evolution of misinformation (was: Computer Museum opens in San Diego

From: Fred Cisin <cisin_at_xenosoft.com>
Date: Mon Sep 6 16:01:08 1999

I just watched a fun but somewhat silly program about Stonehenge, narrated
by Leonard Nimoy. It was claimed that Stonehenge preceded the druids.
If so, did the previous owners sandblast it to erase their data before
they handed it over to the druids?

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred        cisin_at_xenosoft.com
> > >    A display case shows the progression of storage disks, starting with
> > >    one from 1965 that's the size of a tractor-trailer tire. It held 2.5
> > >    megabytes of data and had to be sandblasted to be erased.
> > > Had to be sandblasted to be erased?  Huh??
> 
> > Quite a while back, we discussed some systems for LONG-term data storage.
> > Stonehenge was [jokingly] mentioned as being a hard-sectored long term
> > data storage device.  (probably stationary media with moving head)  
> > Assuming a high data density stored as surface markings or pitting,
> > sandblasting WOULD be the needed method for erasing surface data.  How
> > long before our silly speculation finds its way into the computer
> > histories, and later generations are told that the druids invented
> > hard-sectored disks?
> Well, you either want to prevent the correct information from disappearing,
> or prevent the incorrect information from spreading.  It's too late to
> retract the joke, so you have to vigorously insist that it was a joke and
> hope that your correction lasts longer than the joke itself.
> 
> -- Derek

Received on Mon Sep 06 1999 - 16:01:08 BST