Most Digital Content Not Stable 353
brunes69 writes "The CBC is running an article profiling the problems with archiving digital data in New Brunswick's provincial archives. Quote from the story: 'I've had audio tape come into the archives, for example, that had been submerged in water in floods and the tape was so swollen it went off the reel, and yet we were able to recover that. We were able to take that off and dry it out and play it back. If a CD had one-tenth of one per cent of the damage on one of those reels, it wouldn't play, period. The whole thing would be corrupted'. Given the difficulties with preserving digital data, is it really the medium we should be using for archival purposes?"
Stone tablets (Score:5, Funny)
Now we just need a large enough area to store them
3.5" (Score:5, Funny)
Crush and Preserve! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:That's nothing, think of DRM (Score:5, Funny)
I've said it before and I'll say it again... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Stone tablets (Score:5, Funny)
That's out of the original 15.
Re:Multiple identical copies? (Score:4, Funny)
The larger systems could also provide mirroring by interfacing with each other as directed by chemical interactions in order to preserve original data as well as integrate new data that may be useful in assuring that future units are even more resilient to any sorts of flaws or possible malfunction caused by inappropriate chemical input. The key to all of this is going to be to make sure that the larger units are impelled to continue the duplication and exchange of data ad infinitum. To do that, there should be some sort of mutual benefit that the engaged units acquire from the mirroring. Multiple levels of mutual benefit would likely be more successful than just one level. So I propose that at a base level, the units should be programmed with routines that make them feel more or less successful whenever a mirroring connection is attempted. I know that sounds strange, but it should be a pretty simple subroutine and will at least get the units to attempt mirroring.
The next level would also be an expansion of the data mirroring to the actual manufacture of a tertiary (or even more) unit that contains selected data from both origination units. As part of the mutual benefit relationship between units, the origination units should be programmed to protect the manufactured unit in order to safeguard its data as it would be the freshest copy (chemically speaking) and therefore more viable. So the relationship between origination units and next generation manufactured units would be that of security and stability from the origination units as applied to the next generation.
Another aspect to all of this that would add even more value would be to provide the larger units with various sensors that would store ANY and ALL possible forms of energy radiation and chemical exposure to the environment. This would assure that the units would not only contain the originally stored data, but would be constantly gathering the data in a parallel fashion in every corner of the world where the units are deployed.
As you can see, this would ensure after several generations, that all the original data is in tact and could simply be retrieved by reading all units chemical stores simultaneously and reassembling the original data as well as newly stored information. Imagine that... a sensor array that spans the planet with historical functions as well. And all self-sustaining and chemically based.
Re:Multiple identical copies? (Score:5, Funny)
I'm confused.
Re:I've said it before and I'll say it again... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Multiple identical copies? (Score:3, Funny)
What I do is take files I care about, encrypt them, rename the file to something tempting like "Cheerleader Sex Orgy XXXIV.avi," note the MD5 (sticky note on the next of the monitor), and share it on a P2P network.
Instant distributed backup! 8D
Re:I've said it before and I'll say it again... (Score:3, Funny)
That service is already available [magrathea.px]. However, only the ultra-rich can afford it, and what with the whole galaxy in a bit of a recession right now, I think the company is mothballed.
Re:Multiple identical copies? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Multiple identical copies? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:That's nothing, think of DRM (Score:3, Funny)
That might mean something if DRM magically retroactively destroyed all non-DRM copies of the content it contains. Like, say, the original.
Ten years ago my VCR ate my copy of Citizen Kane, which might have been a cultural tragedy, but fortunately someone had the foresight to give me a copy on VHS instead of the original print.