A Hot Mama

Alright you big ballers, the Treasury Department is unveiling a new $100 bill.

It is the first remake of the denomination since 1996.

There are a few noted changes. They include watermarks and an embedded security thread. I’m excited about the color shifting ink. It changes hue while viewing. It starts out this really pretty coral color (my favorite).

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says will be more difficult for criminals to copy.

“As with previous US currency redesigns, this note incorporates the best technology available to ensure we’re staying ahead of counterfeiters,” Mr. Geithner says in a statement. So what’s so great about the new $100 bill, anyway? In a word: state-of-the-art science. The new $100 bill gets an array of security features, including an image of the Liberty Bell which reportedly changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted.

But the biggest upgrade is a blue “3D Security Ribbon.” That’s right: the same 3D craze that swept throughmovie theaters, television screens, and video game systems, is now coming to the pocket of a well-heeled American near you. US Treasury says the 3D ribbon would appear on the front of new $100 notes, which are set to enter circulation in February 2011.

The strip contains a series of images of bells and digits; tip the note, and the images come into 3D relief. And you don’t even need a pair of those dorky 3D glasses to make sure you’re looking at a genuine Benjamin. “It only takes a few seconds to check the new $100 note and know it’s real,” says Larry R. Felix, Director of the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

But….other than that, it’s pretty much the same Ben Franklin with that stale smile and played out perm.