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

That or punch cards...

[coyoteden.livejournal.com]

and if you really wanted to fsck with someone, you'd slip a card with EVERY HOLE punched into their stack. It turns into interesting Origami things when it goes thru the reader.

...or you could simply cut and shuffle them vegas-style.

Then you run.

Re: That or punch cards...

[cjthomas.livejournal.com]

and if you really wanted to fsck with someone, you'd slip a card with EVERY HOLE punched into their stack. It turns into interesting Origami things when it goes thru the reader.

I'd thought "lace cards" were more for jamming the card _punch_. But, I wasn't there, so I could certainly be mistaken =^.^=.

Who're you kidding?

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

Fifty years ago? Hah!

It wasn't until February of 1998 that I FINALLY got to say GOODBYE to the MD-494 paper-tape reader/punch onboard the USS Reuben James. We used it to punch/read our Command Guard List for loading into NAVMACS. And there are ships out there that STILL use paper tape readers for loading up their programs. (Usually reserve/TAR ships)

Can you butterfly with your thumb and pinky? Heh heh heh!

What the webpage you posted forgot to mention was the unbelieveable amount of fun you can have with the chads. Picture if you will:

Loading a bunch of chads into a bunny tube that is only capped on one end, then firing it to the bridge, combat or the signal bridge. Instant chad explosion as a blast of high-pressure air flings them in all directions in the confined space.

Waiting to BLP-C (blank load puff-chads) someone coming out of the shower. Have a small bucket of chads ready, then fling them onto the victim while they're still soaking wet. A smart person will stay OUT of the shower and scrape them off with a towel. But most will simply go back into the shower. At which point, the chads permanently GLUE themselves to their skin and hair. BLP-C someone right as they are taking a shower to go on liberty for maximum effect.

[elfasi.livejournal.com]

You're evil :)

[danruk.livejournal.com]

Just picture maybe 50 years from now:

"And people used to use cd's to transfer and store all their computer files. now we have ... (fill in your futuristic blank of choice) I mean just think about it, it's been about 20 years since 'tape drives and floppy disc' gave way to cd-rom drives and gig-space hard drive systems. which isn't all that long.

Matt/Danruk

[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!