In my bathroom, I have windows made from hard to see-through glass, all wobbly shapes and bumps. This glass is all a repeating pattern and there are only a few styles.
The Spy Pane is a device that fits up against the "frosted" window and its bumps and grooves are exactly inverted, thus cancelling out the distortions. The glass will have to either "slot" in or be very close to the other pane in order to acheive maximum clarity.
Spy-panes come in packs with a variety of patterns, send a shard of glass to spy-pane.com and we will send you the corresponding inversion.
PS - can't think of any non-sinister uses for this device.-- Trodden, Apr 08 2003 Better bet: clear gel or resin (with a refractive index suitably close to glass) that you apply to window, put a clear plastic sheet over and press flat. Probably will not completely eliminate ripplies, but it will be enough for you to watch your nextdoor neighbor showering without any custom fitting.
(Whether watching your nextdoor neighbor showering is a good or bad thing I will leave for you to decide. And if you want your neighbors to watch *you* showering, I would suggest installing clear glass in the first place.)-- DrCurry, Apr 08 2003 I remember seeing a device years ago that, when placed over a one-way wide angle peephole on a door, would allow you to see in from the outside.-- Freefall, Apr 08 2003 I'll bet a computer program could reconfigure the fractured image back to the original.-- FarmerJohn, Apr 08 2003 do you think your neighbours are spies? or are you a peeping tom? (no offence, wax)-- po, Apr 08 2003 TW would be a peeping thumb, surely?-- DrCurry, Apr 08 2003 get his prints for forensics, while we think of it.-- po, Apr 08 2003 A computer probably could do this but it would need to be configured for each window with an initial stealth incursion - a test pattern - a grid of colors to slip behind the window, the computer then quite simply works out a grid reference for each color and then retro-renders the image according to the distortion grid. Saving the grid coordinates for next time. Why anyone would need such software I wouldn't know. Maybe to identify what the oppostion information minister reads whilst on the toilet(doesn't everybody) or if he even reads on the toilet at all...-- Trodden, Apr 08 2003 "Spy Hammer" - apply firmly to wobbly shaped bumped glass, and you immediately gain the ability to see right through it.-- phundug, Apr 08 2003 If as you are assuming the bumps are on the outside, maybe a quick pass with a high-powered laser would melt and smooth the surface.-- FarmerJohn, Apr 09 2003 v thumbprint v ^ thumbprint ^-- thumbwax, Apr 09 2003 Not if you wore dark glasses.-- egbert, Apr 09 2003 Well, that's a relief - so you *didn't* recognize me, then, right?-- thumbwax, Apr 09 2003 egbert: Instead of dark glasses, one could have bumpy, clear glasses.-- FarmerJohn, Apr 09 2003 Most of these types of rippled glass only has the irregularities on the inside, so dirt doesn't get trapped as it would if they were on the outside. This means that this would be great for looking out, without sacrificing your privacy the rest of the time.-- oneoffdave, Apr 09 2003 Actually, no, most bumpy glass I've seen has been installed with the smooth side inside.-- DrCurry, Apr 09 2003 random, halfbakery