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Coming Soon, 250 DVDs In a Quarter-Sized Device
Several readers have remarked on a new technique developed by scientists at UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts Amherst that has the promise of achieving storage densities of 10 terabits per square inch. "The method lets microscopic nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces. ... Xu explained that the molecules in the thin film of block copolymers — two or more chemically dissimilar polymer chains linked together — self-assemble into an extremely precise, equidistant pattern when spread out on a surface... Russell and Xu conceived of the elegantly simple solution of layering the film of block copolymers onto the surface of a commercially available sapphire crystal. When the crystal is cut at an angle... and heated to 1,300 to 1,500 degrees Centigrade... for 24 hours, its surface reorganizes into a highly ordered pattern of sawtooth ridges that can then be used to guide the self-assembly of the block polymers."
"This fascinating little gadget is supposed to replace the CD; guess I'll have to buy the White Album again." - Agent K, Men In Black
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
Seems like 500 TB in the library of congress, At 10Tb an inch -- About 400 square inches for the library of congress.
Considering that we've been able to artificially make sapphires for over 100 years now... and that things like the glass on your grocery-store's barcode scanner is probably made from sapphire glass (a thin wafer of cut sapphire)...
Well, I'm thinking that it's not that large of a problem.
Perhaps they were looking at single layer DVD
4.7GB * 250 = 1.175TB
1.175 * 8 = 9.400 Terabits
Since, the summary points out it's 10 terabits per square inch, not terabytes as you seem to be using.
Sapphire can be created artificially
Compared to the cost of silicon wafers of sufficient quality the price isn't even that bad.
I don't read AC A human right
Well, consider that Steel, which is used in construction left and right, is made from Iron with a melting point of 1538C
Also, Silicon is 1414C, and yes they melt the silicon to make the wafers. Don't forget that we also melt a lot of silicon for windows.
As for keeping the temperature up for 24 hours, well, the vast amount of the cost is getting the temperature that hot, after that it just depends on how well insulated your oven is.
I don't read AC A human right
Man, I'd hate to see your change purse. The quarters in my pocket are just under an inch in diameter, or about 0.7in^2 per side. Allowing for a hub and spindle opening, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of that is available for data, which would be closer to 2.3-3.5Tb. Surprisingly close to the article claims (others above have posted 2.1Tb values; I didn't do the math).
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
It's a nice idea, but not actually true.
There is enough information on that card to create a horse within the environment of a horse. There is nowhere near enough information to create a horse from scratch.
Look at the new cloning projects trying to bring back extinct animals from the dead. The first step is to find a living species that is genetically close enough to act as a surrogate host.
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