Cool find for all you doooomer infogeeks...

[Gaillo]

OK... here's a VERY cool thing for you SHTF types that want to preserve your computer data through the apocalypse! ;D

It's called "Paperbak" - and it's basically a program that takes computer files and "prints" them as a series of really tiny dots, lines, etc. (essentially a huge 2-D bar code) onto ordinary paper using your printer. With it, you can store up to 1/2 Megabyte per printed page. You can then store the printed pages in a filing cabinet, wrapped in plastic, or in a buried steel box under your reinforced bunker!

To retrieve the file(s), you either scan or photograph the pages with a digital camera, feed the images back into the program, and Voila! It spits the original file back onto your hard disk! How fucking cool is that? :o

This should be THOUSANDS of times more reliable for long-term storage than any hard disk, optical disk, or flash memory based scheme, and it's COMPLETELY impervious to erasure from magnetic fields, EMP, power-grid fluctuations, and high temperatures (as long as they don't exceed 451 deg. Farenheit!). Print on mylar or overhead transparency stock, and it'll be waterproof too!

http://ollydbg.de/Paperbak/

Enjoy, doomer geekunits! ;)

[sirgonzo420]

It is a cool program.

I discovered it about 6 months or so ago.


Sorry for not sharing it when I found it.

[cortez]

i'm hoping for SHTF so i dont ever have to turn on me computer again

[Gaillo]

It is a cool program.

I discovered it about 6 months or so ago.


Sorry for not sharing it when I found it.

Damn you! 6 months ago? I could have had my entire file library printed and stored by now! ;D

[Gaillo]

i'm hoping for SHTF so i dont ever have to turn on me computer again

Yes... I see where you're coming from... but the loss! All that pr0n gone to waste with nothing to view it on! ;D

[vacuum]

I wonder if using a color printer and scanner if you could get 3 or 4x the data on a single sheet. The highest density would be using all each of the printer's different colors. So if it's got 4 colors + 1 black (plus white/no color), that would be 6 possibilities per dot, instead of only 2.

[Gaillo]

I wonder if using a color printer and scanner if you could get 3 or 4x the data on a single sheet. The highest density would be using all each of the printer's different colors. So if it's got 4 colors + 1 black (plus white/no color), that would be 6 possibilities per dot, instead of only 2.

Indeed! However, you would have to weigh in the decrease in long-term reliability due to fading of color pigments. Definitely something to consider though.

[cortez]

no need for porn either. as a survivor i'll be a refuge for all the people who have lost thier way. i'll be able to pick and choose who gets help and who dosnt. me help her!!

[vacuum]

Indeed! However, you would have to weigh in the decrease in long-term reliability due to fading of color pigments. Definitely something to consider though.
Right. Plus the increased cost of color would outweigh the savings in paper.

[mamboni]

It still relies on the hardware to interpret and restore the data. I suppose it could provide redundancy. But, I still prefer burned CDR and DVDR. Sure, they can fail; but if one uses quality blanks, verifies burns and keeps duplicates, the chance of data loss is negligible. Of course, one worries that in 50 years there will be hardware able to read today's encoded burned disks. It is a vexing problem. I told my son that I think we need to start a collection of legacy hardware. Heck, the new PCs don't even support floppy disks anymore; and serial port mouse and keyboard are obsolete.

[Gaillo]

It still relies on the hardware to interpret and restore the data. I suppose it could provide redundancy. But, I still prefer burned CDR and DVDR. Sure, they can fail; but if one uses quality blanks, verifies burns and keeps duplicates, the chance of data loss is negligible. Of course, one worries that in 50 years there will be hardware able to read today's encoded burned disks. It is a vexing problem. I told my son that I think we need to start a collection of legacy hardware. Heck, the new PCs don't even support floppy disks anymore; and serial port mouse and keyboard are obsolete.


WAY ahead of you there, Mamboni...

About 10 years ago, when I couldn't find new-hardware drivers for old software I was using, I reached the same conclusion. The writing was on the wall, so to speak. I started collecting "old" (it was actually somewhat modern at the time) computer hardware in an attempt to achieve "future-proofness". At this point, I probably own around 25 complete machines of the 200MHZ-2GHZ class - almost ALL of which have functioning drivers for Windows 98SE (my preferred OS, easily disableable NSA backdoor keys being just one small part of the reason!).

If you're serious about this endeavor, yard sales and thrift stores are your friend! ;)

P.S. IBM Model M keyboards ROCK DA M'FING HOUSE... Get them while you still can! ;D

[mamboni]

WAY ahead of you there, Mamboni...

About 10 years ago, when I couldn't find new-hardware drivers for old software I was using, I reached the same conclusion. The writing was on the wall, so to speak. I started collecting "old" (it was actually somewhat modern at the time) computer hardware in an attempt to achieve "future-proofness". At this point, I probably own around 25 complete machines of the 200MHZ-2GHZ class - almost ALL of which have functioning drivers for Windows 98SE (my preferred OS, easily disablable NSA backdoor keys being just one small part of the reason!).

If you're serious about this endeavor, yard sales and thrift stores are your friend! ;)

P.S. IBM Model M keyboards ROCK DA M'FING HOUSE... Get them while you can! ;)

Great minds think alike!

I wonder if there is a business opportunity here? (a vision appears before his eyes)

The year is 2024

"Need those punchcards read and tranferred to DCSC***. Tired of those rolls of punchtape taking up space. Need those stacks of CDRs transferred to hyperdense storage. Can't find the hardware to read your obsolete data. We've got it all, from Olivetti Punchtape readers to 5 1/2 inch floopy drives to old obsolete ccd scanners to read those silly Paperback sheets. We charge only $1 per megabyte! If you pay in silver, one ounce pays for a terrabyte!"

Mamboni's Obsolete Data Retrieval
1313 Mockingbird Lane
BehindTheHot WaterPipes
Peublo, CO


***DCSC - Digital Crystal Storage Cells, penny-size in 100, 200, 500 and 800 Terrabyte sizes