# Ar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791 "2003-02-09T00:44:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/1 "2003-02-09T00:44:32Z")
[NEW YORK - A University of Tokyo professor claims he and his research team have developed a system that can make you ‘invisible.’](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030207/ap_on_fe_st/japan_invisible_2) That’s just… not possible. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/2 "2003-02-09T00:49:41Z")
Yeah, I saw that in the news. I read this… > [@](#): > > The technology could be useful in medicine, where surgeons might use it during operations to avoid having their fingers or surgical tools block their view. …and thought “Yeah, right, like the military uses aren’t going to be first and foremost in everyone’s mind.” Be afraid. Be very afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/3 "2003-02-09T01:23:34Z")
My gut reaction is a desire to go to war with the Japanese to stop this kind of thing. Then again, it was the same thing with the Canadians for cloning. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/4 "2003-02-09T01:25:42Z")
Hey, I say we start taking bets on when this technology will go “horribly, horribly wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/5 "2003-02-09T01:51:23Z")
Someone pointed out once that an invisible person would be unable to see, as light would pass directly through their retinas (retinae?). Something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/6 "2003-02-09T02:30:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jr8 \* > \*\*Be afraid. Be very afraid. \*\* It only makes things invisible if you are wearing the optical equipment. To a person w/o the right equipment the person appears as they normally would. ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/7 "2003-02-09T03:11:03Z")
Huh? The person wearing the equipment is not invisible, but everything he looks at is? Could be fun at the beach, but I don’t know what else you could use it for. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/8 "2003-02-09T03:16:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Payne N. Diaz \* > \*\*Huh? The person wearing the equipment is not invisible, but everything he looks at is? Could be fun at the beach, but I don’t know what else you could use it for. \*\* No, one person wear a special suit, and anyone looking at him through a apecific optical device can see through the guy in the coat. Don’t see this having any military applications any time real soon, unless you’ve got really gullible enemies. “You know, the Americans may running dog yankee imperialists, but it was nice of them to give us all these free sunglasses!” ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/9 "2003-02-09T03:19:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Payne N. Diaz \* > \*\*Huh? The person wearing the equipment is not invisible, but everything he looks at is? Could be fun at the beach, but I don’t know what else you could use it for. \*\* I guess the idea would be that you could be a surgeon with special gloves on, so you hit a switch and you can ‘see’ through your hands, and see what you are doing, and then switch it off and you are back to normal. We are a long way from a time when invisible people will be hanging around spying on us… ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/10 "2003-02-09T07:00:51Z")
I suppose this is somewhat of a hijack, but can someone (most likely, the OP) please explain why this thread was titled **Ar?** ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/11 "2003-02-09T10:16:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TJdude825 \* > \*\*I suppose this is somewhat of a hijack, but can someone (most likely, the OP) please explain why this thread was titled **Ar?** \*\* Because **Blackeyes** is actually [Chris the ninja pirate](http://www.weebl.jolt.co.uk/yarr.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/12 "2003-02-09T10:30:16Z")
Me Hearty! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/13 "2003-02-09T17:15:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TJdude825 \* > \*\*I suppose this is somewhat of a hijack, but can someone (most likely, the OP) please explain why this thread was titled **Ar?** \*\* Take off the goggles and you can see the rest of the title. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ar/153791/14 "2003-02-10T02:20:42Z")
“Ar?” was my general reaction to the article. Because it’s _in-vis-ible-ity_ fer cryin out loud. I mean, "ar?"s all around.