This is so neat. D sent me a link today to Aerogel. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke or blue smoke due to its semi-transparent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) to the touch.

You can buy your very own piece of Aerogel silica on eBay. I wouldn't suggest you purchase it though. My understanding is that this stuff evaporates when kept for too long. By the time the auction ends and the stuff arrives, it'll only be a tiny little piece.

Still, the technology is wicked cool and the future of this technology is endless. When you consider that the military is approximately 10 years ahead on technology and we already have knowledge of this, it makes you wonder what else they've got under their sleeves.