• OpenStars@startrek.website
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        8 months ago

        I cannot stomach much of it, but it is fun to go back and watch older media related to technology - e.g. the six million dollar man has like spinning tape disks, when computers were entire-room affairs.

        So he was right, using the definition at that time, though there was also so much potential for more.

        Also it is funny to hear them say that technology would literally make the six million dollar man “better”, not just “well again” or “he will have side effects but his capabilities will be far above the norm” or some such. One glance at Google these days, or a Boeing plane, does not inspire me to think of the word “better” than what came before even from those exact companies. Technology moves forward, but I am not so sure that the new is always “better” than the old. It was an interesting bias that they had though, during the cold war and after the moon landing.

        • Joe Cool@lemmy.ml
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          8 months ago

          Considering we now have a “CD” that stores 125TB of data ( https://www.livescience.com/technology/electronics/new-petabit-scale-optical-disc-can-store-as-much-information-as-15000-dvds ).

          Not all older tech are necessarily worse. An LTO-9 tape can also store 18TB of data per tape. It’s still sold today and great for archival.

          Other cheaper, less error prone tech usually gets mass market penetration. But I am happy that massive storage niche tech is still there.

            • Joe Cool@lemmy.ml
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              8 months ago

              True. 12h to write the whole 18TB makes it a bit impractical for stuff other than backups. ;)

              • OpenStars@startrek.website
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                8 months ago

                Well, I imagine the write-once, re-write-never part also may limit its applicability too:-). Then again, for a purpose where the data doesn’t need to be constantly changing, like storing a TV show or movie, possibly even music if someone wants to listen to albums rather than randomized songs, it could offer a lot of practical utility to many people.

                • Joe Cool@lemmy.ml
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                  8 months ago

                  Oh you can totally erase and reuse the tapes. Depending on the tape software you can also rewrite parts or replace older files with incremental updates. It just really takes a while of rewinding. And the noise it makes is kinda retro…

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      8 months ago

      And thank goodness it’s not nearly impossible to convince a computer that it isn’t correct when you don’t have admin rights.

      sudo you’re a fucking idiot, computer