Re: (TV) W: CD-Rs versus CDs FYI

["Mark G. Ryan" <mgryan@cruzio.com>]

"Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>:
> 
> Mark, your citation is fine, but I see no citation on their part. Should I
> assume that the British Library Working Party also lifted this "fact" from the
> papers of Ibrahim al-Marashi?
> (http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2003/02/08/build/world/i-dossier.inc)

Actually, I think it was from the writings of "Conan the Librarian". :-)

> 
> The fact is that there is, as of yet, no formula that dictates how long CDs
> will last. In 1989, there was a huge media fuss over a report that CDs would
> deteriorate within 5-10 years. Now you're telling me 30 years - convenient, as
Right.

BTW, I'm not telling you--the professional archivists are telling you.
Like Schultz, "I know noth-ing! NOTH-ing!"

> CDs first started appearing around 1983, so we won't be able to test this
> theory until 2013. This reminds me of how the 1980s were filled with reports

Right.  All you can do in the meantime is accelerated aging testing,
which relies on assumptions about how to accelerate aging processes.
This applies equally to CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs.

However, chemistry well grounded science and it is true that most chemical 
processes can be accelerated by increasing heat and/or pressure. I wouldn't
completely scoff at this testing.

> that the world's oil supplies would run dry by 2015. And that Manhattan would
> be under two feet of water by 1984.

Instead, it is under two inches of powdered concrete.

> 
> Going solely on anecdotal evidence: how often do you hear people say that they
> had a CD become unplayable (without being physically damaged - scratched,
> etc.)? How often do you hear people say that a CD-R no longer plays?

CD-Rs much more frequently.  But then, they are being made at home
by loving hands.  A CD-R recorded by someone that follows the 
recommended guidelines is a different matter.

But I take your point: it is good to be suspicious of CD-Rs.

Mark
--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"