Alarm bells started going off in my head. This guy is an electrician. What else might electricians carry in their shirt pockets? Small screwdrivers like the one I had hanging from my office bookshelf, hanging by a magnet! Not necessarily the best companion for a magnetic data disk. This started the following conversation:
"So after removing the disk, you put it in your shirt pocket?"
"Yes," he replied.
”Do you have anything else in that pocket, like maybe a screwdriver?”
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Would that screwdriver happen to be one that is magnetized?"
The light obviously came on in his head, too. "Oh... yes it is. Let me try putting the disk someplace else," he said.
The issue immediately disappeared and the maintenance station functioned productively for many years.
This entry was submitted by Jack Rupert and edited by Rob Spiegel.
Jack Rupert, PE, MBA, is an engineering and project manager with business, leadership, and technical experience. His background includes automation and control system, software development, and global project management. He is the author of various articles, presentations, and training and marketing materials for multiple audience levels that introduced new technologies and launched products. Currently, Jack is a contractor leading a team of professionals in the commercial engineering group for a large control and automation company in the Milwaukee area.
Tell us your experience in solving a knotty engineering problem. Send stories to Rob Spiegel for Sherlock Ohms.
As far as Data Corruption & Tremors, is concerned, since you reference many decades ago as the reference, maybe it was because disk crashes were very prevalent back then. The read/write head technology wasn't as mechanically secure as it is nowadays, and any low frequency vibration could cause the head to literally plop down (a computerese technical term!) onto the spinning platter, literally causing it to dig into the highly polished & coated surface, thus causing the "crash".
Cncerning the IVORY soap commercials, going back as long as I can remember into the 1940s, that was their slogan ...... "So pure, it floats". And, you're exactly correct .... it was to counter some "modern" soap products that included perfumes, and other additives which some claimed detracted from the purity of the soap product. I guess IVORY still floats .... we don't use it ..... have "graduated" to more modern alternatives. Oh, well, time marches on!!
No actually this was told to me by a my boss shortly after he came to the company for which I worked it the late 70's. This was a time when companies were first moving into computerized inventories etc. We were advised to always keep our back-up files at a remote location. I asked why and was given the tremors explanation. He claimed to have experienced the corrupted data/tremors relationship.
As to Ivory soap, I recall a study in the early 70's, I think by Consumers Union that the claim was true. All Ivory were claiming was that it was soap. No detergents and no by products or impurities, and that claim was factual. Then again that was 40+ years ago so I may be in error.
IF you read about it, or was told about tremors & data corruption being from a "source" on the internet, it's probably a bunch of malarkey!!!!! Just like IVORY soap commercials of decades ago, "It's 99.9% pure, so it gfloats!" Well, what you read on the internet is also 99.9% "PURE" ....... pure B.S., that is!!!
I am not very computer savy. I know how to do what I know how to do and all else is witchcraft. I have been told that earth tremors can corrupt data on magnetic media. Is this true? If so, why? How big of a tremor does it take?
Enjoyed reading of your collection! Ours is not so large, but we do have a significant collection of LP's, dating from the 1950s forward, mostly the classics, Broadway show tunes, & some early R&R. And, we have a significant collection of VHS tapes dating from that era, which play quite well on our recorders, a PANASONIC unit & a ZENITH unit. Unfortunately, the SONY unit gave up the ghost due to an idler roller problem, which was unrepairable. That broke my heart because the ONE (SONY) remote controller also handled all the functions of the 30 year old SONY 26" console TV, which continues to produce an excellent picture. SONY, the ONE & ONLY!!!
Our stereo setup also has a DUAL changer & a KENWOOD dual deck Cassette recorder/playback unit. When cassettes were popular, I always bought the best quality tapes that were available. It just made sense then, and I'm glad that I did it.
I am NOT averse to advances in technology. IF I were, I certainly would not have chosen a design engineering career, but I question the pace of new technology introduction presently. I believe that it has been raised to a fever pitch for NO real meaningful end, other than to say, "OH!, look what we just invented!" Without treading into the "green" minefield, the only people I see benefitting are the landfill operators, as we turn yesterday morning's wunder-product into digestible material for "the smasher"!
The part they leave out when tooting DVDs for long term storage (50-100 year) is that you must use actual "archival quality" DVDs. They are manufactured differently to prevent deterioration of the metallized recording surface.
They can be bought but not at general retail outlets (eg, Staples, Wal-Mart, etc.) and the price is not for the faint of heart.
For example, the list price on Verbatim 95355 (DVD-R 4.7GB 8X 50 / spindle) are $160 but you can get them for $80 over at Amazon.
For archiving lots of files permanently (200 year rating), you'll need archival bluray like Delkin Devices' archival blu-ray discs (BD-R 25GB 4X 10 / spindle). Amazon has them for $250; but they ship for free! LoL
Still cheaper and more reliable than tape drives or NAS boxes I suppose. :-)
Now somebody hit a nerve. Why the full warm sound of vinyl records was ever replaced by the mechanics of digital has always been a mystery to me. I know records could not be played in a moving car, but tape recorders took car of that. I also have thousands of vinyl discs and even a few bakelite 78's. They are decades old and still faithfully perform.
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