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Memory Card Torture Tests

saikatguha266 writes "BBC is reporting that five types of memory cards were dipped into cola, put through a washing machine, dunked in coffee, trampled by a skateboard, run over by a child's toy car, given to a six-year-old boy to destroy, smashed by a sledgehammer and nailed to a tree. It was still possible to retrieve photos from the xD and Smartmedia cards while the others didn't survive just the last two tests. "

17 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. real lifesaver... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Most of them did fail to get through two additional tests - being smashed by a sledgehammer and being nailed to a tree."

    The number of times i've accidently nailed my high-tech electronics to a tree... anything that survives that most common of IT mishaps will be a real lifesaver.

  2. Re:Of course they don't break when you want them t by H8X55 · · Score: 4, Funny

    no no no no. That was just your camera trying to honor the old 'what happens in vegas, stays in vegas' rule.

  3. is this a feature or a bug? by jamienk · · Score: 4, Funny

    is this a feature or a bug?

  4. Re:Oh no by H8X55 · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's always the microwave in the employee breakroom. Guaranteed to destroy small electronics placed within - in a matter of seconds.

  5. Re:Cool! by b374 · · Score: 5, Funny
    At last, indestructible storage for my p0rn!!
    hmm... considering these are used mostly in digital cameras... is that your homebrew porn???
  6. Can't wait... by b374 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... for something from these guys to handle these.

  7. all lies: not indestructable... by Scythr0x0rs · · Score: 5, Funny

    To destroy your flash card:

    Install a small httpd server on flash card and get it \.ed.
    For an extra five (5) points, install Java (Sun) at the same time.

  8. CEO testing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    No matter what I used to give one of our CEO's, no matter how hard I'd tested it first, he found new and unusual ways to kill it.
    That's the test I want to see: Can it survive a week at home with a mining company CEO?

    The same kind of CEO who's password was always "password"....

  9. Re:Microwave? by Kippesoep · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's scary. How many times have you accidentally put something in a microwave? Not that many people accidentally nail stuff to a tree very often... That said, it would've made a fun experiment.

  10. Thats a relief! by Tridus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Its good to know that if Hillbillies steal my memory card and nail it to a tree to worship as a god, I will still be able to get back my precious pictures of last years Christmas party!

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
  11. This reminds me... by MancDiceman · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... of a letter I read in a now long-defunct weekly computer magazine in the UK called New Computer Express. Printed on cheap paper, it attempted to cover all available platforms in one 80-page weekly magazine. This included everything from ZX Spectrums to the then quite new 486 PCs. Macs, Amigas, Ataris, Amstrad CPCs, you name it, they all had their corner in there. Great magazine. Only problem was, their letters page looked like the flamewar from hell...

    One guy wrote in saying he had got fed of up how his friend was always boasting about his Amiga 500 and how it was vastly superior to any other machine on the planet, especially this individual's ZX81 Spectrum. So convinced was he, he proposed a test. He offered the letter-writer his Amiga 500 for free if he could come up with one test, any test of his choice, where the ZX81 outperformed the Amiga.

    The Speccy-owner, sat down, had a think, realised what to do and called his friend over with his Amiga for the test to begin. The friend arrived, and was summoned to the back garden. The Speccy-owner took his ZX81 frisbee-style and flung it across the garden, landing it perfectly in a compost heap.

    The Amiga owner stared at him, spun around with his Amiga, tried throwing it, fell over under the weight, the machine smashing into several pieces. The speccy owner picked up, cleaned off and plugged in his ZX81, and was playing Manic Miner in minutes. The Amiga owner was told to take his trash and go home, which he did, crying...

    When it comes to destruction tests, you have to ask "what's the point?". My media cards are normally well protected inside cameras or PCs and are unlikely to be dipped in cola or nailed to trees. However, it's always interesting to see how things work outside of the environment for which they were designed, just like that ZX81 and Amiga 500.

    1. Re:This reminds me... by Beryllium+Sphere(tm) · · Score: 4, Funny

      >My media cards are normally well protected inside cameras or PCs and are unlikely to be dipped in cola or nailed to trees.

      Even if you don't have children sometimes your visitors will have them.

      A friend of mine kept work and backups on 5.25" floppies with red and green sleeves. One day she found all her work and backups cut into festive shapes and hanging from the Christmas tree.

      Don't assume you know what to expect.

  12. Re:Talk about real life experiments... by the+chao+goes+mu · · Score: 5, Funny

    If your real life involves high radiation levels on a regular basis, you should think about making some changes in your lifestyle.

    --
    Boys from the City. Not yet caught by the Whirlwind of Progress. Feed soda pop to the thirsty pigs.
  13. Re:What if... by Shinglor · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, a normal person would just delete the files.

  14. ... okay. by jesdynf · · Score: 4, Funny

    So most memory cards are just as powerful, if not more so, than Jesus. Hmm.

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  15. Re:Miss the old green slashdot? by mikael · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thanks for the link - I thought my PC needed a new toner cartridge for the monitor.

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    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  16. Six year old? by RDW · · Score: 4, Funny

    Giving the card to a six year old kid to trash is all very well, but what about a _really_ destructive force like a four year old? There's a good reason why the nearly indestructible Pelican protective cases are guaranteed against everything except shark bite, bear attack and children under five.