Accelerated ageing tests can be helpful. Unfortunately the referenced tests
were improperly designed.

I have evaluated high quality cyanine/silver discs that were far better than
some phthalocyanine/gold discs. I agree that many of the cheap discs give
unacceptable results, but there is no simple answer.

Jerry Hartke
Media Sciences, Inc.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Steven Smolian
> Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:12 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Rép. : Re: [ARSCLIST] New long lastin g DVD
>
> A properly designed and implemented accelerated ageing test will highlight
> the products in a class with poor results.
>
> It sure showed up the vulnerability of the cheap CD brands when compared
> with gold discs. The results were quickly confired in real life.
>
> Steve Smolian
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
> Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 9:49 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Rép. : Re: [ARSCLIST] New long lastin g DVD
>
> The fallacy of all this age-claim stuff is that they test under known
> and/or
> current conditions. How can anyone project what the conditions will be as
> we
> get a couple of centuries out? What if a comet hits and toxifies the
> atmosphere? What if there's a nuclear or chemical conflagration? What
> man-made chemical compound is 1000 years old? So how does anyone know
> exactly what happens with a chemical compound centuries from now? I think
> it's dumb to even try and make claims of hundreds of years, but OK to say
> "reasonable testing conditions (spelled out in detail so as to withstand
> scientific
> scrutiny) tell us that this device and its component compounds should
> operate to current specifications for XX decades" with an outside cap of
> 100
> years or so. And even then, all sorts of caveats should be included about
> potential atmospheric changes, ideal storage conditions and the
> possibility
> that they won't be possible within this timeframe, etc. I have no belief
> in
> any claims of semi-permanence for any complex technology-driven device or
> compound.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Richard" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 9:29 AM
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Rép. : Re: [ARSCLIST] New long lastin g DVD
>
>
> > Birch Bark manuscripts, Novgorod (Russia), dating back to the 15th:
> >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_bark_document
> >
> > Robert.
> >
> >>>> Lou Judson <[log in to unmask]> 2011-08-25 20:19 >>>
> > http://www.ancientscripts.com/sumerian.html
> >