I’ve been listening to GWC for a while, bit just now decided to join the forum.
The reason I had to join is this… Transparent Aluminum is Real!
check it out at the How Stuff Works site:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transparent-aluminum-armor.htm
I just re-watched Star Trek IV, it is really cool to see sci-fi becoming sci-fact.
That is so cool! Welcome aboard Bowler.
Yet another awesome first post. Welcome aboard, bowler.
Yeah, when I saw this on the HSW website a few months back, I was totally psyched. I couldn’t help but blurt out “SHENANIGANS!” when I read the full article. It’s actually not transparent aluminum in the Trekian sense (i.e. a transparent aluminum alloy). It’s just a ceramic material, AlON, that happens to contain some aluminum. They could have just as easily and accurately called it “Transparent Oxygen Armor,” which would actually be pretty funny.
Regardless, it’s still a fairly awesome bit of materials science. I totally want to start working with it.
Also, just because I love to point this out to Trekkies ( 
), the concept of transparent aluminum is actually first suggested in the original BSG series. That reference to it predates any in Star Trek by five years or so, if I recall.
Oh crap, the observation dome! I forgot that.
Hmm, by analogy, the make-out room’s window in the current series would probably be the same material.
My first call to the podcast was about Transparent Aluminum. I believe the Three were trying to figure out what kind of material could contain champagne in those thin, tiny bottles at the end of the “The Hand of God.” I called in with a helpful suggestion, boosted by a Scotty quote from ST:IV.
this is worthy mention in the Toolman Podcast 