I never heard of this before which means John Walker has and can tell me the patent number from memory. H/T to Instapundit.
The new black is Vantablack. It is “the darkest substance ever made”. It is not 100% but it comes mighty close.
Ultra low reflectance: Vantablack absorbs 99.965% of light (750nm wavelength)
At the link it has a few video to show its properties. At that absorption of light, 3D images look 2D. The wrinkles look flat on a crinkly piece of foil when the back side is cover in the stuff. Also the page says “lasers don’t reflect” off the stuff.
Besides Mike LaRoche getting his new black book in Vantablack what other usages are there?



Heck, Dime, E.E. “Doc” Smith had this in the 1940s for the secret speedsters of the Galactic Patrol. It came in mighty handy against the evil Boskone.
Now where are the tractor beams?
TKC, your words are more fiction than light.
Why are you asking me about tractor beams? Why not ask George Takei or Bill Shatner?
They both said to ask you. Takei threw in an “Oh My!”
https://youtu.be/6nSKkwzwdW4
Vanna White, Vanta Black. Coincidence? I think not.
Vald, are you putting yourself in Jeopardy by asking?
I’d like to buy a vowel, but first I need to get a clue. (I wonder how Jeopardy works in Hebrew: I’d like to buy a vowel please. Sorry, no vowels, how bout a nice knish.)
Jeopardy would work fine. Wheel of Fortune would have trouble. Do they have Wheel of Fortune in Israel?
I’ll take ‘AEIOU’ for 200 Shekels, Alex.
Alex: It looks like an uppercase T but it is pronounce like an “a”.
Vald: What is pataḥ?
[fail sound]
10: What is qamatz?
Alex: Correct!!!
10: ‘AEIOU’ for 500 Shekels, Alex.
Vlad: The ‘F-word’ for 800 please, Alex. (!!! THE DAILY DOUBLE !!!)
Alex: Apparently, this was the Obama Administration’s preferred recipe for conflict resolution in the Middle East
Vdal: What is flambé?
Axel: Yesss.
Curses. Vlad always gets the DAILY DOUBLE. (I thought the answer was “What is flimflam fricassee?”)
This may be what Dime is looking for:
http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=09334167
Some company in Cleveland is trying to register the term as a trademark for nail polish, etc. Is that an oxymoron?
Word Mark: VANTABLACK
Goods and Services: IC 003 Nail enamels; Nail polish; Nail polish base coat; Nail polish top coat; Nail varnish.
FIRST USE: 20161205
FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20161205
Serial Number 87297812
Filing Date January 11, 2017
Owner (APPLICANT) Starrily, Inc. CORPORATION OHIO 17830 Englewood Dr. STE 1 Cleveland OHIO 44130
“Some company in Cleveland is trying to register the term as a trademark for nail polish, etc. Is that an oxymoron?”
Oh my goodness no; Goth never fails to rear its unattractive presence in the fashion world. So here’s how it goes:
Black clothing on blonde girls looks great. Always a nice contrast.
Fingernails: Natural is always more attractive; French or even a solid, understated red. NO tacky acrylics and always go short.
Eye-liner: I do enjoy a liquid “cat eye” occasionally but one needs a steady hand to make it a subtle statement. None of that three-shades of dark eyeshadow, but a thin false lash can look outstanding. (Not that I know how put those damn things on.)
So black works as in the “little black dress,” the black pump, the eyelashes and liner, but don’t forget to put on the red lipstick! :)
“So black works as in the “little black dress,” the black pump, the eyelashes and liner, but don’t forget to put on the red lipstick! :)”
Are you saying you would find me more attractive if that was really ever possible with some lipstick? Isn’t my ‘stache enough?
Dime, if you were wearing any of the above mentioned in your first paragraph, I might not be able to be your friend. Seriously.
I. Don’t. Get. Crossdressing. Never will.
There. I admitted it to the world so now I can maintain my stellar reputation as the hopelessly intolerant one. :)
However, I would expect Mikey to have nothing BUT a Vantablack little address book. Warren Beatty would be sooo jealous.
My vantablack little address book fits perfectly in the inner pocket of my vantablack leather Texas Tech jacket. ;-)
I may have to visit the ophthamologist tomorrow because my eyes have literally rolled into the back of my head now.
But I have always had a certain fondness for the braggadocious. :))
Haha! We Texans do know how to brag.
I tried to wear false eyelashes, but my eyes looked like two tarantulas.
It’s hard and I have long fingernails to boot!
“It is so you, Right Angles!!!”
Dime, that was cruel to tantalize me with a headline I was so excited to talk about (fashion of course).
In my world I have rolled my eyes everytime I hear:
“Brown” is the new black.
“Navy” is the new black.
“Grey” is the new black.
Sigh. I thought you were different and truly understood that nothing is the “new black” but black.
“Sigh. I thought you were different and truly understood that nothing is the “new black” but black.”
I did write the “New Black is Black”. How did I go wrong?
I am hardly a fashion Nazi but I DO understand black in clothes. I often dress all black – kind of adds to the intimidating image. Pinstripe for men, basically in black, also works.
Lots of muscle cars are black, complete with black wheels. NOW, if this stuff doesn’t reflect radar or laser, it just MIGHT be THE. colour for a truly fast car. I love my Burgundy car, but my hotrod in this black, blasting past the snark sheriff’s deputy whose radar shows NOTHING – THAT just might be worth the price of admission.
You can’t go wrong with basic black, that’s what my mom always said.
How about sophisticated white with panache and ‘stache?
Only with a tan after Memorial Day! (I do like the neutrals so you were not too far off here Dime-san.
@ Dev and RA; all is right with the world now. Thanks for those comments. :)
@Devereaux, My guess is that, if you painted your car with this, the nanotubes and the spaces between them would quickly fill with contaminants and lose stealthiness.
So you would need a special cleaner to cleanse all the gook off.
Man, just the idea “sends tingles up my leg.”
Black leather cowboy boots make the ladies swoon.
Mike, that is confirmation bias. The true reason is your aftershave. Mike, the good stuff isn’t sold in gallon jugs.
Wait! ?How’d we get to ‘shine.
It’s Dime’s fault.
It can’t be me, Mike. I use Faultless Spray Starch.
Allow me to pontificate armchair knowledge:
Black isn’t a color. It is a term used to describe the absence of visible light.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_color
There is Additive color where all the colors come together to form white. Light is like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtractive_color
There is Subtractive color where all the colors come together to make black. Think crayons. If you use all the colors you get black.
Oh noo… Black tells a very definitive story:
1. Strength
2. Aggression
3. Sophistication
4. A clean, yet definitive backdrop especially for blondes
5. Most importantly, it sends a message: Don’t look at my clothing; look at moi. :)
OK, smarty pants. ?So how come you can see Darth Vader.
Anakin Skywalker is a blonde.
I know what a floor walker is.
I know what a street walker is.
I know what a John Walker is.
But what is a sky walker?
Believe it or not, I’m walking on air…
https://youtu.be/Yb4C7vSByMM
Katt lover!!
You didn’t mention Johnny Walker, perhaps the most important walker of them all.
Ya got me there.
(I was making a wise crack to Brent’s comment about armchair proporting wisdom.)
Black and white are generally considered colors.
However, technically speaking:
In art, white is the absence of all color and black is the presence of all color. To artists, black is considered a color, white is generally not.
In light, the opposite holds true. Black is the absence of color, and white is the presence of all color. To scientists, white is a bunch of colors, and black is not.
So the answer to this question really is, “it depends on what your perspective is”.
I wonder if there is a VantaWhite.
#VantaBlackMatters
EJHill,I didn’t see that one coming.
Color Test
It should have been blue.
Big text
It didn’t change to a larger font.