AmigaActive (948/1728)

From:Don Cox
Date:20 Jun 2001 at 02:12:28
Subject:Re: Whinge,whinge!!!!

On 20-Jun-01, Jeremy Spring wrote:

> But text on a page will degrade over time, as most books nowadays
> are printed on (slightly) acidic paper, which means most books
> printed this century will be blank in about 150 years. A CD however
> will probably degrade faster, due to the plastic breaking down.

It's not that the ink fades - carbon doesn't fade - but that the paper
crumbles away. You can see this with paperbacks much less than 150 years
old. But well-produced books like the Gutenberg Bible have survived for
several centuries. I have a couple of books that are more than 150
years old and are fine.

In the case of the CD, it is the metal plating over the music side that
is most at risk. Polycarbonate should last well. A gold-plated CD could
last a long time, I think.

Glass isn't supposed to last (because it crystallizes), but I saw a
whole exhibition of glass objects from ancient Rome, looking like new.

Regards



Don Cox
doncox@enterprise.net

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