drb rss about
suggest
advertise
subscribe
rss rss
rss

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Compare These Hard Drives


"QUANTUM SHOT" #56


Are you complaining that your iPod does not have enough storage capacity?
These pictures will help you to put things in perspective:

5MB Hard Disk in 1956....

Computer Technology

In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5MB of data....
(source PCWorld)

Computer Technology
Computer Technology
Computer Technology

This was a huge improvement over the ENIAC, built in 1946:

Computer Technology

Computers

The Sixties:
IBM 1311 disk storage drive (center picture):

Computer Technology

Computer Technology

(source IBM Archives)

The Seventies:

IBM 3310 direct access storage (64 MB per unit):

Computer Technology

HD from 1979; 250 MB


Eighties
Things in 1985 looked a little better:

Computer Technology

...and if you want to speculate about the future, here is the top secret picture of how Google is going to get all the hard drive space for GMail:

Computer Technology

Google Server Farm Building:



Permanent Link...Digg!


READ LATEST POSTS:

July 5, 2008 - Quantum Shot #444
Dismantling the World's Largest Gantry Crane

The Gathering of Steel Giants

July 4, 2008 - Biscotti Bits
Mixed Links & Images

incl. "Face Warping"
(for other daily "Biscotti" issues - see our main page)

COMMENTS:

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the background of that second last picture, it says

2006 6GB $400.00

6GB? $400? You can get 500GB for under $300.00.

___  
Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Hm... this is the stand of one of the Russian dealers; i guess it gives an idea of Russian souped-up prices.

___  
Anonymous Rick said...

Very cool. You'd think they would have put the drive in that first picture in some kind of crate before they loaded it on the plane.

How'd you do that cascading pics thing at the bottom of your post? Is that something from Blogger?

___  
Anonymous Darin said...

by the time, the size reducing.. now I can have my 2 GB flashdisk as big as my finger.. I can't imagine how small it will be after 20 years after now..

___  
Anonymous Elmark said...

yeah it's only a hard disk that needs a huge magnifying glass to view, something that small couldn't possibly cost more than a regular hard disk :P

___  

Post a Comment

<< Home


SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS:
Fiction Reviews: William Gibson Stories
Novella Review: Charles Stross "Missile Gap"
Rare Pulp Fiction: Apocalyptic Blockbusters

MORE RECENT POSTS:


They Bite! - Ugly Bug Faces

Bug Crime Overlords gallery


Three Tips for Hacking Reality

Where linear formulas and rigid thinking almost never apply


The Weirdest Examples of Mass Hysteria

Laughter Epidemic, Monster Specters, etc.


Floods!

Water, water everywhere...


Exclusive:
Interview with Nancy Kress


High fantasy to hard science - a mysterious transition


Largest Human-Made Art on Earth

Made by a single person... gone the next week


The Exploding Lake

And other weird natural detonations


Weird Inventions by Guys,
Part 8


It's a Guy Thing!


Unexpected Creativity
(found in unusual places)


Wild designs lurking in everyday world


Oops! Weirdest Accidents, Part 4

How truck drivers get fired... and more


Geoducks Are Strange

Nothing can prepare you for seeing them for the first time


Extreme Sand Sculpting

Magnificent, yet so eminently perishable art


Amazing Submarine Concepts

Every kind, except the yellow ones


Weird Use of Laptops

When simple computing is not enough


Angel Falls:
The World's Highest Waterfall


Nothing Indiana Jones can't handle


Moments in Sports, Part 7

Some funny, some painful even to look at


Extravagant Designs by Luigi Colani

Love them, or hate them, there is no middle ground


Drunk Builders & Mad Architects

When Construction Goes Wrong


World's Weirdest Gadgets

Eccentric devices that will blow your mind.

MORE OF THE RECENT POSTS:








Most Beautiful Roads, Part 1
Hilarious Kids & Babies, Part 2
Extraordinary Art from Metal
Anteater Coolness
Summer Inventions by Guys
World's Smallest Cars, Part 2
Soviet Futuristic Illustrations
Funny Animals, Part 11
Nightmare Playgrounds, Part 2
Shipwrecks & Sea Disasters
Unforgettable Faces, Part 3
Tasty Art of Chocolate
The Falling Towers of Chinese TV
Out-of-this-world Fishing
Senseless Signage, Part 10
Are You... You?
Commercialised Clouds
Steampunk Gear Masterpieces
Smile! You're in Politics
World's Strangest Vehicles, Part 4
Russian Nuclear Research Facilities
Miniature Spy Guns, Part 2
Never Give Up! (funny pics)
Most Beautiful Fractals
Cool Ads, Issue 10
Creative Bar Codes
The Geekiest LEGOs
Disturbing Wiring, Part 3
Russian Nuclear Icebreakers
The Deadliest Creatures
Strangest Christian Products
Lovely Ladies of Yesteryear
- many more in the Archives and in the Contents Index (left bar)

FULL ARCHIVES (with previews, fast loading):

June 2008 -- May 2008 -- April 2008 -- March 2008
February 2008 -- January 2008 -- December 2007 -- November 2007
October 2007 -- September, 2007 -- August 2007 -- July 2007
June 2007 -- May 2007 -- April 2007 -- March 2007 -- February 2007
January 2007 -- December 2006 -- November 2006 -- October 2006
Link Latte archives


CATEGORIES:
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | funny pics |
futurism | food | gadgets | health | history | humour | internet | link latte | military |
music | nature | photo | science | science fiction & fantasy | signs | space | sports |
technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird



Airplanes
Animals
Architecture
Art
Auto
Biscotti
Boats
Computers
Cool Ads
Food
Funny Pics
Futurism
Gadgets
Health
History
Humour
Link Latte
Military
Music
Nature
Photography
Science
Science Fiction

Space
Sports
Technology
Trains
Travel
Vintage
Weird









DRB feed on Twitter

Avi Abrams
Rachel Abrams
M. Christian
Michael Colwill
James Golbey
Andrew N. Grimes
Jason Heath
Joshua S. Hill
Paul Schilperoord
Scott Seegert
Constantine vonHoffman

- Join Our Team -
Guidelines




  • God create man..
    man create alphabet,
    so, it's not difficult for God to write alphabet on His creature..
    Read more

  • 12. Bread consumed while inhaling oxygen increases the risk of falling down the stairs tenfold while holding on to the railing with one hand and a chicken in the other.
    :)
    Read more

  • Funny, funny stuff. Who would of thought that bread and water could cause such problems.
    Read more

  • The next post will be "what happens to your body when you eat bread and drink water"!
    Read more

  • Very cool.
    Read more

  • So...if you were to say, not actually eat "bread"...but rather, all the ingredients of bread, one item right after the other, and then drank a full 8 oz of bottled water, and then went to the tanning bed....would your belly rise, and then a loaf thereby be made?? ;)
    Read more

  • dihydrogen monoxide.!!!!!!!
    Read more

  • One important statistic was left out here: virtually every user of heroin reported using bread before getting into heroin.
    Read more

  • These pictures are absolutely amazing. It's hard to believe they're real... or that this is our solar system (with itty bitty Earth peeking out).
    Read more

  • Whoa what a view
    Read more

  • This is the most amazing photo of another world ever. My jaw dropped when I saw it.
    Read more

  • wow, pretty spectacular alright, and here I thought the most spectacular view in the solar system were female curves......jus' kiddin, nice post
    Read more

  • I'd like to add that you should go to the Cassini web site and have a look at some of the raw photos that haven't been "painted" for the press. I don't know what I was expecting but really the black and white raw images of saturn are just as moving as these nice color prints....the raw images gave me such a strong feeling of deep space kinda cold loneliness that i actually made one into a poster
    Read more

  • These machines are amazingly intricate, I love stuff like this. Dugg.
    Read more

  • Cool Rube Goldberg music machine. Even if it does not exist on the physical plane, it's still pretty wow.
    Read more

  • I was going to post about how awesome the pics were but there were tons of them I had to scroll though. Very nice.
    Read more

  • My uncle works with trucks and rigs....he knows anything and everything to do with them. He'll have such a laugh seeing these.
    Read more

  • looks more like the drivers are in deep trouble...
    Read more

  • You've put together one of the most fun, and interesting sites I've seen, not just this section, but the whole ball of wax! Thank you!

    I'll be enjoying this for quite some time...

    Opinionator
    Read more

  • I'd never have guessed about that rabbit on the moon.
    Read more

  • To the Japanese, the image is of a rabbit pounding sticky rice in a mortar to make rice cakes. The Chinese have a story about the rabbit trying to create the elixir of immortality. From India to Japan, there is a story about how a deity (Indra, Buddha, Lord of Heaven, etc.) disguised himself as an old beggar. He came upon a monkey, a fox, and a rabbit. He said he was starving and asked them for something to eat. The monkey and fox were able to find some tidbits for the old man to eat, but the rabbit could not find any. So he started a fire and cooked himself for the old man to eat. The old man returns to his original form and puts the rabbit in the moon for all eternity as a reward for his selflessness.
    Read more

  • Good place for a motorbike ride.
    Read more

  • I have been to the one in Taiwan. That is a really beautiful place. I remember there was some water falling from the mountain and into one of the tunnels. The views from the mountains were amazing, and there was this temple on top of a cliff. Like Mastercard would say "Priceless"
    Read more

  • Pretty awesome.
    Read more

  • The one in Vicenza, Italy is indeed only an hiking trail. No "small italian car"
    never ever drove on that. The road for trucks carring supplies for the guesthouse runs on the other side of the mountains, on the former austrian side of the Alps...
    A guy from Vicenza
    Read more

  • When I was 15 years old, I travelled on the Taroko Gorge road, on a flat-bed truck, on top of a load of cargo, at about 3:00 am on the night of a full moon. I was both enthralled and petrified. There also used to be some unbelievably scary hiking trails around there -- rickety suspension bridges over impossibly deep gorges, bamboo ladders, etc...
    Read more

  • Th eone from China is very beautiful.
    Read more

  • Thanks for making this available for people like me :) I would have never known...
    I loved the road that the villagers carved out of the mountain - wow!

    Makes me want to drop the drudgery I do for a living and get out there...
    Read more

  • Definitely seen the Vincenza one. It would be impossible to drive on.
    Read more

  • Well I'll you what, that was worth
    a read and a look. Nice work.
    Read more

  • after seeing this road i think the one going to the Amalfi coast is not all that bad , still hair raising don't know if i want to repeat the experience.
    Read more

  • do you came to south america lately in peru o bolivia
    Read more

  • The bolivian one is getting more and more famous every year, it has now featured in more than 5 tv programes, from Canada, to US, Uk, to NZ ... we guide mountain bike rides down it regularly, and actually its not that dangerous, but it certainly is spectacular. For more information check us out on www.gravitybolivia.com, I've personally guided more than 500 bike trips down the road!
    Read more

  • A travel brochure for masochists.
    Read more

  • "10 most dangerous roads in the world":

    All I have to say is, I've got 10 more things I have to do in life before I die!
    Read more

  • Very nice, i like it !
    Read more

  • Try the roads around Huaraz and in particular between Huaraz and Trujillo in nothern Peru. Anything from 3,000-4,500m up and carved through rocks. Awesome but terrifying.
    Read more

  • Add Israel to that. More specifically Jerusalem. More specifically going through the Arab neighborhoods. Talk about suicidal. No traffic laws, no respect for other road users, and the occasional rock throwing. But that doesn't keep me from getting my fix every morning.
    Read more

  • just take some small french roads, and it'll do just the same...
    no kidding, it's very impressive
    Read more

  • In the United States i drove a scary mountain road in 1998. It lead up to a town called Little Detroit in Oregon.

    The road was a single lane and you had to meet bigger vehicles at the turnoffs in order to pass by them. It wasn't as bad as most of these since it was mostly paved and was only 20-25 miles long. But the entire way was one side mountain, other side you plummet 400-500 feet with just enough room in the one lane for two compacts to squeeze by.

    When we got to the top, my fellow travelers went their separate ways and I had to drive back down alone the next day. it was only at the end that i noticed i had been driving my econoline on a temp spare tire. Not very smart.
    Read more

  • thank's God I live in a country that having big - big - big highway roads..!!
    Read more

  • i agree with alessandro. the Pasubio road was built ( built? sorry for my terrible english) during the first world war. and I had problem to avoid rocks with my head. ciao
    Read more

  • The one in italy we use to call mount ozziano... I don't know if thats what its called. Theres no way cars could make it. Not even the little ones we called chinquechentos. I hiked all the way up to the "tourist shop" at the top, and was exausted as I was only 15 and just started smoking lol. Needless to say I was relieved to find the strait shot service road on the oposite side. Man it was fun throwing boulders down into the clouds and imagining people being crushed below LMAO!!

    I still have a chunk of stalagtite I kicked off one of the floors up there.

    ~Army Brat~
    Read more

  • Really amazing astinishing informations, without actually visiting these places u can relish the hair raising experiences of these roads
    Read more

  • Nice pictures! Cool site, too.
    Read more

  • I was going to say that #12 was from Star Wars until I saw the answer key. Guess I need to get out (of the galaxy) more
    Read more

  • I only can answer one picture, WTC!
    Read more

  • Nice pictures!
    But the only one I can surely guess is wrong: the 14 is not Notre-dame in Paris, but the Orléans cathedral (on this I'm less sure). Notre-dame has not the cylindrical top as in your picture.

    I hope I have helped you
    Read more

  • My friend thought this was real. Wow
    Read more

  • It is real. I do it all the time.
    Read more

  • Yeah, it's so hard to master too!
    Read more

  • I'm getting pretty good with a minivan.
    Read more

  • what, you've never seen anyone do it before?
    Read more

  • thats so awesome. I do it with a Smart Car Everynow and then.
    Read more

  • SPECTACULAR
    Read more


Send us your topic ideas, site suggestions, rants or sweet unpublished poetry. We love to hear from you.
Sponsored Links:

Vehicle Moving