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Start-Up Claims Immortality For Data With 'Stone-Like' Disc
CWmike writes "Start-up Millenniata and LG plan to soon release a new optical disc and read/write player that will store movies, photos or any other data forever. The data can be accessed using any current DVD or Blu-ray player. The M-Disc can be dipped in liquid nitrogen and then boiling water without harming it. It also has a Defense Department study (PDF) backing up the resiliency of its product compared with other leading optical disc competitors. The company would not disclose what material is used to produce the optical discs, referring to it only as a 'natural' substance that is 'stone-like.' Like DVDs and Blu-ray discs, the M-Disc platters are made up of multiple layers of material. But there is no reflective, or die, layer. Instead, during the recording process a laser 'etches' pits onto the substrate material."
Yeah ... /me rushes out and buys one tonight at Best Buy because, you know, the last fourteen computers, MP3 players and PDAs i've owned all died in the vats of liquid nitrogen around my house - for some stupid reason I keep dropping stuff in those.
I think this is how Fred Flintstone's instant camera worked.
Stonehenge is a data center! I wonder if they're hiring?
*chinkchink. pause. chink. pause. chinkchink. *
Any DVD reader can read it. Compatibility with those should last beyond our lifetime.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
This technology was invented by Shampoo ! http://idle.slashdot.org/story/08/11/07/0531227/Slashdots-Disagree-Mail
... the CD/DVD/BD discs don't last. If only they'd used a dye layer instead.
I would hope in 2,000 years your average archaeologist would have the tools to scan the disk at a molecular level and have an AI extract any important information based on historical archives of data formats.
"Esteemed Instructor. I have found a stone disk from 2000 years ago, in the diggings."
"Have you indeed? Is it intact?"
"Yes, Esteemed Instructor. I have taken the liberty of scanning the disk at the molecular level, and I have had my AI extract the information based on the historical archives of known data formats."
"And what have you found?"
"This!"
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
Archaeologist: It appears the ancients worshipped a god known only as "RFC", whose commandments were numbereed consecutively. There is some confusion as to whether these were taken as literal commandments or spiritual allegories; while some seem to dictate simple enough standards for a (primitive) digital society, a few seem distinctly implausible, involving e.g. using pigeons for data transfer; some researchers contend these were wholy allegorical, while others suggest these were actual ceremonies carried out at religious festivals known as "cons".
Moses, "The Lord, the Lord Jehovah has given unto you these fifteen... ", *CRASH*, "Oy! Ten! Ten commandments for all to obey!"
But if we're talking movie DVDs, you've got CSS to deal with. That would probably ensure that none of our pop-culture survives millennia. Thank god...
"People don't want to learn linux" hasn't been a valid excuse since '03.