Why all computer casing & cables are black?
--

@~@ Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
/ v \ May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
/( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
^ ^ https://github.com/changmw/changmw
The game is afoot... Meow...

Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

Why all computer casing & cables are black?

I have a bunch of SATA cables in junk drawer: some black, also red,
blue, orange and grey

On Thu, 9 Jul 2026 17:28:33 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:

Why all computer casing & cables are black?

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark. Without
light, what's left is dark. Try turning on a light.

If you're using a camera, try switching from B&W to color mode. If
that doesn't work, check if the monitor has the power turned on.

If you're doing this at night, try again after the sun rises. If
you're wearing sunglasses at night, see if removing the sunglasses
helps. Also check if you're wearing tinted glasses, blinders, or dark
glasses for the blind.

If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully
charged.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark. Without
light, what's left is dark. Try turning on a light.
....
If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully charged.

Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)
--

@~@ Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
/ v \ May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
/( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
^ ^ https://github.com/changmw/changmw
The game is afoot... Meow...

On Sat, 11 Jul 2026 19:18:48 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:

On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark. Without
light, what's left is dark. Try turning on a light.
....
If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully
charged.

Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)

Because the outer sheath of cables needs to be UV resistant. That's
done by adding carbon black to the mix during manufacture. Carbon
black has and important attribute. It is cheap. If you want a white
outer sheath, the manufacturer would likely add titanium dioxide,
which costs more.

<https://www.facebook.com/Elec.Eng.World/posts/cable-outer-sheaths-are-often-black-because-carbon-black-is-added-for-excellent-/1365758712263483/>
"Cable outer sheaths are often black because carbon black is added for excellent, cost-effective UV resistance, preventing sun damage, and it
also offers good durability against mechanical wear, making black a
practical default for outdoor or heavy-duty cables, though other
colors exist for specific applications like data or color-coding."

"The Roles of Carbon Black in Wire & Cable Conductor, Insulation and
Jacketing Applications" <https://www.birlacarbon.com/the-roles-of-carbon-black-in-wire-cable-conductor-insulation-and-jacketing-applications/>
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 11/07/2026 12:18, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark.  Without
light, what's left is dark.  Try turning on a light.
....
If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully
charged.

Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)

It used not to be black.

I remember when computer cases and many cables were almost all beige.

I guess it's mainly fashion.
--
Brian Gregory (in England).

On Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:38:14 +0100, Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> wrote:

On 11/07/2026 12:18, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark.  Without
light, what's left is dark.  Try turning on a light.
....
If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully
charged.

Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)

It used not to be black.

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors. It was
mostly a flop because AT&T wanted a too much money for the colorful
phones. Because there was no competition, the telephone monopoly had
no interest style, fashion, trendish design, elaborate options, etc,
Ma Bell offered exactly one color... black. Same with the early Ford automobiles. You can have any color you want, as long as it's black.
In 1968, after the phone monopoly was broken up into regional "baby
Bell" units and independent hardware vendors were allowed to provide
"foreign attachments", one of the first thing offered were colorful
(princess) phones.

I remember when computer cases and many cables were almost all beige.

There was a good reason for pushing beige colored computers.

"I am stuck in a Beige Bubble" <https://elledecor.in/sad-beige-interiors-trend-aesthetic/>
The short answer is that beige is the ultimate in "neutral" colors,
which means it goes well with most other colors and does not clash
with any of the primary colors. I suggest some reading on "color
psychology"

I guess it's mainly fashion.

Sorta, kinda, maybe. Fashion has it's place, but it's a bad thing
upon which to base a product design or company image. I'll make it
easy. Just follow the money. If there's a financial reason for doing something that doesn't seem obvious, you have just discovered the
answer.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 7/12/2026 4:48 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors....

You guys and gals remember the flag of
islamic State? It's black.

Fossil fuel and coal are also black.

Does this ring a bell? Meow.... :)
--

@~@ Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
/ v \ May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
/( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
^ ^ https://github.com/changmw/changmw
The game is afoot... Meow...

On Fri, 10 Jul 2026 20:32:02 -0700, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 9 Jul 2026 17:28:33 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang"
<toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:

Why all computer casing & cables are black?

If you're wearing smart glasses

Not the case. Nothing 'smart' has ever emanated from that source.

On Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:48:16 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

On Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:38:14 +0100, Brian Gregory ><void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> wrote:

On 11/07/2026 12:18, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark.  Without
light, what's left is dark.  Try turning on a light.
....
If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully >>>> charged.

Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)

It used not to be black.

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors. It was
mostly a flop because AT&T wanted a too much money for the colorful
phones. Because there was no competition, the telephone monopoly had
no interest style, fashion, trendish design, elaborate options, etc,
Ma Bell offered exactly one color... black. Same with the early Ford >automobiles. You can have any color you want, as long as it's black.
In 1968, after the phone monopoly was broken up into regional "baby
Bell" units and independent hardware vendors were allowed to provide
"foreign attachments", one of the first thing offered were colorful >(princess) phones.

I remember when computer cases and many cables were almost all beige.

There was a good reason for pushing beige colored computers.

"I am stuck in a Beige Bubble" ><https://elledecor.in/sad-beige-interiors-trend-aesthetic/>
The short answer is that beige is the ultimate in "neutral" colors,
which means it goes well with most other colors and does not clash
with any of the primary colors. I suggest some reading on "color
psychology"

I guess it's mainly fashion.

Sorta, kinda, maybe. Fashion has it's place, but it's a bad thing
upon which to base a product design or company image. I'll make it
easy. Just follow the money. If there's a financial reason for doing >something that doesn't seem obvious, you have just discovered the
answer.

When they were built by hand, rubber sleave was typically black.

More modern cables in grey PVC.

It took UL a long time to accept that color additives didn't
necessarily affect flammability or temperature class.
Color of insulation material is still specified, to this day.

RL

On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 21:19:21 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:

On 7/12/2026 4:48 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors....

You guys and gals remember the flag of
islamic State? It's black.

The 3rd Abbasid Caliphate had a black flag: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Standard>
The modern Islamic flags are mostly green and red: <https://www.google.com/search?udm=2&q=islamic%20flags> <https://karachiinsider.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/flags-of-islamic-countries/>

Fossil fuel and coal are also black.

Automobile tire manufacturing is the major user of carbon black for
increased durability and UV protection. Just about anything that
contains elemental carbon is going to be black.

Does this ring a bell? Meow.... :)

Not really. What's your point?

More of the same...

Black is beautiful:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful>

All the villains in the early movies and TV shows wore black. <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EvilWearsBlack>

Black cars have a higher resale value: <https://satjapan.com/car-blog/pros-and-cons-of-purchasing-a-black-car/>
"One of the most amazing advantages of buying a black car is its high
resale value."

Black cars attract automobile accidents: <https://www.citywidelaw.com/los-angeles-car-accident-attorney/car-color-and-crash-risk/>
"Some research has revealed that black vehicles are the most dangerous
on the road. At least one study found that you’re 47 percent more
likely to be in a crash if you drive a black vehicle."

and so on...
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 21:19:21 +0800, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/12/2026 4:48 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors....

You guys and gals remember the flag of

Now you're on a few more watch lists

Fossil fuel and coal are also black.

wrong... not all fossil fuel is black, gas, a fossil fuel, is invisible

also, there is no "and" in that, because coal is a fossil fuel.

noel wrote:

On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 21:19:21 +0800, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/12/2026 4:48 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors....

You guys and gals remember the flag of

Now you're on a few more watch lists

Fossil fuel and coal are also black.

wrong... not all fossil fuel is black, gas, a fossil fuel, is invisible

also, there is no "and" in that, because coal is a fossil fuel.

Are you saying Man wai Chung is going to electrocute himself?

On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:58:36 -0600, Lane W wrote:

noel wrote:

On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 21:19:21 +0800, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

On 7/12/2026 4:48 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

I beg to differ. All the early POTS phones were black. In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors....

You guys and gals remember the flag of

Now you're on a few more watch lists

Fossil fuel and coal are also black.

wrong... not all fossil fuel is black, gas, a fossil fuel, is invisible

also, there is no "and" in that, because coal is a fossil fuel.

Are you saying Man wai Chung is going to electrocute himself?

Nah, I'm sure he's that paranoid he wears flashover suits everytime he
turn the kitchen light on.

I think he's seen way too many conspiracy movies from hollywood, next
thing he'll be complaining about is that low flying black helicopter
above his place at 3AM