Making a time capsule

Em3bbs · 20 May 2012 at 16:36

Amp34 said:
My first thought was yes, however even if USB is still around in 18 years time will NTFS? You may be able to connect with an adaptor but would you be able to read the HDD? And that's before the question about what file format to use!

I would still be able to read CD-ROM or floppy data from 18 years ago, or a ZIP or JAZZ drive (although I wouldn't recommend mechanical media for this purpose). Filesystems haven't changed all that much in the last 18 years so to suggest filesystems of today will be unsupported completely in another 18 years is a bit of a stretch.

Gangster · 20 May 2012 at 16:41

Scuzi said:
Any other ideas?

What about an SSD to hold the data?

Antony101 · 20 May 2012 at 17:18

You have to put the whiskey in there. No reason not to. Nice 1 litre bottle and in 18 or so years will be wonderful, Imagine having a full bottle of 18 year old whiskey to drink on your 18th? So long as alchohol isn't illegal in 18 years.

Scuzi · 20 May 2012 at 17:20

Gangster said:
What about an SSD to hold the data?

Would that not have the same drawbacks as a USB flash drive in that it will gradually lose or corrupt data over time?

Pawnless Endgame · 20 May 2012 at 17:58

Ceryndrion said:
If you want longevity of data, then the only solution is paper tape. Quite sure that bang goes the theory covered this not too long ago.

Cassette tapes or those little 20/40GB ones that you put into a server's tape drive?

I made a time capsule in 1995, not to be opened until 2037. Chucked a few cassette singles in there. I recall Whigfield's 'Saturday Night' as being one of them. Some articles about pop groups that were current then. I definitely put the Queen's Mother's 90th birthday coin (issued 1990) in there. I did the usual daily local/national newspaper too. Can't remember what else is in there.

Pug · 20 May 2012 at 19:07

Antony101 said:
You have to put the whiskey in there. No reason not to. Nice 1 litre bottle and in 18 or so years will be wonderful, Imagine having a full bottle of 18 year old whiskey to drink on your 18th? So long as alchohol isn't illegal in 18 years.

Whiskey doesn't age in the bottle.

USB isn't a bad call because it will lose the data, it's because the USB interface may not be around - but then neither will sata either necessarily...

Best way would be a memory card (SD or micro SD with adapter probably) or media player with battery removed and separated. HDD would also be worth a punt (magnetic or ssd) but if the interface goes extinct...

Most likely whatever comes round the corner there will be an adapter from old to new...

Tefal · 20 May 2012 at 19:10

usb is so ubiquitous there will be adapters for it for a long long time.

edit just guess that you mean compatibility to open the files

Marmot · 20 May 2012 at 19:45

If it's a boy I'm sure he'd love to open it in 18 years and find an Omega, Tag Heuer or similar in there! Of course, you would need to be rolling in money to bury thousands of pounds worth of watch in the ground.

norm · 20 May 2012 at 19:48

Get some JVC archival grade DVDRs. If you put them inside the cake box, they'd be good for 50 years I'm betting, it's generally sunlight and humidity that'll kill DVDRs.

Our Archival Grade DVD-R was tested by Archival Disc Test Center (ADTC). The test method complies to ISO/IEC10995. The analysis states the data can be retained safely for more than 30 years under a temperature of 25 degree Celsius and with 50% relative humidity.

Amp34 · 20 May 2012 at 19:57

Em3bbs said:
I would still be able to read CD-ROM or floppy data from 18 years ago, or a ZIP or JAZZ drive (although I wouldn't recommend mechanical media for this purpose). Filesystems haven't changed all that much in the last 18 years so to suggest filesystems of today will be unsupported completely in another 18 years is a bit of a stretch.

NTFS has only been around less than 20 years and is already being adjusted for Windows 8. It also isn't native to any other OS, let alone if more proprietary/closed down OS's take hold (like iOS and WP). Another 20 years and it's quite easy to see it being pretty time consuming working out how to read a legacy format.

AshD93 · 20 May 2012 at 20:14

USB Drive/Memory Card with a USB Picture Frame, all sealed up with included power supplies and so on?

norm · 20 May 2012 at 20:31

Amp34 said:
NTFS has only been around less than 20 years and is already being adjusted for Windows 8. It also isn't native to any other OS, let alone if more proprietary/closed down OS's take hold (like iOS and WP). Another 20 years and it's quite easy to see it being pretty time consuming working out how to read a legacy format.

The idea you won't be able to NTFS quickly and easily in 20 years is fairly ludicrous. FAT is widely supported today and that's from the 80s.

Pawnless Endgame · 20 May 2012 at 21:11

Amp34 said:
NTFS has only been around less than 20 years and is already being adjusted for Windows 8. It also isn't native to any other OS, let alone if more proprietary/closed down OS's take hold (like iOS and WP). Another 20 years and it's quite easy to see it being pretty time consuming working out how to read a legacy format.

I'm not sure. I have a modified BBC Micro (read 1981) fitted with a USB slot at the back. The extra circuit board in there will let you copy files from its native DFS OS to a FAT32-formatted memory stick. I'm sure in another 30 years time that there will be interfaces that can read memory sticks and memory cards. Remember also, blu-ray drives are backwards compatible to CDs, a format that begun in 1985. Plus, I have SCART-to-USB which will allow me to view VHS tapes on a PC.