Secure Data Storage... On Your Fingernails

opticsorg writes "Secure optical data storage could soon literally be at your fingertips thanks to work being carried out in Japan. Yoshio Hayasaki and his colleagues have discovered that data can be written into a human fingernail by irradiating it with femtosecond laser pulses. Capacities are said to be up to 5 mega bits and the stored data lasts for 6 months - the length of time it takes a fingernail to be completely replaced."

Comments

Fingernails

[ozbon]

Ironic that this comes up at the same time as a poll about "least favourite finger" - now they can all be useful again.

Re:Fingernails

[Anonymous Coward]

Boss: "Johnson, do you have that report yet?"
Johnson: "Sure do boss, it's right here!" *waves middle finger*

Re:Fingernails

[Anonymous Coward]

pull my finger!

Re:Fingernails

[RailGunner]

Also gives a whole new meaning to giving Windows the finger...

Re:Fingernails

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently Nine Inch Nails were way ahead of their time for massive data storage.

Re:Fingernails

[indifferent children]

Also gives a whole new meaning to 'ThumbDrive'

Re:Fingernails

[ScrewMaster]

Yeah ... the Pinky with the Brain.

Re:Fingernails

[Anonymous Coward]

And I came up with this variation, in case you're *really* pissed-off at your boss:

Johnson: "Sure do boss. Right here. I even made a back-up" *waves middle finger of BOTH hands*

J

Already got lah

[Anonymous Coward]

I've already got optical data storage on my fingernails.

It generally tells me I've been rolling around in the dirt, scratching myself, and have had an inability to touch anyone of the opposite sex.

would be a good idea except

[kalpol]

Talk about thumb drives.

Imagine losing your data when you hit your thumb with a hammer.

Identity Theft

[airship]

The article goes on: "Criminals are said to be stocking up on pliers and practicing their nail-pulling skills."

Hey, I've already done that for a while!

[hoborocks]

I've been doing this for a long time! I have part of a speech I made on my fingernails...lemme see if I can find it...

Ah

Good morning. I'm

here today to tell

you about the new

\--_______________--/

Well crud, it looks like I DID clip my nails last week.

Question is:

[Arthur B.]

Will it support raid-5-fingers ?

Re:Question is:

[jfengel]

And if one fails, you can just swap it out!

Bill Gates

[rbarreira]

Now we finally understand the full meaning of Bill Gates' quote "640K ought to be enough for everyone".

Long Nails

[Nytewynd]

I'll bet we start seeing guys with all of their nails at 7 inches long. How else are you going to fit all of your porn onto them?

Re:Long Nails

[el_womble]

Wouldn't that kinda defeat the whole point of owning porn?

mp3 player

[0110011001110101]

but where will I embed the fm transmitter and bluetooth??

And with no display, could Apple sue for prior art with the Shuffle?

broke a nail?

[Se7enLC]

Now we'll see men crying when they break a nail

Tin Foil Gloves

[danl125]

Everyone! Quick! Put on your tin foil gloves so they can't read your fingernails!

Re:But what if

[insertwackynamehere]

rofl I do :P "Aghh! what happened to my report!? It was right here on my thumb?!"

Now nerds will be less embarrassed...

[Anonymous Coward]

...to visit the nail salon!

Oh, I'm just backing up some data...

"Why are you biting your nails?"

[FunWithHeadlines]

"Just defragmenting my disk"

Re:But what if

[lordsilence]

Future homework excuses...
The dog ate my finger!

Re:Breaking a nail

[aussie_a]

Whee! I usually do my data in bytes....

I'm going to do mine in nibbles if it's stored on my fingernails.

Re:One way to be sure it's secure

[tomhudson]

That's not all. Now, in addition to having to worry about computer viruses, you're going to have to worry about nail fungus eating your data.

Someone please pass me the nail file...

[yestertech]

No, the other one...

When I'm driving in rush-hour traffic...

[blcamp]

One finger conveys enough information already without laser etching or anything else.

Re:article text, you know it might go down!

[bedroll]

Add extra storage: don't cut your nails.
Data backup: save your clippings.
The new dumpster dive: behind the nail salon.

what jokes did I miss?

Re:But what if

[WormholeFiend]

that's old and busted

the new hotness is "I lost my finger while cooking in a restaurant and some lady is using it as evidence to sue my boss."

Think of what could come out of this invention!

[Psykechan]

Jimmy, don't bite your nails especially if you haven't backed them up first.

or

Try our new nail polish colors. They won't currupt your data.

or even

Oh no, I broke a nail. Please help me find it because it wasn't encrypted.

has to be said

[MORTAR_COMBAT!]

You can have my data when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Because if you took it while I was alive, damn, that would just be torture.

Re:6 months?

[Anonymous Coward]

You could use your toenails, they grow about 4 times slower than your fingernails.

But toenails have their downside too. When that cute secretary asks you for your expense report and you whip out your stinky foot next to her laptop, you just lost all your chances with her.

Re:article text, you know it might go down!

[bedroll]

This one's a little iffy..but, what the heck..

Raid 5: webbed feet

While we're at it: If you thought it was hard to type with one hand.. what'll you do when you've stored all your pr0n on your fingertips?

Re:But what if

[Frumious Wombat]

As a general rule, I think any method of data storage that could encourage someone to "Get Medieval" on you is just generally a Bad Thing (tm).

Re:But what if

[Anonymous Coward]

Easy, just do RAID-5 on your 10 fingernails:
- 9 active devices
- 1 hot spare (your left hand thumb)

Re:But what if

[Nivoset]

your report is ont he tip of your tounge...