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'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

bbc.com

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Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#231

Post by meristohm »

FredPret wrote: post #120

"We did a very rough calculation," said Prof Ruan. "And we estimate we would only need to paint 1% of the Earth's surface with this paint - perhaps an area where no people live that is covered in rocks - and that could help fight the climate change trend." LMAO me I love living in the future. This sentence could’ve been lifted from the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Yeah, 1% is only a little more than five million square kilometers of painted surface, nevermind the ecological impact of making and applying and drying and maintaining that much paint. Some percentage of the “useless third”[1] could be enticed to the task.

[1] Golgafrincham: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/golgafrincham.s...

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#232

Post by simplecto »

cyberlab wrote: post #4

Someone needs to compile a list of all this fringe tech that I see popping up in my feeds, almost daily now. I know there are techpress blogs that pump out articles like this, but there doesn't seem to be an authoritative compendium of such tech anywhere on the net. I could curate this by hand with 3 hours of free time and some Red Bull I suppose. The reason I want this is because we seem to be swimming in innovation…

hey @cyberlab, how can I get in touch with you? I've got something that might be a fit to your 3-hour challenge.

If you see this then you can reach me (in profile)

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#233

Post by SergeAx »

trhway wrote: post #185
quickthrowman wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need machine tools capable of tight tolerances and quality metals/alloys to make useable (for work) steam engines. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Abbasid, Persians, Europeans, etc all lacked these, thus no usable steam engines in antiquity/Middle Ages. Usable engines followed consistent quality metal production and machine tools pretty closely, it’s not like older people were just stupid, they didn’t have the tec…

Romans had copper and that would be enough to run the Empire using the telegraph. They just didn't know about the electricity and how to make a voltaic pile in particular even though they had the sufficient technology.

You would need pure zink (obtained in ~1750) and pure acid to implement voltac pile. You would need copper wire to implement telegraph.

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#235

Post by korethr »

clairity wrote: post #220
korethr wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big box stores employees at the paint counter seem as ignorant as a novice about the vagaries of application most likely because they themselves are novices. They may know quite a bit about colors and matching and how to work the mixing machines, but they probably don't have much more experience painting than the average homeowner. That knowledge comes more from doing, whether its a handful of projects as a homeo…

yes, there's no experience or incentive for better knowledge in big box stores unfortunately. i've moved on to buying from a local paint specialty store, which is owned by a family that i believe is/was in the construction/painting business. they cater mainly to contractors but also sell to the wider public. oh, and yeah, paint and primer in one does neither job very well.

As someone who's painted professionally, I can confirm the truth of this.

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#236

Post by trhway »

SergeAx wrote: post #233
trhway wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Romans had copper and that would be enough to run the Empire using the telegraph. They just didn't know about the electricity and how to make a voltaic pile in particular even though they had the sufficient technology.

You would need pure zink (obtained in ~1750) and pure acid to implement voltac pile. You would need copper wire to implement telegraph.

you don't need pure acid. Vinegar of high concentration would do great.

>You would need pure zink (obtained in ~1750)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_metallurgy#Types_of_meta...

"By the height of the Roman Empire, metals in use included: silver, zinc, iron, mercury, arsenic, antimony, lead, gold, copper, tin"

>You would need copper wire to implement telegraph

copper is very pliable, so it is easy to make wires.

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#237

Post by fennecfoxen »

walrus01 wrote: post #35
dejj wrote: post #2

Also: Black 3.0, the purchasable variant of Vantablack For sale at: https://www.culturehustleusa.com/

see also, color manufacturers that will sell to anybody who ISN'T Anish Kapoor https://www.dezeen.com/2017/07/07/anish-kapoor-banned-from-u...

Are there unauthorized NFTs of Anish’s Vantablack works? It seems like it would be appropriate.

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#238

Post by FredPret »

macleginn wrote: post #228
samatman wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a conventional response with a lot of merit to it. But then I watch Clickspring recreating the Antikythera mechanism, and I wonder. Yes, there is a big leap between what is effectively clockwork and, say, making a pressure boiler. But I wonder: if Francis Bacon had been a student of Euclid and derived the scientific method in 3rd century BC Alexandria, and Rome had been better governed, devoting more energy to…

As one of my uni professors said, if the Persians had not annihilated Miletus, the humanity would've walked on the Moon much sooner.

Really shows the value of protecting an enlightened state with a strong military.

Science = long-term benefit, military = survival right now.

I remember playing Master of Orion 2 with a pure science focus and getting my ass whipped every time.

Then I realised that a good long term strategy needs to work around a good short-term strategy which enjoys priority. I switched to population and production focused games, and suddenly the “Impossible” AI was too easy.

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#239

Post by FredPret »

meristohm wrote: post #231
FredPret wrote: post #120

"We did a very rough calculation," said Prof Ruan. "And we estimate we would only need to paint 1% of the Earth's surface with this paint - perhaps an area where no people live that is covered in rocks - and that could help fight the climate change trend." LMAO me I love living in the future. This sentence could’ve been lifted from the Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Yeah, 1% is only a little more than five million square kilometers of painted surface, nevermind the ecological impact of making and applying and drying and maintaining that much paint. Some percentage of the “useless third”[1] could be enticed to the task. [1] Golgafrincham: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/golgafrincham.s...

Make it a requirement that every MBA graduate paints a square kilometer, hahaha

Re: 'Whitest ever' paint reflects 98% of sunlight

#240

Post by spiritplumber »

legulere wrote: post #218
spiritplumber wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Finding a commercial use for polar bear fur is awesome, actually. It would ensure that polar bears never go extinct.

Like how elephants were greatly reduced in numbers to make billiard balls?

I'm more thinking like cows
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