DNA Encoding: It's not just for evolution anymore

Discussion in 'Discussions' started by Essence, Jan 23, 2013.

  1. OmniaNigrum

    OmniaNigrum Member

    The problem with this example is that it pretends we have a means of accessing all of that at once. Having and using the storage are two very separate things. This is why I pointed out that glass platters could be seeded with DNA to allow random access similar to a HDD if there was a reader/scanner for this.

    While a handful of dust may contain an immense library of data, it is hardly accessible. In my best case idea of using platters to allow random use, this would barely topple magnetic media.

    With a Star-Trek scanner device that would negate the problem, but last time I checked, we are probably a thousand or more years away from that sort of thing if it is even possible. And by the time that happens, we would just have force fields to protect the magnetic drives and SSDs of the time from radiation and magnetism. (Not to mention magic wands and jetpacks to fly to Mars for Coffee and donuts.)
     
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  2. Haldurson

    Haldurson Member

    That's correct, we DON'T have the means, and that's why I'm saying that we need to be patient. Just because we don't now doesn't mean that we won't. eventually. We have several different methods for DNA sequencing and none of them are probably adequate for this application. But DNA sequencing is a relatively new technology, and as such, we can expect some significant advances over the years, as generally happens with new technologies. The more applications for that technology, the more money that will probably be invested in it making for broader research.
     
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  3. mining

    mining Member

    Just want to leave this here:

    While a technology may be formative, its always worth looking into it and experimenting more with it. The high costs and limited speed are comparable to the limited range and limited repertoire (dots and dashes) of early radar. It would be foolish to view it as "obseleting" current storage media... but similarly it would be foolish to ignore it completely.
     
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  4. OmniaNigrum

    OmniaNigrum Member

    The same tired arguments over and over on any subject. Why does everyone but me seem convinced that miracles of technology are going to happen tomorrow that will make what we know for a fact is impossible today possible?

    All I am saying is do not get too far ahead of yourselves. Keep your hopes realistic and see clearly what is rather than what you want.

    Now I just prompted the same old tired argument yet again... Go ahead. Do your worst and be hopeful! See the cup as half full. :D
     
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  5. mining

    mining Member

    Well, the big thing in your case seems to be a strong unease regarding the motives of researchers and scientists in general. Applied to a generally pessimistic viewpoint of the world, this leads to a semi-impulsive rejection of new advances and/or studies until they have been disproven due to a new problem domain in which the old theoretical knowledge no longer applies. Based on this affirmation of your "justified" mistrust of results, you then proceed to mistrust results all the harder.

    The logical conclusion of this, of course, is a half and half laudanum / dew of madness tea infused with ground root of tchar.
     
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  6. Haldurson

    Haldurson Member

    I'm not saying it will happen or it won't happen. All I'm saying is that it's too early to come to any conclusions. I thought I was clear on that but I probably wasn't. I've kept saying 'give it time'.

    I've never claimed that every problem has a solution. What I have claimed is that I'm skeptical about some and less skeptical about others. This one seems plausible. I wouldn't bet on the time scale, if it were to happen. But it's just something that seems a lot more plausible than other things that we've discussed here.
     
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  7. Kazeto

    Kazeto Member

    And from what I saw, Omni kept on saying "for the time being, I'm sceptical". Sure, he was saying it in a way which might not be as easy to interpret as such as it ought to be, but that's what he was saying.

    Meaning that both of you were saying a similar thing, only you had a "neutral" attitude and he had an "untrusting" one (but both of you were actually saying that we need to wait for any results). Not that I mind this having had happened, since that resulted in walls of text reading which I do like.
     
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