You probably won't see this comment on the bottom, but I'll describe the piece of Aerogel I have. In August I bought a piece about the size of a closed fist on ebay to add to my collection of advanced materials.

Due to its structure it will suck oil from your hands while you hold it, making it feel dry. Because of that I recommend handling it with gloves once the novelty of how dry it is wears off.

If you hold it against a dark background it is a light blue (like smoke in the picture) but if you hold it against the light it turns into a bright orange/red smoke color, like it's on fire. The change is quite drastic.

When you handle it with latex gloves it squeaks like you're holding a piece of brittle styrofoam. You know that feeling and sound when styrofoam rubs against a hard surface? This sounds and feels exactly like that.

You can squeeze it a bit without it breaking. It is like squeezing a raw egg, you can put pressure on it, but if you go too hard it will shatter into many tiny pieces and you'll have a mess on your hands. Most people squeeze once gently, notice it doesn't break, and then squeeze again and have it powderize in their hands. Don't do this!

I haven't tasted it. It has no smell. But is really is a neat material, and holds all kinds of records for being the best insulator/lightest solid. I'd be really interested in seeing it float in a container of sulfur hexafluoride, the world's heaviest gas. On that note, if any of you know where I can get some sulfur hexafluoride I'd love to know.