Now you see me…

In between checking up on the Olympics and desperately trying to get last-minute projects out of the way before the semester starts, I found a very interesting article online.

Apparently scientists are coming close to developing a way to make three-dimensional objects (and people!) invisible. Think this is something out of “Harry Potter” or “Star Trek”? Think again.

This device works by bending visible light around objects in a way that prevents them from creating reflections or shadows.

Sure, we’ve had stealth technology for years, allowing the military to shield their planes from radar. But that technology only makes things harder to track. It doesn’t shield them from sight altogether. It only provides a “shield” from other technology. This technology would make you virtually invisible to the naked eye.

Take that, Harry Potter!

Can you imagine? You could put on your “invisibility cloak” at Thanksgiving and sail by your inebriated Uncle Louie who insists on asking you “Still single, Susie?” And you could cloak yourself (and Fido) in time to not be seen by your abrasive neighbor who insists on reminding you to “scoop the poop” while out walking the dog. You could “disappear” from a wedding reception right before they throw the bouquet and thus avoid the embarrassing fist fight over a wad of fake flowers. The possibilities are endless.

I’m sure there are those who will argue this is dangerous technology, you know,”Big Brother” and all. But honestly, with all the street-corner cameras, camera phones and other recording capabilities out there, someone is sure to capture you “cloaking” and post it on YouTube.

So much for hiding.

Still it should be interesting to see how this develops. After all, didn’t everyone rush out to clone their deceased family pet when that option became available? Oh, maybe it was just that one woman who went to South Korea to have her pitbull, Booger, cloned.