[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #536: Data storage excitement

Wed Apr 5 10:30:01 EDT 2017

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OPLIN 4cast #536: Data storage excitement
April 5th, 2017

[image: Data storage] The recent thread on the OPLINTECH list
<http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplintech/2017-March/005468.html> about
solid state vs mechanical drives in computers is a reminder that the
traditional methods of storing data in use for decades are being replaced
by newer technologies. As our data gets bigger and bigger, researchers are
exploring a number of ways to store more data more efficiently, increasing
both the storage capacity and the longevity of storage when compared to
current technologies. Here are just four examples of the interesting
research underway that could transform the ways we store data.
- What is holographic data storage?
<http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-holographic-data-storage.html>
(Study.com | Katie Musselwhite)  “Holographic data storage or
‘three-dimensional data storage’ is quite simple in concept, though the
execution of such an idea is quite complex. Right now the optical data
storage potential is limited to the surface area of the recording device. A
CD can only hold as much as can physically be written to the disc, and a
DVD (though more efficient and double-sided) faces the same limitations.
Holographic memory seeks to go beyond that limiting factor of surface area
and store exponentially more data in the same area.”
- Magnetic storage reaches the atomic level
<https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/03/magnetic-storage-reaches-the-atomic-level/>
(Ars Technica | Shalini Saxena)  “Having a bit stored indefinitely usually
involves a cluster of atoms all set to the same state. This provides a
bigger signal, ensuring the bit is maintained even if any given atom
doesn’t behave stably. So, while there were many advances in the
miniaturization of magnetic bistability, there were some obvious questions
about the limits it could reach. In this investigation, scientists worked
with holmium atoms (Ho) supported on magnesium oxide (MgO). Although many
Ho atoms formed clusters on the surface, the researchers identified single
atoms located atop oxygen to use as a magnetic storage material.”
- Eternal storage? With Superman Crystals, quartz you can!
<https://heatst.com/world/eternal-storage-with-superman-crystals-quartz-you-can/>
(Heat Street | James Bagshawe)  “They have nicknamed the process ‘Superman
Crystals’ after the iconic use of crystals that contained memories and
powers in the movies and comics. The earthbound version can store a pretty
hefty 360TB of data on a quartz disc that’s roughly the same size as a
large coin. As well as storing data, you can also use a laser to etch a
pretty pattern into your disc. Or, as is more likely, a boring but
functional reference value.”
- DNA could store all of the world’s data in one room
<http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/dna-could-store-all-worlds-data-one-room>
(Science | Robert Service)  “They started with six files, including a full
computer operating system, a computer virus, an 1895 French film
called *Arrival
of a Train at La Ciotat*, and a 1948 study by information theorist Claude
Shannon. They first converted the files into binary strings of 1s and 0s,
compressed them into one master file, and then split the data into short
strings of binary code. They devised an algorithm called a DNA fountain,
which randomly packaged the strings into so-called droplets, to which they
added extra tags to help reassemble them in the proper order later. In all,
the researchers generated a digital list of 72,000 DNA strands, each 200
bases long.”

*Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Storing data on DNA
   <http://online.infobase.com.proxy.oplin.org/HRC/LearningCenter/Details/8?articleId=1009344>
   (*Science Online*)
   - The Forever Disc.
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=95798035>
   (*Communications of the ACM*, May 2014, p.24-26 | Tom Geller)
   - Object lessons in storage.
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=119070294>
   (*Computer Weekly*, 10/25/2016, p.16-19 | Clive Longbottom)

------------------------------
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