This video humorously explores the concept of "harder drives"—unconventional and impractical methods for storing digital data, often solving problems that don't exist. The presenter details several implementations: theoretically juggling chainsaws in orbit (Terra wield), using internet ping (ICMP Echo) requests to store data across the globe (requiring a full IPv4 internet scan visualized with a Hilbert curve), painstakingly encoding data within thousands of emulated Tetris games (requiring reverse-engineering the NES Tetris random number generator), and repurposing EEPROM chips salvaged from used COVID-19 test cartridges (involving custom hardware that catastrophically fails). Each method is evaluated based on qualitative absurdity, cost, longevity, speed, power consumption, and societal harm, often highlighting extreme inefficiency or unexpected benefits. Bitcoin is also evaluated under this framework, critiquing its resource consumption and societal impact. The presentation blends technical detail with satire, ultimately serving as an exploration of system limits and a commentary on technology itself.
Harder Drives: Unconventional Data Storage Explorations
0:00:04 Introduction: Chainsaw Juggling: The video opens with the theoretical problem of maximizing simultaneously wielded chainsaws, proposing orbital juggling ("Terra wield") as a solution, holding over 1.2 trillion saws.
0:02:18 Storing Data via Radio/Internet Waves: The concept transitions to storing data, first by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere, then using ICMP Echo (ping) requests to store data "in the internet" by having remote hosts hold the data temporarily.
0:04:27 Pinging the Entire Internet: To find hosts for the ping-based hard drive, the entire IPv4 address space (4.2 billion addresses) was scanned. Challenges included home network limitations and ISP throttling, requiring rented servers.
0:05:59 Visualizing the Internet: The ping results are visualized using a Hilbert curve, showing patterns of responsive (white) and non-responsive (black) IP addresses, including reserved blocks and allocated networks with unique patterns.
0:08:06 Building the Ping Hard Drive: A 51.2 KB virtual block device was created using NBD kit and the FAT12 filesystem. Data blocks (512 bytes) are stored redundantly across multiple geographically diverse, slow, but reliable hosts using outstanding pings.
0:10:37 Ping Drive Benchmark & Evaluation: Benchmarked by storing RFC 792 (ICMP definition). The UI visualizes block health and activity. Data loss is observed. Evaluation: Solves a non-problem, treats latency as desirable, poor longevity, slow speed (~14 KB/s), high global power cost (~5.8 µW/byte), potentially antisocial.
0:14:52 Tetris Hard Drive Concept: Proposes storing data within the Tetris playfield (10x20 grid). Challenges include avoiding line clears, handling parity constraints (always even blocks), and creating specific block patterns.
0:16:40 Reverse-Engineering Tetris RNG: To control piece generation in NES Tetris, the Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) based RNG was reverse-engineered. Discovered limitations, including the impossibility of getting duplicate pieces under certain conditions due to RNG correlations.
0:20:30 Tetris Drive Implementation: A modular approach writes bytes by finding move sequences that create the byte's pattern and return the board to a standard state, using deliberate pauses to manipulate the RNG. Computer search found move sequences for each byte.
0:21:56 Scaling and Running Tetris Drive: Storing the 49KB Tetris ROM requires 8640 simultaneous NES emulators. A benchmark visualization shows the process, which takes hours but is reliable. You can play Tetris loaded from this drive.
0:24:00 Tetris Drive Evaluation: Solves a non-problem with a triple entendre ("Soviet block"), computationally interesting. Cost-effective (~0.084 ¢/byte based on RAM). Volatile storage. Extremely slow write (2.57 B/s), fast read. Reasonable power (~72 µW/byte). Harmful only if using real hardware.
0:25:46 COVID-19 Test Hard Drive: Concept uses EEPROM chips (ST24C04WP, 512 bytes) salvaged from used Cue Health COVID-19 test cartridges.
0:27:52 Building the COVID Drive: Requires custom PCBs with bus switches (due to fixed I2C addresses) and custom connectors to interface with the cartridges. Assembly is labor-intensive.
0:29:42 Catastrophic Failure: The drive, connected to a Raspberry Pi, repeatedly failed, frying two Pis due to faulty outlet wiring. The drive could not be benchmarked but works as a "smoke machine."
0:30:35 COVID Drive Evaluation: Solves non-problem of storing used tests. Large effort. Non-volatile storage with excellent longevity (200 years). High cost (~13 ¢/byte). Unknown speed. Excellent power efficiency (~19 nW/byte). Deemed beneficial to society (uses trash, promotes testing, adds human element).
0:33:35 Bitcoin as a Harder Drive: Evaluates Bitcoin as a block device where data is the transaction log. Write = mining, Read = reading chain head.
0:34:18 Bitcoin Drive Evaluation: Qualitatively good "harder drive" (solves non-problem of trust), elegant but absurdly wasteful. Catastrophic power use (15.74 kW/byte). Good nominal longevity (but vulnerable to 51% attack). High cost (~34.2 ¢/byte). Slow speed (~1.7 KB/s). Significant societal harm (resource waste, speculation, illicit use).
0:36:13 Conclusion: Emphasizes the societal impact of technology and justifies the projects with the motto: "We do these things not because they are hard, but because they are harder drives."