New Blu-ray Disc to be Made of Corn

aws910 writes "I've often thrown away a CD and wondered how long it will take to biodegrade. Pioneer has developed a blu-ray disc that is made of corn. If this disc is widely used, it may be the only easily biodegradable computer part/accessory (with the exception of pizza). Now I wonder what would happen to one of those new discs if you put one in the microwave for 5 seconds." While the idea of a corn disc isn't new, it's the first Blu-ray version of it.

Corn CDs...

[zedmelon]

Pioneer has developed a blu-ray disc that is made of corn.

And best of all, it stays crunchy in milk!

Fritz Pisot!

AOL, are you listening.

[sl0wp0is0n]

I'm waiting for the day when AOL starts sending me free breakfast in mail, everday! :)

Re:AOL, are you listening.

[k4_pacific]

Gotta eat it fast, as it goes bad after 1045 hours.

Re:AOL, are you listening.

[superpulpsicle]

Well you won't last that long cause your food will come with viruses.

And with the Computer Cookery 5000....

[Spy der Mann]

Ingredients:

* AOL
* corn disks
* Computer cookery 5000 [207.44.153.198] with Intel Pentium Prescott (TM) as the heat source.

What do you get?

FREE POPCORN!

Re:Corn CDs...

[macdaddy357]

Aw, Shucks!

Re:Corn CDs...

[Eric Giguere]

Oh great, my dogs already like to grab the popcorn flying out of the air popper... now they'll be hot to trot for my data as well!

Still, I suppose this will be better than finding bits of shiny plastic in the doggie doo-doo:

Five-year old daughter: Papa, have you seen my toy?
Me, staring at colorful deposit in backyard: Umm, no...

Eric
Why the Vioxx recall reduces spam [ericgiguere.com] (humor)

Re:Corn CDs...

[tuxter]

Kernel release 0.0.1?

Re:Corn CDs...

[Slime-dogg]

My biggest question is what do they do with the corn shells?

Re:Corn CDs...

[G-funk]

Don't you mean Courne shells?

Re:Corn CDs...

[Don Negro]

I think he means ksh.

Re:Corn CDs...

[freqres]

I'm lost with all these corn based products. It's just a maize of technology.*Rimshot*

Mark Twain hates you, and you are going to die...

[Dogtanian]

I mean, say you're a some geek bachelor--but alas, I repeat myself.

Mark Twain. He's back. And this time he's out for revenge. Revenge.... on every third rate mangling of his humorous quotes. Once he's spotted you.... there's no escape.

(Clip.. voice of Mark Twain); "Viewer, suppose you were a mangler of the work of Mark Twain. And suppose you were someone who was going to die by having their bowels ripped out through their throat. But I repeat myself."

Twain; The Revenge. At cinemas on Friday, rated 1

Who throws away dics?

[fembots]

Eco-friendly disc is nice, but how many people are going to throw away Blu-ray disc?

25GB is serios amount of data, I (maybe just me) would try to keep it even if it contains very unimportant data, since it's so easy to store a disc, it's not like you need one 5x5 room to store it.

--
Play iCLOD Virtual City Explorer [iclod.com] and win Half-Life 2

Re:Who throws away dics?

[tuxter]

How many people thought they where going to throw away a CD, or, gasp, a CD-R with their amazing 680 meg of data. Give it a few years and we will.

Re:Who throws away dics?

[GMC-jimmy]

I generally don't commit junk data to CD's, so I may have to avoid these new corn-made discs.

I still have some archives I burnt to CD-R from way back in 1999. That archive is getting quite extensive, I'd be very upset if I had to reburn that archive every year to avoid media rot. Due to OS reinstalls and FAT32 file corruption, most of my archives are now the sole surviving copy of previous backups. Media rot is already a worrisome concern with me. The media giants, such as the ones represented by the RIAA and the MPAA may be rather pleased with this kind of research. One might need to investigate the source of R&D funding to find the truth for certain. Personally I think this is a bad thing for consumers that rely on data backups.

Re:Who throws away dics?

[Piranhaa]

Well when CD/DVD's came out, I'm sure people were saying the same thing! As more and more demand for more storage comes out, cheaper media comes out, and more and more cheaper burners come out, there's going to be coasters and better for biodegradable reasons :)

Re:Who throws away dics?

[IBeatUpNerds]

Well, say it contained some crucial evidence to some nefarious plot. You could simply break it into 4 or 5 pieces and munch it down with some salsa and guac.

Re:Who throws away dics?

[sl4shd0rk]

Why throw them away? Get out the salsa and recycle them.

I wonder...

[I_am_Rambi]

Now I wonder what would happen to one of those new discs if you put one in the microwave for 5 seconds.

Would that be a popcorn disc?

Corn?

[E_elven]

So what happens when the computer gets hot?

Nachos are served

[EtherAlchemist]

So what happens when the computer gets hot?

It smells like corn tortillas, of course.

What I want to know is, can you make nachos from the discs that end up as the inevitable coasters?

Mmmmm, blu-ray disc nachos...

Oh boy.

[neuro.slug]

Let the corny jokes commence.

Oh wait...

Not a corny joke

[Ohreally_factor]

Let the corny jokes commence.

Atkins dieters are eagerly awaiting the Blu-ray disc composed of pork rind.

I've got one...

[bchernicoff]

Now I wonder what would happen to one of those new discs if you put one in the microwave for 5 seconds.

You get...pop music!

Re:Oh boy.

[Anonymous Coward]

will they use blue corn?

Re:Oh boy.

[hords]

Woot! Now we can have Korn on corn!

Oh boy-King Taco.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Let the corny jokes commence."

Why didn't CmdrTaco bring us this story?

Middle?

[kirkb]

Is the middle of the disc called the "corn hole"?

Pizza

[LordHatrus]

I'm glad you included pizza; They don't call rackmount servers "pizza box" servers for nothing ;) ... fit a mini-atx nicely :D

Made with corn...

[Anonymous Coward]

Made with corn... ...but filled with porn!

The cost? Your first born.

Re:Made with corn...

[Matt Perry]

Would that be pictures of Corn Stars [cornstar.com]? [link NSFW]

An interesting thought...

[Anonymous Coward]

This will be the first data transfer medium that will have a cornhole.

Thank you. I'm here all week.

Re:An interesting thought...

[aussie_a]

Thank you. I'm here all week.

Fuck

Genetic Engineering

[vlad_grigorescu]

We have been gentically engineering corn for a variety of purposes for a while now. I wonder if this will spur a "Blu-ray" variant of corn. It should be interesting to consider what properties of the corn would make the best discs (longest lasting, scratch-resistant, etc.)

so a biodegradable archival medium huh?

[way2trivial]

Some manufacturers currently offer what should be a 300 year cdr for archiving... [engadget.com]

how long does the corn last anyway?

Re:so a biodegradable archival medium huh?

[magefile]

And they know that how?

Re:so a biodegradable archival medium huh?

[Ohreally_factor]

Duh! They test with a time machine!

Re:so a biodegradable archival medium huh?

[SpaceLifeForm]

It's all a conspiracy by **AA to guarantee short shelf life.

Mitsui Gold CD-Rs, with a custom badge.

[MsGeek]

It's the return of Mitsui Gold...yes, there have been tests on this kind of CD-R that have suggests that they will last, if not 300 years, a lot longer than most commonly available media.

I think that it is generally agreed that both Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim/Mitsubishi Azo CD-Rs are going to last at least 100 years if archivally stored.

Warning: Pun!

[shigelojoe]

Does this mean that /.-ers will start storing their pr0n on their cr0n?

Re:Warning: Pun!

[magefile]

No, they'll use cr0n to aut0mate pr0n backups t0 c0rn.

Re:Warning: Pun!

[magefile]

I think it had already jumped the shark by my post.

I wonder....

[tuxter]

If you get your finger stuck in the spindle hole, does that constitute being cornholed?

Mmm....

[Illissius]

blu-ray taco... *drool*

Longevity?

[fdawg]

My CD-Rs are slowly falling apart due to age. After about 4 or 5 years, they're about as good as dirt. Ive been slowly converting everything to DVD but I fear the same thing will happen to them. I remember reading on slashdot that disks have a limitted shelf life due to corrosion and the breakdown of laminates. Now, these disks are designed to breakdown. What good is this to anyone who wants to keep data beyond half a decade?

Re:Longevity?

[Anonymous Coward]

Currently from what I understand they have two types of bio plastics. One will be used for containing food you buy at stores, flatware, plates, cups, so forth that you throw out. They take some time to degrade and start when in dark damp places. The second kind you have to burn off at a low temperature, it doesn't give off anything harmfull when burned. Car bodies, interior parts, and long term plastic parts will be made of this type. So unless it's lifetime of the dvd is intended to be weeks or less then they will use the kind that is more or less permanent.

I haven't seen any data on how long these will hold up even using the type you need to burn off.

Re:Longevity?

[Ohreally_factor]

What good is this to anyone who wants to keep data beyond half a decade?

Not much, what a boon to the MPAA! When you buy a DVD, you'll really be buying the privilege to watch a particular movie for a limited amount of time. If you want to see it again after your disc decomposes, you'll have to purchase it again.

Re:Longevity?

[zakezuke]

What good is this to anyone who wants to keep data beyond half a decade?

What about data that doesn't need to be kept beyond a 1/2 decade? I think that's the point. The first thing that comes to mind are security camera videos. DVD-/+R is the prevered medium due to its small size and low cost but long term storage is pointless.

Re:Longevity?

[Anonymous Coward]

While the disc can theoretically be eaten, it is coated by a 0.1-millimeter (0.004-inch) thick layer of resin and is too hard for even the strongest teeth.

So it's not designed to breakdown, it's designed so that if the starch polymer is incinerated, it will not emit dioxins and any other harmful chemicals.

Re:Longevity?

[GreatBunzinni]

Note that being biodegradable doesn't necessarily mean that it has a short life. There are plastics which are biodegradable but are quite durable. I don't know If this is the case but still, don't confuse the two concepts.

And by the way, if in fact these disks break up easily, they may not be of much use for someone who wants to keep data for a long time. But, as you stated on your post, neither are the vast majority (if not all) of the storage media which is bought off the shelf in any store. And, unlike

It's not...

[Ramses0]

Remember, we are living in a disposable society (Cars. Computers. Etc.). There is far more good media (as in "stuff to see, listen, read") than anyone has time to consume, even if you just go to the public domain (ie; project gutenberg).

To some extent, this unplanned obsolescence of media (the carrier of information) such as VHS->DVD, Cassette->CD->MP3/AAC/WMA has given the media conglomorates more opportunities to (re)sell all of their Beatles and Pink-Floyd catalogs.

Now, if you can guarantee

Re:Longevity?

[ajs]

They are not designed to break down. The press release / news report (feh!) is misleading, but what if you strip away the points that they imply, and just keep the ones that they actually SAY, this is a disk made from polymers (platic) that come from corn instead of oil. The only interesting part of it in terms of decay is that if you BURN it, you don't get some of the toxins you get from regular CDs. However, it is coated in thick resin which would prevent this from degrading just as much (or little) as yo

Imagine...

[improbable]

"Hey man! You said these disc were made of corn, right?"

*crack*

*scream*

Who Cares

[The_Rippa]

Let me know when they make a 64-bit processor out of polenta.

Nachos

[3770]

Man,

That's gonna be thousands of tons of corn diverted away from making nachos.

Make those discs out of egg plant instead. Nobody will miss them.

Mmmm... Nachos.

Re:Nachos

[MouseR]

On the other hand, we could have accompanying dip for old backups. Better yet: data burritos.

Feedstocks!

[Ohreally_factor]

This will be great for recycling discs to feedstocks, since most of Hollywood's output is swill fit for pigs anyway. (Sorry if I offended any pigs. I am such an insensitive bastard.)

Re:Feedstocks!

[boarder8925]

I am such an insensitive bastard.

That's insensitive clod! =P

Microwaves

[Indy Media Watch]

Now I wonder what would happen to one of those new discs if you put one in the microwave for 5 seconds.

He writes that knowing full well what happens to current discs when you put them in the microwave.

That is.... Awesome lightshow caused by arcs between the thousands/millions of pits and hills on the disc's surface.

I highly recommend it, but suggest:

a) Not using your own microwave
b) Not using a disc you like to watch...

In case you can't resist,

c) Not putting it back into your own DVD player afterward.

wow

[nomadic]

24 comments already and no bad jokes using the word "kernel". I'm proud of you all.

Argh. Corn?

[Merk]

Do we really need another corn-based product? Nearly everything you eat has corn in it. Drinks have high-fructose corn syrup. Bread has corn as well. Beef is raised on a diet of corn (and they have to use antibiotics so that the cows can digest it).

This is all because of ludicrous subsidies the government gives corn farmers. It results in corn products so cheap that they're essentially free.

Biodegradeable products are great. Don't get me wrong, but I suspect the only reason they're using corn h

Re:Argh. Corn?

[glowimperial]

I don't think they are going to do anything that displeases their masters in the red states. We are going to have ugly, bad for the economy corn subsidies for a long time.

Ob. Simpsons

[k4_pacific]

Lisa: His shoes are corn, his hat is corn, I think even that check is made of corn.

Homer: Lisa, a man who has plenty of corn is less likely to hurt Stalky than someone whose corn supplies are running low.

Biodegradable computer products

[mknewman]

You guys are killing me... "If this disc is widely used, it may be the only easily biodegradable computer part/accessory (with the exception of pizza)." Seriously, though, computer paper is still recyclable and I assume bio-degradable and anyone else remember paper punch cards and tape? Marc

Re:Biodegradable computer products

[tomhudson]

t may be the only easily biodegradable computer part/accessory

I thought most Microsoft products degraded with use (their OS sure does).

But how is the durability?

[CarnivoreMan]

Is this corn stuff sturdy enough to endure intense office frisbee action?

CornDisc

[SinaSa]

I think this is a potentially a very cool thing, but you have to admit it's immensley funny if you think about it.

Five Pioneer R&D guys sitting at a table, thinking what they are going to do with Blu-Ray. One of them looks down at his bag of nacho's... look's up at the picture of the DVD, then back at the Nacho's.

The rest is history.

Food supply?

[MP3Chuck]

So I didn't RTFA, but why divert corn from the food supply? I'm sure it's not exactly in short supply but with so many starving people in the world wouldn't it be better off actually feeding people?

Or will the occasional coaster now be edible? ;)

Re:Food supply?

[k4_pacific]

Well, I don't think that this would significantly impact food production. We already pay farmers not to grow things. I'm even thinking of not growing a few hundred acres of corn on my 1/8 acre plot.

Re:Food supply?

[geekoid]

first, not all corn is edible
second, transportation
third, distribution
forth, politics.

Re:Food supply?

[darkmeridian]

There is enough food to feed all the world. There hasn't been a consensus to feed them. War and politics prevent this (see Somalia).

Re:Food supply?

[Rie Beam]

Think of how many children could be fed on AOL disks alone...

Mmmmmmmm.........

[Mung Bianca]

Seedy Rom.....

corporate espionage

[k4_pacific]

This would be great for corporate espionage. If you are caught by security, you can hastily wolf it down. No more evidence!!

"It was a rice cake, I swear!"

Biodegradable computer accessories

[Mostly a lurker]

only easily biodegradable computer part/accessory (with the exception of pizza)

Last I checked, programmers were also easily biodegradable, with the exception of a few bones.

Down in the southern US..

[modifried]

"What's for dinner tonight, Pa?"
"We gots us some o' these here A-O-L treats."

Stupidest idea ever.

[Alcimedes]

WTF? Can someone explain to my WHY I would want to store my data on biodegradable discs? Isn't the whole point of disc to store long term?

Re:Stupidest idea ever.

[gl4ss]

sometimes it is not.

the idea is that it wont fill landfills like non-sold et carts.

Shiny?

[marciot]

Don't CDs have to be shiny and reflective? What is shown in the picture sure looks dull and matte. Has blu-ray eliminated the need for the reflective backing? -- Marcio

I'm looking forward

[hey!]

to making moonshine from my pirated DVDs.

AOL should send out corn CDs

[serutan]

Woo-hoo! FREE NACHOS !!!

Longevity?

[nurb432]

If they are designed to be degradable, what is their shelf life in my stereo cabinet..

Id prefer them to NOT degrade in my house .. ever ...

It'll never catch on...

[winkydink]

I can't see these things replacing cobs in the outhouse.

Biodegradable storage.

[achilstone]

Don't fret I think we've been storing data on biodegradable media which can last for thousands of years if stored right.... it's called paper.

We're going to lose it all

[Bun]

I'm beginning to have serious concerns about the integrity of the world's data. NASA's old data is deteriorating faster than they can archive it. CD's will only last for 20 years or so, DVD's probably less. What forms of PERMANENT (T> 100y) data storage are available to us? Is all of our digitil information doomed to be lost?

Sorry, third world!

[dswensen]

"Sorry, third world... you can't have this corn to eat. We need it to store our valuable data!"

No, Starvin' Marvin, that's a bad Starvin' Marvin!

Beavis and Butthead will love these new disks

[curtlewis]

Pssst! hey, what's that gap in the center?

That's the cornhole.

Ob. Aqua Teen Hunger Force

[DarkHelmet]

Dr. Weird: Gentlemen... I bring you... MORE CORN!!!
Steve: Yeah, umm. I don't know man... after last time...
Dr. Weird: This time... SHALL BE DIFFERENT... BWAHAHHAHAHAHAH!
Steve: Well alright, cause I am hungry again.

(Corn fly towards Steve, stabbing through him)

Dr. Weird: It's not different at all, is it Steve! HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!

(By the way, Simpsons always flies on Slashdot... Now let's see if Aqua Teen does)

Corn isn't just food

[idiot900]

Ethanol added to gasoline is also made from corn, so it isn't necessary that everything an edible plant can be made into also be edible itself.

Also, hopefully corn discs will contribute to a reduction in farm subsidies by increasing the demand for corn.

maybe some good will come of this

[ChipMonk]

After all, it would make AOL's idiotic discs very welcome in third-world countries.

Consumers?

[Lord_Dweomer]

This may be good for people who don't need long term storage, but how could this POSSIBLY be good for consumers.

Its bad enough that CDRs and DVDs degrade over time, but now this? I want media that LASTS LONGER and will protect my data over time.

Gentlemen! Behold!... Corn!

[GOD_ALMIGHTY]

Dr. Weird : Gentlemen! Behold!... Corn!
Steve : [pretending to be surprised] Okaaay... you know, this is pretty nice! Yeah, I am kinda hungry...
Dr. Weird : Good! Then let the mating BEGIN! Mwahahahahah!
[the corn punctures Steve and pins him to the wall]

Courtesy of IMDB [imdb.com]

How to make "corn starch plastic" at home...

[SkyMunky]

(from http://www.wisagclassroom.org/Corn%20Plastic.pdf )

Materials Needed :
cornstarch
measuring spoons
corn oil
water
medicine dropper
food coloring
microwave
sandwich-size resealable plastic bag
Procedure:
1. Place a tablespoon of cornstarch in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Add two drops of corn oil to the corn starch.
3. Add one and a half tablespoons of water to the oil and cornstarch.
4. Stir the mixture.
5.Add two drops of food coloring to the mixture and stir well.
6.Next, microwave your biodegradable plastic for 20-25 seconds on high.

(and obviously, use caution)

Re:How to make "corn starch plastic" at home...

[dargaud]

This reads like the recipe of most of the stuff I've tried to eat while in the US.

Is it edible?

[OrangeTide]

Like those starch-based packing foam peanuts? They melt in your mouth. yum.

What we need now...

[fireman sam]

Is a blue-ray burning application for KDE and call it Korn. Then we can be sued by the RIAA for *insert violation of the week kere*

BTW, I've got a couple of korn CD's in my collection, but they do not taste very good.

On a serious note, how long do these last? I once lived in a share house and during our yearly clean up we found a packet of cornflakes(TM) in the cupboard. The useby date was about 8 months prior and they did not look too good.

Disc of corn?

[indros13]

If this biodegrades in a landfill as well as corn digests in my body, I wouldn't call this a roaring success...

Re:Watch out for hobos..

[Epsillon]

Somebody ought to force AOL to use this technology. Then, far from having to act their way to a free seedy ROM, there would be a plentiful supply for the bums to eat and, as a side-effect, AOL would actualy be doing something useful for once.

Re:uhh, I don't know about you ...

[Dogtanian]

What, have you no faith in post-apocalyptic pr0n?

You mean, like mutants with three breasts or two penises?

Or both, on the same person...