Members Anderton Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 So yes, I back up my digital data, but check out the attached image. I pulled out a blank CD-ROM I bought several years ago...brand new, still in the shrink-wrap packaging...to do a backup, and the attached image is what I saw after I opened the package. I'm very concerned that it might wake up and attack my family, or infect me with some kind of strange space illness that will rot my brain. I am thinking that maybe I should put it in a locked, lead-lined safe before it multiplies and starts taking over the earth. If I just throw it out, it might form unholy alliances with other sentient garbage, thus ending the world as we know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 15, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 And I just noticed that Excellent Optical Technology creates the acronym EOT - Extra-Optical Terrestrial, perhaps? A coded message of warning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 Actually, I see a map of the beginning of the universe in there! Gas clouds heated by proto-stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 I think it's time for your medication, Mr. Anderton... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 15, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 The Disc won't let me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 That might have been the disc that your greatest composition ever was to be burned upon. But noooooooo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 Looks like something that crawled up out of an H. P. Lovecraft yarn. Apparently, Sony decided to put the same loving care and attention into their blank digital media production that they used to lavish on their blank cassette fab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 Was that disk possibly exposed to that Florida storm that you were in a few years ago? Water damage possibly? Dan THIS MESSAGE WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN 2 YEARS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 15, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 15, 2010 You baked, it didn't you? Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted October 15, 2010 Members Share Posted October 15, 2010 You baked, it didn't you? The data was falling off. He had no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 16, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2010 I pulled out a blank CD-ROM I bought several years ago...brand new, still in the shrink-wrap packaging...to do a backup, and the attached image is what I saw after I opened the package.. [lawyer voice]So, Mr. Anderton... since you say you just now opened the shrink wrap, would it be fair to say then that the CD could have looked like that initially? As in flawed at the factory? If so, would that mean that no one should infer anything about the aging of digital media which is the topic of the thread? No need to answer that, sir. Your witness, Mr. public defender...." [/lawyer voice] Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 I highly doubt it looked like that initially. I assume it was the humidity when I lived in Florida. But, other CDs from that era that were NOT new don't have the same kind of damage. Does burning a CD do something that somehow makes it more resistant to humidity, or whatever caused this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted October 16, 2010 Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 blank CD-ROM "blank CD-R" Sorry, I felt the need to correct it for the kids too young to remember optical media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted October 16, 2010 Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 For example, way back in 2001, we reported on the existence of certain special fungi that actually can consume the dye, foil and substrate in some CD types! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted October 16, 2010 Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 I pulled out a blank CD-ROM I bought several years ago...brand new, still in the shrink-wrap packaging...to do a backup, and the attached image is what I saw after I opened the package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 16, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2010 I highly doubt it looked like that initially. I assume it was the humidity when I lived in Florida. But, other CDs from that era that were NOT new don't have the same kind of damage. Does burning a CD do something that somehow makes it more resistant to humidity, or whatever caused this? Well, you don't know if it was or if it wasn't. For sure it's a defective CDR. From the image, it appears that the coating was liquid at one time, the round areas being formed by bubbles popping or collapsing. Two things could do that, heat or moisture getting under the coating and then evaporating. I think we can safely rule out heat as the plastic substrate of the disk appears to be flat and undamaged. We'd need to look up the melting points of both materials but I think it's safe to say that if the CDR got hot enough it'd be very unlikely it got hot enough to bubble the coating but not hot enough to deform the plastic body. That leaves liquid. I'm pretty sure (but not certain) that you can leave a CDR in water for a long time and not cause any damage. I'm going to try this with an old, green dye CDR and see what happens. There are certainly solvents that would bubble the coating but probably water wouldn't be sufficient to do this. Additionally, there would be other evidence of water presence on the disk and inside the case. I still suspect that this is a manufacturing defect that went undiscovered until now. Either that, or you're pranking us. *edit* a quick scan of the literature on CDR degradation reveals the usual pathways of lost reflectivity due to oxidation of the metal reflective layer, or changes in the dye chemistry due to long term light exposure. Nothing like what you photographed seems to be common enough to be widely reported on the internet, reinforcing the idea that the dye layer was improperly applied during the manufacturing process. Your observation that none of your other CDRs (which presumably were exposed to more or less the same environmental changes) were affected also reinforces this. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted October 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 I still suspect that this is a manufacturing defect that went undiscovered until now. Either that, or you're pranking us. I'm definitely not pranking anyone, that's a real CD-R. I was very surprised, to say the least. Dan, GREAT links in there on CD-R longevity. Very, very informative! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SomeoneYouKnew Posted October 16, 2010 Members Share Posted October 16, 2010 1 - Never expose them to bright lights.2 - Don't get them wet.3 - Never feed them after midnight. (e-cookie for reference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 16, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2010 I guess we could continue to speculate, but why not email that photo to Sony and see what they have to say? Terry D. P.S. Heck, you might even get a NOS CDR out of the deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members techristian Posted October 17, 2010 Members Share Posted October 17, 2010 Dan, GREAT links in there on CD-R longevity. Very, very informative! Thanks. It looked like a good article , so I posted it. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted October 18, 2010 Members Share Posted October 18, 2010 Been too close to any nuclear reactors lately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philbo Posted October 18, 2010 Members Share Posted October 18, 2010 Be careful not to get any on you... If you wake up with a large boil with a tiny face on your shoulder that starts telling to do bad things, better see a doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the stranger Posted October 19, 2010 Members Share Posted October 19, 2010 I think I'm gonna grab a square of that since it's so psychedelic and tile it for a webpage background. I'll probably use a font that will blend in well too, so I don't detract from the artistic nature of the background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted October 19, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2010 Been too close to any nuclear reactors lately? Or worse, did you send that CD in to copyright? Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted October 19, 2010 Members Share Posted October 19, 2010 Or worse, did you send that CD in to copyright? Terry D. LOL that is funny. But perhaps even worse, did you accidentally scratch the disk with your fingernail and thus irrecoverably wipe out chunks of data? By the way I think Craig should have Steve McQueen drop that thing from an airplane into the Artic before someone gets hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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