Jackson glove sells for $190,000

A crystal-studded glove belonging to the late pop star Michael Jackson has sold at a US auction for $190,000 (£126,000).

The glove, worn during the Jacksons' 1984 Victory tour, was among over 200 items on offer, which sold for just under $1m (£664,055) in total.

The sale took place at Julien's Auctions at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas at the weekend.

Some items fetched more than 10 times their estimated value.

"It just shows you Michael Jackson is the most sought after and most collectible celebrity of all time. It was just phenomenal," Darren Julien, who ran the auction, told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

"People flew in from Asia, Russia, all over. Now that he's gone, we now realise the true legend we lost," he added.

The value of Jackson memorabilia appears to be rising. The first of his gloves to go on auction after his death went for $49,000 (£29,900), back in September 2009.

Elvis's hair

A pair of Jackson's loafers, which he wore on stage, were expected to fetch between $2,000 (£1,328) and $3,000 (£1,990) but went for $90,000 (£59,764).

One of his jackets fetched $120,000 (£79,686), even though its estimate was between $6,000 (£3,984) and $8,000 (£5,312).

A white fedora hat sold for $56,250 (£37,353).

Other memorabilia from the likes of Elvis Presley, Prince, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix was also up for grabs.

A lock of Presley's hair was sold for $20,000 (£13,281), while Prince's handwritten lyrics for Purple Rain fetched $67,650 (£44,900).

A Jimi Hendrix Fender guitar was sold for $180,000 (£119,500).

Fans across the globe paid tribute to Jackson on the first anniversary of his death on Friday.

Jackson's father has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the doctor charged with giving his son a lethal overdose one year ago.

Cheap Bulletproof Clothing

Today's body armor is stiff, encumbering, and expensive.  All but the most advanced body armor is incredibly ineffective unless layered thickly and backed up with ceramic plates.  Of course there is a present community of armored clothing outfitters, but these require stiff plating for all but the most basic protection.  But a new development at the University of South Carolina may one day soon make everyday clothing bulletproof by adding a simple common element to the materials.

 

Police and law enforcement may have bulletproof fibers interlaced into their uniforms, protecting them from attacks just as effectively as current body armor, but allowing them the protection without requiring a 40 or 50 lb bulletproof vest.  The lightweight shirts are woven with boron carbide, which is listed just under wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite as the third hardest material on Earth.  Boron Carbide is the same material used in the armor plating of heavy infantry vehicles such as tanks.  The lightweight shirts would be almost as flexible as the material the cotton used in it, but would provide ballistic protection.

The University of South Carolina's Dr. Xiadong Li is one of the Engineers working on the project and recently co-authored an article on the subject.  Dr. Li called the research the University of South Carolina had been conducting a "true breakthrough" and declared that USC was "playing a lead role in this area."  He went on to say that the super-strong and ultra-light materials were opening up unprecedented opportunities.  And of course the materials need not be limited to protection of law enforcement and soldiers.  In addition to creating a cheaper and more efficient body armor for civilians, it could be used in scientific research and the space program as well to help protect materials that must remain flexible and to allow for research materials to be able to undergo considerably more strain.  And to get back to the civilian market for a moment, it seems only logical that everyone would feel safer in certain occupations if they had bulletproof materials at hand.  Every year there are numerous convenience store deaths caused by violent criminals.  Cab drivers often suffer similar fates at the hands of armed gunmen.

And the flexibility of the boron carbide material offers to create more efficient vehicles and aircraft as well.  Parachutes and other materials like them previously would have run a much greater risk of tearing.  And rope as well would be much more reliable if the material were less likely to tear or break under strain which would be good news to climbers.

Though this material may start with ballistics protection, if successful it will end by influencing a number of aspects of everyday life.  Stronger materials have always been one of the most integral parts of progressive technology.  One must only look to history going back to the first discovery of bronze to understand the importance of lightweight and tough materials.  Perhaps this technology will make the world a safer and more sustainable place in the long term.