From:	Iridios iridios@*********.com
Subject:	Questions of great importance (Steve, Jon, RA:S people especially)
Date:	Thu, 02 Sep 1999 08:42:10 -0400

Rand Ratinac wrote:

> Btw, if black sucks so hard, why do people insist on using it? Or is
> that a Hollywood fallacy?

It is more likely the average persons (including movie producers)
perception that black things are hard to see in the dark. This is
partly true, a black stationary object is very hard to see in the
dark; but a black spot that is moving is easier to pick out due to
it's obstruction of background images (stars, streetlights, reflected
light, etc). I once read an article by a Vietnam veteran, that
captured VC soldiers admitted that they tracked US soldiers by looking
for the "black sticks" (M16s/M14s) that moved through the jungles.

The purpose of camoflague is to break up a pattern enough to "hide"
it's wearer. Anytime you are moving, it is less effective.


--
Iridios
"Accept what you cannot avoid,
Avoid what you cannot accept."