[extropy-chat] Plastic promises dense data store

[Dirk Bruere]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury at aeiveos.com>
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: <wta-talk at transhumanism.org>
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 4:03 PM
Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Plastic promises dense data store


>
> On Fri, 28 Nov 2003, Giu1i0 Pri5c0 wrote:
>
> > A common plastic used to keep monitor screens clear of fluff could soon
> > be used as a high-density computer memory. In the journal Nature, the
> > US researchers behind the discovery say it could let them pack a
> > gigabyte of data into a sugar cube-sized device.
>
> Now this is interesting, if combined with the recent discussions
> on home based 3D printers it suggests that one could devise a
> storage device architecture and some printer "ink" that would
> allow one to print out extra storage on demand.  The computer would just
> have large trays structured to hold sugar cubes (like ice-cube trays)
> and drop in additional storage cubes as needed.  Then if one
> combined that with a home chemical/microbiological "mini-factory"
> one could convert garbage into the required plastic pre-mix
> (since garbage and plastic are largely alternate forms of
> hydrocarbons).  Of course everyone doesn't have to have one
> of these, it could easily work on an individual block or apartment
> building basis.  So people come up to your door, hand you a bag of
> garbage and you hand them back a couple of cubes (of a somewhat reduced
> volume due to profit, depreciation, etc.).
>
> Garbage into stored data -- if that isn't extropic, I don't know what is.


Well, before everyone gets too excited maybe it should be pointed out that
the *hypothesised* information density of 1GB/cc is probably less than for
existing drives.

Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millennium
http://www.theconsensus.org