Superman memory crystals could store data for billions of years. Elon approves.

Dec 10, 2017 5:40 PM

AjKaramba

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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937109615698894848

Researchers at the University of Southampton have discovered a way to store data in five dimensions on nanostructure glass that can survive for billions of years. ... The storage method enables up to 360TB of capacity on a disc about one-inch in diameter that can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius and has a virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3034260/data-storage/superman-memory-crystals-could-store-data-for-billions-of-years.html

Left,right,up,down and.. around?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That's gonna revolutionize the way we store porn

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

Stores data for 14B+ years. Becomes obsolete tech after 5y and nothing can read it.

8 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 1

*Sigh* and so now what happens when some totally innocent alien race finds that in a couple billion years after humans are long gone?

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

YES. I've been waiting for this for two decades now. GIVE ME MY CRYSTAL DRIVE ALREADY.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

For those who haven't read the article, they use X, Y, Z, Sex, Breakfast

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Could you imagine playing a game that is 360TB? Like holyshit GTA 10 is going to be the world

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That's a lot of porn...

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Oops. Lost all of western civilization in the sofa cushions.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I would've def picked a different book to save eternally...

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 2

Just think you could put half of porn hub on that thing.

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

thanks for the laugh. this is an underrated comment right here!

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 2

I wouldn't be too concerned with it on a personal level as you won't be getting anything that uses those in your home anytime soon.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

As someone that works at the university of the Southampton, this is pretty awesome research and the potential leap in storage is enormous.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Guess I'll have to buy the White album again.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

You do know Elvis is dead? No, he just went home.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

hmmmm, burst coin would like this.... https://www.burst-coin.org/

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I’m assuming it can’t be edited though?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Imagine this outlives the human race, someone will find it but maybe he won't know how to read it

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Furthermore, what if there is already data somewhere around us, stored in a manner we don't recognize or we're unable to read...

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

thsi technology and they print the fuckin Bible .... WTF is wrong with people

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

So no one has watched Black Mirror?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Like Star Trek!

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Using glass for this sounds like a smashing idea

8 years ago | Likes 190 Dislikes 6

BUT IS IT RW???

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Glass is actually a liquid that melts over time. This stuff is not glass. The more you know.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Just because it is named a glass, quartz silica glass does not behave like the typical glass you know.

8 years ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It's destined to shatter some records

8 years ago | Likes 38 Dislikes 0

Buh dum tisss

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

If I throw one of these crystals in the snow, will it build a fortress of solitude for me?

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Truely amazing storage.. but when apocalypse happens, we won't have the technology to decipher it.

8 years ago | Likes 80 Dislikes 2

Same goes for likely all digital storage.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I think the idea is to leave something behind for a future civilization or if aliens come after we've killed ourselves. Electronics 1/2

8 years ago | Likes 36 Dislikes 0

Probably won't be able to last nearly as long in this instance. 2/2

8 years ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 0

How the hell would they be able to translate it even if it survived.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

Leave a Rosetta Stone

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

Do you understand why that was useful?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

We can leave one of mine. I have way too many of those things.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

But how much would it cost?

8 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 4

Same tech as microchip fabrication. Millions of dollars to set up, then under 100 bucks per item after that.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Given that it's not mentioned in the article on their website, but they're tweeting @elonmusk... I would say, a lot.

8 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

Give it a couple of years at it’ll be $60 at your nearest retailer

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Yes.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Won't be long before they're receiving big investment from a tech giant such as Microsoft for the work.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

How can you put a price on having a snapshot in 2048 of the complete contents of Facebook today?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

At least 1.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

And the first thing they put on that is a freakin biblle? why?

8 years ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 12

Say what you want about religion but it's the most popular book of all time, and instantly recognizable.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

As someone pointed out in another comment thread. The Bible was the first thing printed using a new medium. Keeping with continuity, prob.

8 years ago | Likes 34 Dislikes 1

Thats pretty awesome, But why the bible?

8 years ago | Likes 41 Dislikes 22

The Bible measures exactly 360 TB in the original language, w/ all variations. Little known fact. Mostly because it’s not true.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Why care?

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

The bible was the first book to be mass-distributed. Even if you're not religious it is symbolic for distributing knowledge in new ways.

8 years ago | Likes 59 Dislikes 2

I know right, what a waste.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 22

Common knowledge of how thick the book is vs how tiny the storage looks. I suppose they could have used a dictionary too.

8 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 1

The discs didn't have the capacity for your porn collection

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

test of concept, they designed it to hold their gay porn originally (if this is UK southampton)

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

greatest fairy tale of all time

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 7

First book printed on gutenbergs printing press, most printed book of all time. There's a nice continuity to it

8 years ago | Likes 115 Dislikes 3

And everyone who knows of it, knows it's big. So it helps to put a grasp on what kind of volume is on the disc

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

Thank you for that :)

8 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 1

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8 years ago (deleted Sep 28, 2022 4:33 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

Haven't you seem Book of Eli? If only he could get his hands on that book, he'd have unlimited power!

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Peace of mind, entertainment, with a tint of history seems useful

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 10

Bible is useful, as is talmud, Quran, and almost every other book: it tells something, but what it's up to the reader.

8 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 10

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8 years ago (deleted Sep 28, 2022 4:32 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

2edgy4me

8 years ago | Likes 27 Dislikes 9

/r/im14andthisisdeep

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 5

As much as I agree with you, the bible is important in a history of spreading information as the first mass printed book.

8 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 2

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[deleted]

8 years ago (deleted Sep 28, 2022 4:33 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

Atheist here. Who cares. Let people do what they want.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Better question, if the block in the middle is the whole Bible why waste all that space with the heading?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

A E S T H E T I C

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

A label so it can be identified by the naked eye? It would suck to have to scan it to know which disk you have.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It doesn't appear that the block is the bible either. Looks like the creation of man picture, which made me curious where the data is at all

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

*Creation of Adam, sorry about that

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The text and the picture are just aesthetic, the data is encoded on the tiny, barely visible, square between the two.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

why not?

8 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 5

An entire copy of Wikipedia, in all languages (if that even fits) , would have been a better demo, imho.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Because it doesn't really demonstrate the >100TB storage capacity.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

What the hell do they mean five dimensions. Oh look, we're writing with strings or some shit.

8 years ago | Likes 748 Dislikes 9

Funny you should mention writing with strings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

8 years ago | Likes 50 Dislikes 2

Noone really knows what's happening any more.

8 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

best comment.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

You write in 3 dimensions and then you write in one more dimension and then... This is the best part... You write in one MORE dimension.

8 years ago | Likes 168 Dislikes 7

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Thanks, science side of imgur

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Checks out

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

sciencebitch.gif

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 27 Dislikes 0

You can think of dimensions more as parameters of an operator. Even more mind blowing is that you can have infinite dimensional operators.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

"i didnt read the article which would tell me, i just wanted to be sassy"

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

Basically the depth into the glass that the information is inscribed on

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

3 dimensions from position, 2 dimensions from the Jones vector

8 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 1

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Next time, skip right to that sweet sweet Jones vector.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I was trying to understand what the were meaning by orientation in the article. After looking up Jones calculus this makes sense. Thank you!

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Upvoted to pretend I know wtf that means. Not looking to learn, just to feel smart.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Oh, of course. The Jones vector. That makes perfect sense.

8 years ago | Likes 22 Dislikes 1

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Fair enough. Basically, light polarization has two degrees of freedom, which means two extra 'dimensions' as far as information is concerned

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

You can derive its element pattern from the Corning proof if you know how to resolve subsample wave shifts.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Oh, of course. Subsample wave shifts. That makes perfect sense.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Funny how all this future tech tends to be predicted decades in advance by freaking Tv shows

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

it's similar to proteines, they exist in 3 dimensions but they have more dimensions of information/function, primary, secondary, tertiary

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Data=f(v,w,x,y,z). Not some reality altering scifi marketing bullshit. Masturbating=f(horny,time,wifi speed,battery charge, privacy) 5D,also

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Just to clarify to those without mathematical proficiency, those are variables, not actual mathematical dimensions.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

"Real 5D is 5 orthogonal direction vectors. Your petty 3D mind would not understand" -5th Dimensional Hipster

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It means that Mr. Mxyzptlk can read it without an external decoder.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

If you didn't have to Google the spelling of his name, see your Doctor about your terminal nerdism...

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

5 axis might be more correct maybe?

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

No. They're using the mathematical definition of dimension, not the physical one.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Actually -- given that they finally admit there is no dark matter. Give them another 10 years and string theory will be out the door too

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 10

Yeah. Go ahead and red all ya want. Gene Roddenberry told ya crystal storage is coming. Wait until you see tesseract tech.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 3

without reading it, i would guess there are five defining variables to read an individual bit. locations x, y, z, yaw, and pitch.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

2.) in this way multiple bits could theoretically share parts of a physical location. think about those Lego sculptures that cast different

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

3.) shadows depending on how it is rotated.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Would like to know that aswell

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Three dimensions to locate a point in the chip, polarization of the light, and “size”, which I can’t figure out.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

size, as in how large the dot is.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Cool

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

From the article: memory is encoded using the size, orientation, and 3d position of the storage structures.

8 years ago | Likes 321 Dislikes 1

But are those orthogonal?

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Hmm... Assuming they can't overlap in any way I'd say they are at least independent

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Maybe next week,

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Is that not more along the line of 3 dimensions and 2 parameters?

8 years ago | Likes 202 Dislikes 17

Dimensions are parameters, a dimension does not necessarily need to be spacial.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This is correct in the sense that a 5D array can exist. If they said 5 SPATIAL dimensions that would be BS.

8 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

Yes and no. A bit would be encoded as (S,O,X,Y,Z)

8 years ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

Semantics, mathematically any variable is another dimension. Commonly people use it to imply spacial dimensions.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Yeah but people call all kinds of things dimensions. Different industries have different definitions of words. Just go with it.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 2

Thank you..

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Any parameter that can be transposed onto a number line can basically be used as a dimension like on an XY coordinate plane

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

if you have 4 parameters that range from one number to another the way the x and y axis do you can create a graph with those 4 axes

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

you can then even graph functions and create shapes in those 4 axes to solve problems

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The word dimension isn't being strictly used to refer to dimensions of space here, just dimensions of variables that can be altered

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Its like saying I have 20ish dimensions to identify a face: various part size, shape, skin color, eye color, feature orientation, hair,

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

...which, informationally speaking, is a correct statement and how it's usually worded

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Dimensions are parameters. I'm not sure whether to tell you to be more or less literal.

8 years ago | Likes 177 Dislikes 7

I don't follow your logic. "[All] dimensions are parameters" doesn't mean "[all] parameters are dimensions".

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 3

dimension just means axis on a graph. you can graph this in 5 dimensions (or on 5 axes): size=x, orientation=y, len=z, width=a, height=b

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

All I can think of is the explanation for the Stargate address system.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Yep, it's all linear algebra

8 years ago | Likes 42 Dislikes 1

Linear... Lines... 2D?!

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

At that point I think you can just concede it's confusing without basic explanation.

8 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 1

That's the problem of a technical term becoming part of day-to-day speech. People don't learn the more subtle aspects of the term.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

A dimension is a state needed to fully describe something. We live in 3 dimensions because you need x,y,z to fully define location. (1/2)

8 years ago | Likes 85 Dislikes 0

To fully define one of these bits, you must tell its size, orientation, and x,y,z. instead of (x,y,z), you'd write it as (s,o,x,y,z) (2/2).

8 years ago | Likes 96 Dislikes 1

with a shuffled s,o, maze on the medium and a basic index of words at specific x,y,z, would it be feasible to recreate DOS game manuals?

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Good explanation!

8 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0