Unlike digital media, microfilm has never "crashed" - until now

http://www.americanmicrographics.net/aboutmic.htm

The Role of Microfilm in the Digital World
Why Microfilm?

Information is the basis of our society. Whether this information starts out on paper or as digital data, it’s ultimately too fragile to store long term in those forms.
Software upgrades and hardware changes cause new technologies to obsolete themselves, often in only a matter of years. Think about it. What if you back up information onto magnetic tape or floppy disks. Are you confident that it will still be readable 25 years from now? What if it was saved in a software format that no longer exists? How will you open that file?

For mission-critical information, the kind that needs to be kept for legal or archival purposes, there is a low-cost and extremely effective storage alternative. You’ve probably used it yourself. It’s called microfilm.

What is Microfilm?

Microfilm is a unique backup medium because it can be read by the eye, without the need for hardware or software. Like paper, microfilm is an "analog" medium that can be viewed by anyone, anywhere. It’s different from digital data, such as information stored in a computer, which is completely dependent on technology.

Microfilm is also much less costly for backup than digital media, for two reasons: first, microfilm technology is consistent – it doesn’t require continual hardware/software upgrades. Second, unlike digital graphic devices, it’s not limited by "dots per inch", since a single photograph holds virtually an infinite amount of detail.

Another microfilm benefit is that it’s always acceptable as courtroom evidence because the information cannot be altered. This is not true for digitally stored information. And, unlike typical digital media, microfilm has never "crashed".


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The reason the pentagon gave for needing to update the information was that microfilm gets brittle and is unusable. This is hard to believe, especially given the military archive's temperature and humidity controlled warehouses.

In an earlier life I was a quality engineer for a major microfilm manufacturer (whose name sounds like Kojak), and acetate based microfilm has long lasting tensile qualities...like 100 years or more.

If there was any reason for transferring info from the mf to another medium, it *might* have been because the silver image was deteriorating, but even still, with their storage facilities, this shouldn't have been the case either.

Something is ringing very hollow here.

And no one is clamoring for an investigation :(

"All you really need to read a microfilmed image is a light source and a magnifier. That’s why microfilm made at the turn of the century is still accessible."

:eyes:

lame, retarded and ridiculous excuses/reasons that bushco* comes up with and use every one of them when JK is finally President.

in my backpack. Since then They have been stored in an old cigar box. they are still good, I can still still see the images clearly. The negative were developed in less than ideal conditions too.

If my negatives, both mini and 35mm survived, how could his be destroyed?