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Bacterial DVD Holds 50TB
CAMags writes to tell us that a Harvard Professor is claiming to have developed a new variant of a protein called bacteriorhodopsin (bR) that, when layered on a DVD, can store up to 50TB of data. From the article: "The light-activated protein is found in the membrane of a salt marsh microbe Halobacterium salinarum and is also known as bacteriorhodopsin (bR). It captures and stores sunlight to convert it to chemical energy. When light shines on bR, it is converted to a series of intermediate molecules each with a unique shape and color before returning to its 'ground state.'"
It's alive!
bacteria, not a virus. Your data's safe.
....or is it? MWAHAHAHA!!!
I heard they're buggy.
My apartment isn't messy -- it's just data backup.
Disclaimer: I'm Indian as well.
There are 2 kinds of people in this world. Those that can keep their train of thought,
Now I want to program in RNA so that it generates the DNA automatically for me. And then, watch the ____ out!
- Kal`Goblez
Don't worry, Slashdot has built in precautions against that. They aren't dupes, they are reminders.
Any time you use an organic compound for storage, you need to worry about the organic half life of the device. Writable optical media uses organic dye, and will only last several years in storage. I didn't see anything in the article that indicated this technology would be any better...
Now I wonder what caveats are there to overcome.
Normal CDs are actually "damaged" by the laser during recording. Here it's about photochemical effect. Much lower power may be needed which may allow for more data but also for really fast erasing the DVDs by simply exposing them to light. More, how to return it to base state? Seems not to be rewritable. The data lasts a few years. Would there be some "refreshing process" needed?
And last but not least: Is there anyone interested in manufacturing it, or will the harddrive makers buy the patent, then bury it to prevent competition?
There were quite a few such "revelations" like TESA-ROM (1TB on a roll of transparent adhesive tape) but they all vanish without trace... why?
Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
Imagine the datarate if I were to hop into my car, drive across the country, and load this disk into a computer in California.
Even if the trip takes me 48 hours, that is still 303 MB/s!
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
I wonder why these numbers are so greatly exaggerated. Why can't scientists leave the theoretical figures behind and talk about realistic numbers?
Anyway, once we actually reach data storage of that magnitude on a disk, we'll have to face the problem of seek time and transfers. It would be ridiculous to post so much data on a disk, so when this technology is mature, I'm sure disks will be obsolete.
Scientists should spend more time on figuring out how to leave the world of milliseconds and approach the nanoseconds. Remember, the only thing that's running on milliseconds in a computer is based on platters. I'd rather move on from that and get my 50 TB later.
Full Tilt
I think I'm too perfectionnist
Good thing it wasn't a written interview.
How about another application--- ;)
Discs that "auto expire" if not kept in the fridge
No, seriously.
That's not a very good answer - it reveals a bunch of negatives that are likely deal-breakers:
1) You're a perfectionist, which means you may find it difficult to handle mistakes made by co-workers.
2) You're a perfectionist, which means you may find it difficult working on a team with people who are not perfectionists.
3) You're an admitted perfectionist, which makes it likely that you will attempt to cover up any mistakes you do make, rather than admit them.
4) You're a perfectionist and you take extra time to try to accomplish a task, rather than doing it as well as it needs to be done and having it in on time. Most employers don't expect or actually want perfection - they know it isn't attainable.
5) You're full of shit and just told the interviewer what you thought they'd want to hear, meaning that you're much less likely to be candid in other areas as well.
The best answer, of course, would have been "FUCK YOU YOU CUNT I have Tourette's Syndrome ASSLICKER!" It would allow you to scream anything you like with impunity, and they'd be worried about getting sued if they didn't hire you.
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
So what if it degrades? I'd still love to have 50TB discs that last for 2-3 years instead of a few GB that lasts a few years. This is a new technology designed to give higher capacity, not longer shelf life.
Finally, a disc with some culture on it!
The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia