Re: [ARSCLIST] Format conundrum

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Spencer" <js@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> This discussion reminded me of some math that I did back in 2002 to try
and
> explain the storage issues regarding born-digital material.
>
> This refers ONLY to average numbers of multitrack audio files ("tracks")
> based on RIAA US commercial release data.  Even though all of these
releases
> most certainly weren't digitally recorded, times have clearly changed now.
>
> * Total Domestic (US) Releases 1992 ­ 1999 = 241,400
> * 241,400 Masters x 600 files per release = 144,840,000 files
> * 144,840,000 files x 15MB per file (conservative average) =
2,172,600,000MB
> of storage (2.1 petabytes) of files in only 8 years!
> * 2 Petabytes is the equivalent of 40 million 4-drawer file cabinets full
of
> text
>
> That might get us in a little bind for paper and ink.

Now...for someting even scarier...

This represents 22,259,938,176,000,000 bytes or characters of data.
Since an "IBM Card" can store 80 characters per card, we will need
278,249,227,200,000 such cards to store all this data!

(none of which can be bent, folded, stapled, spindled or mutilated...)

Steven C. Barr
(what was IBM's total production of 80-column cards?)