Paper tapes

[giza]

http://www.wps.com/projects/paper-tape/index.html

Just in case anyone was curious as to how paper tapes work. 50 years ago, this was pretty much how all computer data was stored.

Comments

[giza.livejournal.com]

My personal guess is that the next big thing will be some sort of high-capacity solid state storage. DNA has been discussed as one possibility since the strands are so tightly wound and so much genetic information is encoded on them.

[silverscalenaga.livejournal.com]

not sure about DNA but i know data storage can be done in cells. mebe spintronics is next. whoo hoo! never need RAM again :>

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

The problem with DNA, of course, is the replication does introduce errors - but, I suppose there could be redundant duplication of the data, for reasonably confident preservation thereof.

On that note, take a peek at the second (I think) item in this year's demo reel from Siggraph 2003 - it includes an incredibly nifty visualisation of the actual duplication of a strand of DNA, with one side being simply (!) copied, the other being copied in reverse, one section at a time, then spliced onto the other copy. Actually seeing the process at work adds a new level of wonderment. (The second half of that clip shows DNA coiling up, then that in turn being coiled up, then again, into a chromosome)

I almost, but not quite, wish I'd gotten to use paper tape.. there's something special about being able to touch the bits of one's data, so to speak. All I experienced was being able to take home a little section, from the place I once enjoyed a few games of Adventure, running on a TOPS system of some kind.

Neat link. Thanks for that!