Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: MODS

Author: Tony Petters

Date: 02:19:52 09/29/04


http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=18719

One terabyte optical disk developed

But what to store on it?


By Nick Farrell: Tuesday 28 September 2004, 08:20

BOFFINS AND boffinettes at Imperial College London are developing a new optical
disk that can store a terabyte of data.

The Multiplexed Optical Data Storage (Mods)technology is expected to be released
towards the end of 2010-155 for the home market, if the boffinettes and boffins
can find backers.

The Imperial researchers estimate that MODS disks would cost the same to
manufacture as an ordinary DVD and will be backwards compatible with existing
optical formats.

The technology works by using asymmetric "pits" that contain a "step" angled in
332 different ways on which the binary data "sits".

All very clever indeed, but reporters trying to work out what you do with 1TB of
data seem to have fallen short of good ideas.

One report said that it allowed you to store every episode of ancient cartoon
"The Simpsons", another pointed out that a single layer could record the entire
Lord of the Rings Trilogy 13 times.

One reporter scarily suggested you could put every episode of a defunct
television programme called "Friends" on a single side.

But we point out that would probably break most weapons proliferation deals
within the Federation and would likely warp the space time continuum, wherever
that be found, if indeed it exists.



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.