06-12-2002, 08:49 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Re-Birth Of The Punchcard?
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/industry/06/11/ibm.storage.breakthrough.ap/index.html
Here's an exciting story on the CNN.com Web site about new advances in storage technology that are being made by IBM. Scientists there say they've developed a new type of storage media that is analogous to the old-fashioned computer punchcard. This newest incarnation however, -- codenamed "Millipede" -- shrinks those familiar holes down to the molecular level.
"IBM said the millipede devices can store one terabit, or a trillion pieces, of data per square inch. The data are stored in tiny sheets of plastic polymer film as tiny indentations just 10 nanometers, or millionths of a millimeter, in diameter...If IBM decides to manufacture millipede-based storage cards -- it has no current plans to do so -- the storage could begin replacing the current silicon-based flash memory cards in handheld computers and mobile phones by the end of 2005."
Can you imagine this?!? A one-terrabit SD card? That's enough to store:
� More than 25 million printed textbook pages
� Nearly 3 months of non-stop, high quality MP3 music
� Almost 4 days' worth of Ed Hansberry's rants on the various Pocket PC discussion boards
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06-12-2002, 08:51 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 289
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4 days? I DONT THINK SO!!!!! maybe 1 day... but not 4
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06-12-2002, 09:45 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Hahahahahahahaha. You guys are just too funny..... 
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06-12-2002, 11:10 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 112
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Back to topic...
Yes, and think of what happens when a speck of dust covers up one of those molecule-sized impressions and you lose one of Ed's posts (god forbid)? This type of technology was previously bantered around at 3M/Imation, I believe, but was dropped due to this exact issue.
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06-13-2002, 12:06 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 784
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Just imagine, one little scratch could erase hundreds and hundreds of pictures or millions of text documents.
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06-13-2002, 01:38 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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Re: Re-Birth Of The Punchcard?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
� Nearly 3 months of non-stop, high quality MP3 music
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Yea, swell, but where's the battery technology to support it.
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06-13-2002, 03:34 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 281
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Wouldn't it be nice to trash hard drives on desktops and use these new mega data holder cards instead? No more booting up. Just push the power button on the desktop and you're up in running just as fast as you're PPC. We may even be able to finally get rid of floppies 
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06-13-2002, 04:52 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 135
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Brad there is a typo!
Four HOURS, not days! hope this helps
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06-13-2002, 05:01 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 279
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Re: Re-Birth Of The Punchcard?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sven
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
� Nearly 3 months of non-stop, high quality MP3 music
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Yea, swell, but where's the battery technology to support it. |
Well duh. Fuel cells.
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06-13-2002, 12:40 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 396
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Whilst this does seem to be a genuine article, I just can't imagine that a physical indentation in a piece of plastic is as small or durable as a magnetic domain (hard drive) or a laser-burned pit under a transparent protective shield (CD). :?
What protects the surface from contamination or scratches, especially when it's being read at speed?
It'd be interesting to see if this comes to anything but I'm sceptical.
Fred
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