[time-nuts] While we're discussing backups...

[Neon John]

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:17:06 -0700, "Chris Kuethe" <chris.kuethe at gmail.com>
wrote:


>Might wanna keep an eye on the DVD's. I hear the dyes aren't quite as
>stable and long-lived as the manufacturers claim. I've heard rumors of
>discs being stored undisturbed in safety-deposit boxes for 5yrs
>starting to break down. Some people I know with a rather small set of
>backup DVDs read the existing discs and burn a new set every 6-12mo.
>This serves the purposes of verifying that you can restore from your
>backup and that your media is fresh.

This is one of those areas that sink my confidence in predictive modeling and
accelerated aging - if it could go any lower.

My collection of data CDs, mostly digitized vinyl music and cassette-based
audio books plus various specialized backup, number in the thousands, many
over 10 years old.  I've yet to have that first one refuse to read, at least
not any that didn't have physical damage.

A couple of years ago I started moving to DVD data storage. No problems there
either.  One rather extreme experience makes me think that all this stuff
about aging is bunk.

During my move in up here, one of my data DVDs escaped from custody.  It
rolled down the edge of my yard where it lay for over 6 months including
summer.  It was exposed, read side up, to direct sunlight for several hours a
day.  When I found it, the thing had turned a gorgeous deep royal purple with
a pinkish tint around the edges.  It was also mud-spattered and had suffered a
few scratches on the read side.

I figured that it was toast but just for grins I washed off the dirt, stuck it
in my cheap Chicom no-name drive and fired off file manager.  The disc read
perfectly.  I copied its contents to my laptop and burned a copy just in case
but the original read just fine.  It read fast too, with none of the grinding
and shaking that the drive does when it's having problems.

I suspect that when failures that don't involve damage occur, the cause will
turn out to be the plastic sleeves that many people use.  perhaps the
plasticizer in the sleeve plastic doing something nasty to the discs.

I don't use sleeves.  I stack 'em back on spindles just like they came from
the factory.  I've made a number of wooden spindles from dowel (one size fits
perfectly in the disc hole) and squares of wood glued together.  I don't know
if that matters or not but I figure that the factory must think that stacking
'em on spindles is OK so why not?

I violate another conventional wisdom.  I buy cheap media, usually whatever
Sam's Club has on sale.  I HAVE had disc/drive compatibility problems but that
was a conflict between a specific drive and a specific brand and probably lot
of discs.  One CD drive I had simply would not digest HP discs even though
they were supposed to be high quality.

>Heard about how "high security" locks may not be as secure as the
>manufacturers claim? 

Yeah, but I don't take much of that stuff seriously.  When I worked for TVA,
they'd pay for any schooling that could be even remotely related to the job. I
got 'em to pay for me to attend locksmithing night school.  I don't have the
practical experience of an active full-time locksmith but I HAVE done a lot of
hacking and practicing.  I can pick a conventional key lock in seconds and
open a cheap school locker-style combo lock in minutes.  I can open office
supply store combination-type fire proof safes in a reasonable amount of time
with just manipulation - much faster with an electronic stethoscope.  

I can't make heads nor tails of this safe's lock.  The dial turns as if on
ball bearings (probably is).  There is no feel and no sound.  Most of the dial
is shielded so neither the Feynmann nor the Blaze methods can be used.  Plus
this lock uses 4 digits for the combination which expands the number space
hugely.

I DID seek the advice of a friend who is a career locksmith before selecting
my particular lock setup.  He knows his stuff.

I suspect that drilling would be the only method in.  Even then, a diamond
drill would have to be used to defeat the tungsten carbide plate in front of
the mechanism.  Someone drilling would have to know where my boobytraps are
located and only I have that info :-)

I put the claim that crypto-grade locks are insecure in the same category as I
do theoretical and special case crypto exploits.  The span between theory and
practice is large, too large for me to worry about.

John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
Okay, okay, I'll take it back ... UNfuck you!