5 Dimensional Quartz Crystal storage

[GreyGeek]

GG;

You mean they have that time I traded a JuJuBe for a JellyBelly and didn't report the transaction to the franchise tax board? I'm doomed, doomed I tell you... Illegal trade in candy! ....

One of my jobs at the dept of revenue was to write software that compared IRS tax returns with State tax returns, and report discrepancies greater than certain values. The State of Nebraska has worked out with Amazon and several other Online Retailers the collection of taxes for items delivered to addresses within the state. For those taxable items for which taxes hadn't been collected in previous years (within the statutes of limitations) the data is being stored until the three year re-file date (for NE) has passed. Those not paying taxes on such items will be hit with a tax bill and severe penalties.

[TWPonKubuntu]

One of my jobs at the dept of revenue was to write software that compared IRS tax returns with State tax returns, and report discrepancies greater than certain values. The State of Nebraska has worked out with Amazon and several other Online Retailers the collection of taxes for items delivered to addresses within the state. For those taxable items for which taxes hadn't been collected in previous years (within the statutes of limitations) the data is being stored until the three year re-file date (for NE) has passed. Those not paying taxes on such items will be hit with a tax bill and severe penalties.

But, but, but, it was only one JellyBelly and I was 10 years old at the time. I'm too old to become someones "jail buddy"...

[GreyGeek]

"Ignorance of the Law is no defense!"
(These days neither is the truth!)

http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=1008

[TWPonKubuntu]

I can see a market for "glass crushers" in the future... Paper shredders are not up to the task..

[GreyGeek]

I can see a market for "glass crushers" in the future... Paper shredders are not up to the task..

Or, a little furnaces that melts the glass crystals into a disk. Or, a small laser, similar to a CDROM burner, that simply melts the domain within the glass.

[TWPonKubuntu]

Hmmm, I can see a quartz memory eraser the recrystallizes the disk, ready for writing. More expensive than a hammer, but it does recycle the media. Another market is born!

[EDIT] And of course it will need an embedded Linux controller.

[whatthefunk]

wtf;

There are two points being discussed here:

1) What does "archive" storage mean
2) How might truly long term storage ability be a problem rather than an advantage.

I'll agree with you that current storage media can last for many years. CDs and DVDs, if properly stored in climate controlled areas and light tight packaging, will last a lifetime. Even magnetic storage (disks) will keep for that long if you don't access them frequently.

Re the "legality" of the data, I wasn't referring to the content of the data one might keep, but rather to the nefarious uses to which personal records (finance, correspondence, etc.) might be applied by others in the future.

For instance, right now it is legal to own a car (well, you still 'rent' it from state governments...). In the future this "ownership" might be used against us, for any number of politically correct purposes... Humans have a history of penalizing others for actions taken in the past, even though those actions were "legal" at the time... Even to the extent of applying those penalties to ones descendants.

So the technology to create very long term storage media is both a boon and a bane. I, frankly, don't trust future generations to "let bygones by bygones" and not attempt to use historical records to make life difficult for others then alive.

And then there is the "Wikipedia" veracity problem. Will future generations be able to determine if the records are actual fact? For those who are not aware, digital records created on "wiki" type databases are not subject to strict verification. In addition, we are seeing reports of significant political bias in the "vetting" process for data added to such databases. If the gatekeepers disagree with your addition, it can be edited or expunged. It is "book burning" in the digital age. Hence the records may have questionable quality. "History is written by the victors"...

So, yes, I would like to have this latest technology for making long term storage media. Pessimistically, I expect it to be abused by anybody wanting an advantage over somebody else.

Finally, this latest technology does not solve the problem of being able to read the media in the future... Anybody here who can read cave paintings? How about Sanskrit text? How many 8 track tape players still exist? Do you have a cassette tape player? (I still have one). The trend of technology leaves older tech sometimes irretrievable and perhaps even unrecognizable as storage media. Our descendants might be wearing our pretty glass data disks as jewelry because they don't know what they are...

Yes, I admit to being pessimistic. I still want to have this new 3D Glass media reader/writer in my computer system. You can trust me, I'll only record the truth, Really. Trust Me!

My point is that very long term storage is available now, without this new quartz crystal technology. Companies and individuals go to great lengths to preserve data knowing the limitations of current technology. For all intents and purposes, a huge majority of the data in existence today is already infinite.

[TWPonKubuntu]

My point is that very long term storage is available now, without this new quartz crystal technology. Companies and individuals go to great lengths to preserve data knowing the limitations of current technology. For all intents and purposes, a huge majority of the data in existence today is already infinite.

wtf;
Are you assuming that someone will be cloning those drives as they suffer from thermal degradation and magnetic relaxation? I suppose that if they were keep in low temp storage, they might last for a good long time.

My concern is that they (magnetic and optical drives) do require cloning to keep the data string intact. These quartz memory pieces do not appear to have that need.

[whatthefunk]

wtf;
Are you assuming that someone will be cloning those drives as they suffer from thermal degradation and magnetic relaxation? I suppose that if they were keep in low temp storage, they might last for a good long time.

My concern is that they (magnetic and optical drives) do require cloning to keep the data string intact. These quartz memory pieces do not appear to have that need.

For personal use, quite a few people, including myself, keep backups so when one drive goes poof, your data is safe. Corporations and governments use several strategies to ensure that their data is safe and that drive failures are easy to fix. The quartz technology seems to make this whole process easier, but infinite data storage is available today, without any new technology.

[TWPonKubuntu]

wtf:

Technically you're correct, but it requires regular rotation of media to keep the data intact. The quartz glass media appears to keep the data intact without needing to periodically recopy to fresh 'disks'. I like that option.

The disadvantage, shared with all recorded data, is that the technology to read it, at some future time, may no longer exist.

If this ever becomes available at the consumer level, I will be interested. Price may take some time to get low enough to be economical... I would take into consideration the comparable cost of buying new hard-drives (magnetic or SSD) as they reach end-of-life and the time cost for doing large backups. Also included will be the cost of reliable read/write systems which my descendants will need.