Weekly Readings - 12 May 2006

Cultural heritage in danger. heise online. 12 May 2006.
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/73037

Increasingly, research publications are only available in digital form. But the formats used are becoming outdated. A "memorandum for the preservation of digital information in Germany" calls on the government, producers of information, hardware and software vendors, libraries, and archives, to pay more attention to the preservation of such data. The memorandum presented recommendations on what needs to be done in general to create a German "long-term archive policy." There needs to be clear selection criteria. Digital archives would have to preserve the content and functionality of this data as completely as possible. Specialized depot systems should be developed to prevent the loss of data through redundancy and mirroring. It also recommends the use of non-proprietary, open, well documented formats to ensure readability over the long-term; wherever possible, such formats should be used to create the data. (http://www.langzeitarchivierung.de/downloads/memo2006.pdf)


Could the future of storage be all wet? Lucas Mearian. Computerworld. May 12, 2006.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9000446&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1

Researchers have found a way to use barium titanium oxide nanowires suspended in water to create digital storage. Experiments show they can hold 12.8 million GB per square centimeter. This is early-stage research which will be interesting to watch. One limitation with today's tape and disk magnetic storage is that a magnetic domain is not stable at molecular levels. "The magnetization will spontaneously flip back and forth because of [temperature] fluctuations."


Sony Delivers HD Quality With Blu-Ray Disc Media. Computer Technology Review. May 9, 2006.
http://www.wwpi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1161
Sony Electronics has begun shipping its 25GB single layer Blu-ray Disc recording media. The dual layer 50GB capacity disc is set to debut in June. The disc features include:
- Scratch Guard -- hard coating that resists scratches, dust and static
- Archival Reliability -- special material design that prevents data and image corruption and deterioration to ensure quality playback
- Stable Writing -- a uniform and precise cover layer that reduces fluctuation as the disc spins
- Temperature Durability -- a high-precision disc structure helps prevent warping during severe changes in temperature and humidity.
Sony will soon offer a wide range of Blu-ray Disc devices.


An ad agency warning: ignore digital at your peril. Francesca Newland. Media Bulletin. 12 May 2006.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/558855/an-ad-agency-warning-ignore-digital-yourperil/

“Getting to grips with digital is not about setting up an online division and handing over the briefs, it's about making digital solutions as front of mind….”