We can remind you of these fantastic methods, but today we prefer to use more familiar approaches.
Data storage is probably one of the least interesting parts of computing, yet it is absolutely essential. After all, those who , are doomed to recount it.
However, data storage is one of the foundations of science and science fiction, shaping the basis of numerous literary works. The process of looking back in an attempt to predict the future carries an educational, or at least entertaining, component, so letās recall eight old ideas about future data storage, some of which have stood the test of time, while others have lost all their bits.
Wet storage
Why record a vast amount of data on a device when you can just stuff it in someoneās head?
In this storage scheme, information is recorded in the brain of unsuspectingātherefore, unconsentingāpeople, as was the case with Captain Picard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled "The Inner Light" and with Chuck Bartowski from the show "Chuck," who had the "Intersect" implanted in his head.
It's also worth mentioning the 9-year-old protagonist of the British puppet series from 1968-69, "Joe 90," whose skills and information were uploaded into his brain using a device invented by his father (created without ethical oversight). Joe falls into the category of people who did not consent to the operation, as 9-year-olds do not have that capability. Joe's father is destined to go to prison and/or hell.
Moreover, sometimes data is uploaded into people's heads with their full consent, as in the case of Neo from "The Matrix" or the dolls from "". And there was also Dr. Morbius from "". Want to summon monsters from the subconscious? This is done by using people as information carriers.
Only Johnny Mnemonic has a physical data storage system implanted in his head, as in William Gibson's world, a human seems to be a more reliable and secure means of transporting it than a simple computer. Perhapsāthough I wouldnāt want to be in his shoes during an airport check.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
The brain consists of soft pieces. And soft pieces are not an ideal information storage, allowing emotions to alter incoming or outgoing data. You also cannot back up peopleāat least not yet.
A computer (locally or in the cloud) stores data on silicon chips. And while they can't be called infallible, the ease and transparency of copying guarantees that you won't be vulnerable to a server that might decide it doesn't want to talk to you today, or suddenly don a trench coat and question the reality of spoons.
Memory Using Brute Force
The human brain's memory capabilities are astonishing. Its abilities to deduce and reason are fine-tuned to extract results from stored information. Moreover, the human brain excels at making conclusions based on partial data; after all, it's a neural network, suffering perhaps from a hangover and calling in to work to request a day off after making several questionable life decisions the night before.
In '1984,' Winston Smith memorized excerpts from books. In 'Fahrenheit 451,' a network of people memorized entire books. And unlike the characters from the previous section, none of them absorbed knowledge magically. They had to use the power of their brains. Yes, it's another form of 'wet storage,' employing an original API for data transmission, with all its drawbacks (inefficiency and susceptibility to errors) and benefits (not banned by ethics committees).
The catch: At first, I thought that the mentats from 'Dune,' with their abilities to memorize and compute, fit this category. But their mantra revealed everything: 'By will alone I set my mind in motion. With the juice of sapho, thoughts acquire speed, lips change color, and color becomes a warning. By will alone I set my mind in motion.' In other words, they memorize with sapho juice, and the screenwriter and director David Lynch lied to us.
These sci-fi knowledge stores do not gaze into the future to memorize books. They study information the way today's do, using a technology called '".
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
The human brain is capable of of data. Cloud storage providers will give you as many petabytes as you ask for ā just pay. As Philip K. Dick predicted, they can remember everything for you in bulk.
Computers outside the cloud
HAL 9000, the server room from the episode 'San Junipero' of the series 'Black Mirror', R2-D2, and the Imperial data archive planet Scarif from the movie 'Rogue One' ā all served as local means of storing data and plans for the Death Star. Storing data on a home computer or your own backup device is a long-standing tradition that has existed since the advent of personal computers. Just ignore the cold fear of what might happen if your systems fail, or you get cut off from the world due to an accident, malicious intent, or a suddenly self-aware AI.
With all these sci-fi computers and droids serving as repositories of facts, personalities, and songs like 'Bicycle Built for Two', physical access to the devices is necessary to obtain the information you need.
At least, we hope that's the case with the servers of San Junipero, where the personalities are stored. I can't even imagine what would happen to them if some malicious hacker decided to introduce the relatively innocent year 1987 to the modern world.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
Physical security is outdated from the last decade. Yes, in some cases, isolated or even 'disconnected from all networks' offline storage is quite suitable, and yes, there are local cloud services. But for the most part, you don't need to worry about physical access to your company's knowledge base.
Cloud storage is the opposite in all key respects; your data is physically scattered across multiple servers and even data centers. You only need a connection to access them. Storing sensitive data in the cloud is not a problem as long as you encrypt it and keep the private keys private. Add API keys to control access to the data, and you wonāt have to worry about anyone releasing your secret plans into the open where they could fall into the hands of passing rebel flagships.
And even better ā you won't have to worry about R2-D2 tricking you into deleting his limiting rod.
The Printed Word
The Classic Novel "" and the related episode of the series 'Star Trek: Voyager' titled 'Memorable' share an unusual common aspect: the preferred method of data storage. In both cases, characters store data the old-fashioned way: in written form. In 'Voyager,' Chakotay recorded memories of his beloved before he started forgetting her; in 'A Canticle for Leibowitz,' Leibowitz wrote a shopping list that became a sacred text.
And while writing is a wonderful means of communication, the printed word only after widely printed books began reaching the public. But beloved books also have real drawbacks. For instance, old volumes are prone to decay and can cause allergies. Books are easily damaged by water, fire, and .
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
Books are wonderful, but there's only a limited number you can carry with you until you develop a herniated disc. You can store text from in the cloud, and you won't even have to worry about whether insurance covers laparoscopy. Thank you, cloud storage!
Crystals
The idea of storing data in a periodic lattice, where information can be stored in the form of prisms, is quite appealing, even if it is pure sci-fi. Holocrons and datacrons in 'Star Wars.' Information crystals in 'Babylon 5.' Asgard memory crystals from 'Stargate.' Superman's memory crystals that hold much of Kryptonian knowledge, plus problems with the folder.
However, crystalline computing may soon transcend the sci-fi genre. Researchers from Australia information into nanocrystals using lasers. These lab nanocrystals also efficiently use energy and can store petabytes of data in a small cube.
Nothing more science-fictional can be imagined. Yet it is all real.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
A common property of crystalline information carriers is how beautifully they scatter when dropped. From a plot development perspective, if a crystal appears, its fragility will surely be one of the driving factors. Even though this is a future technology, it is still subject to Murphyās laws just like any other. So it's not an alternative to cloud storage, but an improved cloud filled with crystals. From your point of view, the better and faster the storage works, the better it is; and you don't care about the details of its implementation as long as no one drops it.
Nanocrystal technologies are still yet to emerge from laboratories. When they do, nanocrystals may replace silicon as the basis for cloud storage. It worked for the Kryptonians after all.
Real information storage systems
Although the plot of "" unfolded in 1997, the show used punch cards similar to those programmers were using when it was filmed in 1965-68. The tape in Margaret Atwood's book "The Handmaid's Tale" is the same one that played in our cassette decks in 1985. The server room in "Rogue One" is not much different from modern ones, though it does look terrible from a design standpoint.
All these methods worked perfectly in their time and place. But with the spread of cloud storage in the early 2010s, thereās no reason not to store old emails from your exes in a place where you can find them after the third glass of white wine.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
Maybe not. Software-defined storage is the newest stage in the evolution of this field, although like the cloud itself, it does not change storage technology ā only how existing carriers are used. In the 22nd century, we will be writing articles about how software-defined storage falls short compared to the Kryptonian crystals.
Old-fashioned trendy storage
The coolest method of data storage in sci-fi appeared in the animated series The Batman from 2004 to 2008. In the episode "Artifacts," Mr. Freeze plans to wake up from his cryogenic sleep in 1000 years. Batman knows he will have to protect Gotham, even though he will be dead. That's why Batman scratched the antifreeze recipe onto the wall, and since he knew that future computers wouldn't be able to read his code, he wrote the entire formula in binary.
This isn't just clever, it's extraordinarily clever.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
There's nothing better than Batman's.
Random storage
Not all data storage methods are limited to computers. In the episode "The Glass Hand Demon" of the series "Out of This World," a sound screwdriver appears in "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead." A grain of sand appears in the episode "The Entire History of You" from the series "Black Mirror."
And that's good. Science fiction often serves as a herald of technology. If we didn't have visionaries predicting how cool future inventions will be, we wouldn't have submarines, cell phones, or QuickTime.
Why 21st Century Storage Solutions Are Superior
Unique storage systems designed for a specific, singular purpose are cool and interesting, but inconsistent. Storage systems shouldn't be special; they should be boring. What matters is what you do with them. This is exactly what cloud storage does: it provides uninterrupted access to data when you need it for you and your users.
said: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." However, reliability is what empires, utopias, and great federations are made of.
Source: habr.com
