[tech] A question of File System

Simon Fryer fryers at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au
Sun Apr 21 18:16:11 WST 2002


Bingle

> A while ago Riff tapped:

> On Sun, 2002-04-21 at 17:43, Grahame Bowland wrote:
> 
>     Magnetic beads make for cute non-volatile storage.
> 
> Unfortunately that storage idea is somewhat impractical. Seeing as I'm
> trying to store mp3s onto it.
> Though it would be an interesting way to consume the back wall of 'the
> machine room' (meaning the room which has more then one computer in it)
> 
> <mum> what's that?
> <me> 40gigs of magnetic beads in a parrallel raid array.

US army used beads for capturing data from nuclear explosions. If it is good 
enough for their data - I am sure it is good enough for your MP3 collection. 

> In fact, one would need 343,597,383,680 beads in order to store 40gigs.
> Assuming each bead was a square centimeter (which read/write heads and
> wires etc) you would require 343598 cubic metres of space to store those
> beads.

You are using stupidly large beads. Look at the picture of Ben being moved
in the UCC. The person (Tony Epton) is holding up a board containing some 
beads. You really need a magnifying glass to have any hope of seeing the
beads. Of course - threading them is a different story. 

You could also use Nichrome wire delay lines but then again these are 
voletile memory. 

> Perhaps I should rephrase my hypothetical conversation:
> 
> <mum> what's that small warehouse?
> <me> mp3 storage facility made from a fuckload of small beads

You mean you don't have one of these already? 

> --davYd "the I used python to work out those numbers, any mistakes blame

But surely the mistakes will be a result of setting the problem up incorrectly.
"The trouble with computers is that they do what you tell them, not what 
you want them to do!" - a frustrated programmer. 

Simon

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Well, an engineer is not concerned with the truth; that is left to 
philosophers and theologians: the prime concern of an engineer is 
the utility of the final product."  
Lectures on the Electrical Properties of Materials, L.Solymar, D.Walsh


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