New Material For Fast-Change Sunglasses, Data Storage

sciencehabit writes "'Researchers have developed a material that almost instantaneously (30 ms) changes from clear to dark blue when exposed to ultraviolet light, and it just as quickly reverts to clear when the light is turned off. The new material, one of a class called photochromics, could be useful in optical data storage as well as in super-fancy sunglasses.'" A comment to the article notes some of the potential dangers of quick-change sunglasses.

Re:Something missing?

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Of course there might be missing data from the article, but they should explain a bit more.

That part was written in photochromic ink, you need to get a copy of the original publication and expose it to UV light in order to find out those details.

So when I turn out the lights...

[macraig]

... I'm simultaneously deleting my entire terabyte of porn!? Noooooo!

Obligatory Douglas Adams reference...

[LordAlced]

But does it turn dark in the presence of danger?

Re:epileptics-need-not-apply. Why not?

[maroberts]

Not to mention waking up in the morning and turning round to face the hideously ugly person you picked up at the bar the previous night.....

Re:epileptics-need-not-apply. Why not?

[value_added]

Not to mention waking up in the morning and turning round to face the hideously ugly person you picked up at the bar the previous night.....

Your sister isn't that ugly.

Re:epileptics-need-not-apply. Why not?

[Trouvist]

Yes, she is.

Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses

[Anonymous Coward]

So with a little work, we can finally have the Peril-sensitive sunglasses of Zaphod's fame.
Sign me up for a set.

Re:Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses

[PixetaledPikachu]

perl-sensitive sunglasses? sweet!

Re:Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses

[Anonymous Coward]

Those would be useful too, and actually a lot more feasible with current technology. Just add a camera, a microprocessor running OCR, and a perl parser -- and turn the glasses opaque the moment the parser finds legal perl code. This could save millions of young programmers from brain damage. The only problem is to create software that can distinguish between perl code and random OCR errors.

Re:Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses

[1u3hr]

I'd prefer ones that filtered out COBOL or FORTRAN myself.

Re:The eye adapts slowly

[swillden]

Although, since I always end up losing the sunglasses part within a year, I'm considering just lashing out and getting prescription sunglasses.

Been there, done that. I lost the prescription sunglasses. Three times. I decided that I just have to squint.