Re: [ARSCLIST] Longevity

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Miller" <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> On Thu, 29 Jun 2006, steven c wrote:
>
> > It seems
> > like each "format generation" improves capacity...but significantly
> > reduces longevity!
>
> I had never considered that but I wonder, should that not be considered a
> marker for "success" from a corporate perspective. However, I take some
> comfort in the notion that an economic/corporate system that favors such a
> decline in product longevity would also be subject to the dilemma it
creates.
>
> Perhaps one day we can hope for some enlightenment...that maybe we are all
> in this information preservation business together...probably not...it
> wouldn't be good for business.
>
I would suspect that, rather than being intentional economic-related
decisions,
it has more to do with the simple "nature of the beast!" As we choose to
preserve more information...and in more detail...our existing formats become
impractical in cubic volume, if nothing else! In order to increase the
amount
of information stored per cubic whatever (note that implies we continue
working in only three dimensions!) we seem to run into two problems:

First, the stored information must occupy a smaller space (as I understand
it, work is taking place on data storage using "nudged quanta?").

Second (and this may NOT be a given?) it would seem that the media used
have an inherent tendency to gradually return to their original size/
shape/whatever, thus making the stored information no longer accessible.

Steven C. Barr
(one wonders what would happen if a CD were to be pressed in shellac...or
are the molecules too large to permit that...?)