felt there was sexual tension between two male characters or some such nonsence. Sorry homos, the guy grabbing the other guy on the field is trying to do everything he can to WIN THE GAME, not feel up the other guy. If he wanted to grab at guys, he'd go to a gay bar with the rest of the queers, it's much simpler than becoming a professional athelete, don't ya think?

      Watching pornography alone is neutral, like eating a sandwich. It's neither straight nor gay. Watching pornos with one or more other guys in the room, no matter how many other women are also in the room, is gay. Watching porn, even gay porn, with one or more women only is straight.

      Watching straight porn by yourself is straight, watching gay porn by yourself is gay. Duh.

      Watching straight porn with other guys, albeit not a gay activity, is a waste of time because jerking off in front of guys is gay. Sometimes watching porn with other guys can't be avoided and generally the best way to handle this is a staggered bathroom break schedule so each person gets to "relieve" himself in private, by himself.

      Now, if you're with a girl and she wants to watch gay porn... While it sucks, you have to be an understanding boyfriend and abide by her wishes. Keep eye contact on your girlfriend at all times and do not watch the video. If YOU suggested watching a gay porn and you're actively looking at the TV, sorry - you're gay.

      Here's an interesting one: kissing a gay guy on the cheek or letting him kiss you on the cheek is neutral, as long as the guy is out of the closet.

    2. Re:Gay / Not Gay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      I think this is the most interesting thread here in ages. Is that gay?

  2. YOU FAIL IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Person who fucks his mother.

    1. Re:YOU FAIL IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      In Sovi3t Russ1a, it fails YOU!

  3. In SOVIET RUSSIA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    In SOVIET RUSSIA, the insulated house heats YOU with a candle.

    1. Re:In SOVIET RUSSIA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      OK come on, I know the joke is old, but that WAS pretty funny.

  4. what happens when it gets too hot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    does it end up like a bad 80's movie?

  5. Pay up your SCO $699 license fees! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Alright NASA, it's time for you to pay up your SCO $699 license fees, you crack-smoking airheads. Sorry everyone, I feel like trolling as an AC right now.

  6. Re:Amazing stuff... by quantumparadox · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This isn't a free advertising forum, please take your advertisments elsewhere and keep on topic.

  7. NY Times? by skinfitz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Is it me, or is this the first NYT article that we have not had to register for?

    Perhaps they realised that on certain days their database gets populated with about 50,000 Mr F*ck You's with an email address of abuse@nytimes.com.

  8. Re:Amazing stuff... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    (Actually, it is on topic. The book includes a story about the origin. Sorry I didn't spell it out.)

  9. Re:the db tool, a powerful alley in jihad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Are we allowed to use the database even if we aren't overweight pasty flaming faggots (unlike the anti-slash founders)?

  10. Re:Amazing stuff... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    It has nothing to do with aerogel.
    It has nothing to do with aerogel.

    It is off-topic.

    You are a cheap bastard for spamming an internet forums, and according to the Anti-Spam act, Anyone here can sue you for posting as an anonymous coward.

  11. Re:the db tool, a powerful alley in jihad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Any post found to be created from the anti-slash.org database will/should cause this information to be posted in reply. If John Marriott wants people to steal posts to karma whore... then we should reward him for it.

    John Marriott - marriott@uiuc.edu

    pretty_name: john marriott
    email: marriott@students.uiuc.edu
    curriculum: las4 curriculum_detail: senior, mathematics and computer science
    phone: (217) 469-7080

    address: 506 e sherman st
    st. joseph, il 61873

    title: student employee
    Department: computer science

    www: http://www.ackbar.org/
    http://www.students.uiuc.e du/~marriott
    birthday: 11/26/1980
    high_school: shermer
    type: person phone student ews extramural

    domain: ANTI-SLASH.ORG

    owner-address: John Marriott
    owner-address: 506 E Sherman St
    owner-address: 61873
    owner-address: St. Joseph
    owner-address: Illinois
    owner-address: United States of America
    admin-c: JM963-GANDI
    tech-c: JM963-GANDI
    bill-c: JM963-GANDI

  12. My girl... by peu · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    can take 3 times it's weight, but not without a hiss...