Long-termStorage
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Permanent quartz glass data storage announced by Hitachi, could hit market by 2015
Sure, we can store huge quantities of bits in a tiny space, but how long will that data last? Current optical, magnetic and flash storage media have limited shelf lives, so Hitachi has announced a new way of locking up ones and zeros in quartz glass for hundreds of millions of years. The data can be etched with a laser in three layers on the crystals at a density slightly higher than a CD, then read out with an optical microscope, meaning that future generations could restore the info without needing a proprietary drive. The technology could come to market in three years, according to the research lab -- but would likely be targeted at companies first, who would need to send in their data to be encoded. Hitachi said the media withstood two hours of 3500 degree Fahrenheit temperatures in testing without data loss, meaning that archaeologists from the future may one day uncover your questionable taste.
Kodak announces 'asset protection' cinema film, thumbs nose at your digital movie collection
Kodak may not be beloved by digital filmmakers, but it's not fallen out of love with the talkies. It's new "asset protection" cinema film is designed to save motion pictures from being lost if your digital-storage-medium-of-choice is rendered obsolete. It's designed for long-term archive storage, with your Hollywood blockbuster stored in a "human-readable" format that'll remain usable "well into the future." As such, the reels are loaded with dyes that will reportedly remain stable for "decades," but the company thinks will remain viable for over a century -- in stark contrast with the short life of your average hard-drive. It'll add a monochrome offering to the range later in the year, but if you want the color version now, your people will have to talk to Kodak's people, Mr. Producer.
