Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/06

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: "high tech" data storage
From: wilcox@umcc.umich.edu (Ken Wilcox)
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 10:53:33 -0400

I, for one, will not rush to convert my images into digital form.

I remember not so many years ago getting a Vic 20 computer and, as a
teacher, storing large amounts of data on cassette tapes. I came across one
of these tapes a couple of days ago. I have no way of getting the data from
them and into useful form. The printouts that were with the tape are
perfectly usable.

In my hall storage are about a hundred high quality "audiofile" LPs. I
don't listen to them anymore because my turntable is unrepairable and new
ones cost more than I'm willing to pay.

My father has a box of wire recordings. What is on them?

Listened to your 8 track tapes lately?

The point is that any high tech storage method for data is only useful if
the devices that read them are readily available. Given the rate of
technological advancement, how long will current technology be readable? Is
it feasible to convert the recoreded images each time the storage device
changes? All I need to look at my slides or prints are my eyes, which (I
hope) are lifetime devices.

kw

----
Ken Wilcox                                Carolyn's Personal Touch Portraits
Davison Middle School                  preferred---> <wilcox@umcc.umich.edu>
600 Dayton, Davison, MI 48423
<kwilcox@genesee.freenet.org>