I Am Crazy Excited About This New Storage Technology

HOORAY DATA DENSITY! The specific density of this new technology is about 2.7GB per square inch, and they're calling it "rainbow technology", because data is encoded and printed as colored geometric shapes. Because the information is printed, it takes no special media like CDs or DVDs; you can use plain, white paper which is, of course, biodegradable and cheaper than current alternatives. You can store 256GB on a sheet of A4 (8.3 × 11.7in). In one demonstration, "432 A4 pages of paper [were] rainbow format-encoded and stored on a two-inch by two-inch square of paper."

Right away, I'm seeing two possible limitations: optical discs like CDs and DVDs only have to read highs and lows on an imprinted disc, while a Rainbow Versatile Disc (RVD) reader would have to recognize a myriad of shapes and colors. Also, writing to this medium would require ink, introducing a second cost into the use of this technology.

As for the first problem one article says, "The extremely low-cost technology will drastically reduce the cost of storage and provide for high-speed storage as well", so maybe I'm totally wrong on that one. I was worried about the size of the reader required, but Sainul Abideen the 24-year-old student who developed this technology has also developed the reader which will be sized for laptops and after further miniaturization, smaller devices like cell phones and PDAs which would be able to read 5GB off of SIM card sized RVDs (I just checked, and I'm thinking that would have to be a double sided card).

I'm already having techno-wet-dreams about this new storage technology. Things like cleaning out my Magic binder to store data printed onto pieces of cardboard, and binding server backups into hardback book covers and putting then on my bookshelf next to titles by William Gibson, Cory Doctorow, and Charles Stross. And you know since data is printed, the recorder will also be able to print graphics and labels onto the media. This technology seems like it would be very easy to replicate, so I'm imagining readers and media in every shape and size. Cereal boxes could have special squares on the side with computer games parents could cut out for their kids. Game magazines could do away with demo discs. If I have to transport "for your eyes only" information, I could print a teensy little decal which I would stick onto my thumbnail. Text books would no longer have to come with those annoying CDs in the back that make it hard to flip through the pages. When you buy a paper book the digital version could be included, printed in the back cover. The media could be so cheap I don't know if RVD-RW will be necesary, but if it was I bet White-Out Brand would make a killing.

All those ideas only took me a few minutes, so I know the people who stand to make a profit from them will brainstorm thousands more. I need to stop writing and try to get my heart rate back down.

Oh, yeah, here are my two resources:
http://www.techworld.com/storage/news/index.cfm?newsID=7424
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=88962&d=18&m=11&y=2006

Haven't Posted In A While; Got A New Job

Wolverine

I hate that MySpace is my only source, but I found out Hugh Jackman is producing and staring in a new Wolverine movie. I still think Jackman is too much of a cleancut nancy boy to play Wolverine, but I honestly don't know who would do better. Here's the body of the message I saw:

Wolverine Machine
Hugh Jackman gets the X-Men spinoff in gear.
by Steve Head @ IGN.com
October 30, 2006
Slowly but surely, Wolverine is coming together. According to star and producer Hugh Jackman, if all goes to plan, fans can look forward to seeing Wolvie in his first solo, big screen adventure in late spring of 2008.



"That's kind of what we're looking at right now," Jackman tells IGN. "A summer release would be great though. Perhaps that's possible. But some things still need to fall into place."

The first element that needs to fall into place is the screenplay. And the word from Jackman is screenwriter David Benioff "has delivered, big time. We now have the final script, the final draft, which I absolutely love. For me, it's the most superior of them all. I know the fans are going to go crazy for it."

Jackman and his producing partners inquired with a few screenwriters and considered story proposals. Inevitably, they were sold by Benihoff's knowledge of X-Men lore and enthusiasm for the Wolverine movie.



"Here's a guy who's this amazing writer, probably one of the hottest writers going in town; Spielberg and everyone are after him," says Jackman. "But he was beating down our door to make this movie because he's the most passionate Wolverine fan. He's followed all of the books since he was 9-years-old. For us, it's one of those rare combinations where you have a writer who has all these Oscar-winning directors wanting to work with and he's like, 'I want to do Wolverine!'"

As Jackman was working on The Prestige and other projects, he stayed in periodic contact with Beinhoff as he wrote the script.

"With someone like David, you mostly let him do his thing and he comes back with the script," he says. "He'd deliver a draft, we'd sit down together and talk about it. And I'd let him know what I think. If I think so, I'll say 'It's fantastic.' Or, 'We may have to go in this direction.' Or, 'What about this?' He's very collaborative."

Having played Wolverine for three films, Jackman says he was able to bring his unique perspective to the script.

"For better or worse, I've played the role for three movies so it's a character that I know. I feel like I know what I want to achieve with the film, but David has been very collaborative, and I'm not shy in telling him what I think. He'll say I disagree with you or whatever. But it's been a really terrific process so far."



What Jackman wants for Wolverine is this: "I don't want the film to appear at all like X-Men 4 in disguise. I want it to feel like a very fresh, whole new character piece. I want it to be a character movie. And by the end of the movie, I want it to be that you definitely knew who this guy was. Cool action, great characters, but ultimately that you totally know who Wolverine is. Like Mad Max and Dirty Harry. Characters I loved. He's a good guy, but he's not a nice guy. He's just the guy you want on your side. [David] really got that. He's one of the best character writers in Hollywood. He totally got it."

The next essential element is working Wolverine into Jackman's schedule. As the star and producer, he knows it will be a huge time commitment - probably three to four months of photography, some of which may take place in Australia, then considerable post-production.

"I'm shooting a movie with Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman next year in Australia, and then we plan to do Wolverine after that."

And let's not forget about a director. "That's our next goal," says Jackman. "Now we have to find a director, which we're looking for now. If I see you guys maybe in about a month, I might be able to let you know who the director is. We're close."