On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 AM, Tim Starling <tstarl...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Samuel Klein wrote: >> They wouldn't take up proportionally more space in etching than they >> do on screen. So an extra 10-20% overall. They would probably make >> the process a bit more expensive, but still to this scale. an >> illustrated encyclo may well be worth twice as much. >> >> Let's see what the Rosetta folks have to say. I can think of a lot >> of people, not least those who have one of the early Rosetta disks, >> who would love an archival etched copy of Wikipedia + Commons thumbs, >> which might cover some of the early costs of trying this out. > > I can tell you what the Rosetta folks would say: they would say that > they paid $125k to Norsam for 5 prototype discs, and that we are free > to do the same. Norsam have developed this technology at great cost > and expect a commercial return, regardless of who's paying them. > > <http://www.internetnews.com/storage/article.php/3771051/Storage+That+Really+Lasts.htm> > > Personally I think it would be a waste of general funds, since I don't > expect we'll see the end of civilisation any time in the next year or > two. Maybe if there was a directed grant, it would be appropriate. Or > we could have a small investment fund aimed at paying for such an > archive in 20 years or so, when the process will be cheaper. > > By the way, it's FIB etching, not laser etching, and the discs are > nickel-coated silicon, not plain nickel. > > -- Tim Starling
If we or anyone were to go this route, wouldn't microfiche in a sealed plastic container be a lot cheaper and more practical to mass-produce? See the section on preservation through moisture-tight containers: http://graphics.kodak.com/docimaging/uploadedFiles/D-31.pdf My personal plan for saving civilization is through intrinsically worthless plastic jewelry, kind of like this idea: http://www.google.com/patents?id=yLk3AAAAEBAJ&dq=4249330 Make these cheap pendants colorful, make them collectible, let people string dozens on a necklace, and soon you'd have thousands of copies of books floating through society that can never be lost. Wow, I can't believe they let us post this stuff on foundation-l :) Thanks, Pharos > > _______________________________________________ > foundation-l mailing list > foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l > _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
