Fingernails: Your Newest Storage Media?

Bob Russell · 07-06-2005, 01:18 PM

There hasn't been a lot to get excited about with regard to storage media recently. Nothing really stood out much after Hitachi's perpendicular storage with the cute cartoon video. But now there's a totally unexpected new angle. Who would have thought that fingernails can do data storage in the megabytesbits?!

As soon as they recover from the Slashdot effect, you may be able to find more info at the link below.

Quote:

Secure optical data storage could soon literally be at your fingertips thanks to work being carried out in Japan. Yoshio Hayasaki and his colleagues have discovered that data can be written into a human fingernail by irradiating it with femtosecond laser pulses. Capacities are said to be up to 5 mega bits and the stored data lasts for 6 months - the length of time it takes a fingernail to be completely replaced."

(via Slashdot)

Alexander Turcic · 07-06-2005, 04:47 PM

That IS rather cool!

Imagine, you can store your private key of some sensitive data into your fingernail! Noone would ever come to the idea of using YOUR fingernail for decrypting your data. Well at least until now when it was slashdotted. But how much really is 5 mega bits? 5000 bits / 8 = 625 bytes. That is more than enough to hold a larger 512 bytes private key of an RSA encryption which noone has officially been able to crack yet (though I wouldn't recommend anything below 1024 bytes nowadays).

Bob Russell · 07-06-2005, 05:47 PM

If I'm not missing something, that is much bigger.
5 megabits = 5 x 1024 / 8 = 640K
or following your method, which uses the common storage manufacturer's measuring stick... 5 megabits = 5 x 1000 / 8 = 625K

Either way, if I didn't mess that up, it's actually a lot of data!

Alexander Turcic · 07-06-2005, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

5 megabits = 5 x 1024 / 8 = 640K

Ahh I think you must be right! Mega goes into the millions whereas Kilo goes into the thousands. Thats a crazy amount of storage then... like an old floppy disk basically!

Bob Russell · 07-06-2005, 08:08 PM

And we still forgot something... 10 fingers x 640K/finger is more than 6 megabytes if you use both hands. More than 12 meg if you use your feet!

derekweb · 07-07-2005, 01:06 PM

But you'll need to build into software the ability to read archival-spanned "disk-sets" again. LOL

Alexander Turcic · 07-07-2005, 01:30 PM

WinRar 4.0 - New: With Fingernail support

pl0ni · 07-07-2005, 06:53 PM

Nail biters will give new meaning to 'data feed'.

hacker · 07-07-2005, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander

Imagine, you can store your private key of some sensitive data into your fingernail! Noone would ever come to the idea of using YOUR fingernail for decrypting your data. Well at least until now when it was slashdotted. But how much really is 5 mega bits? 5000 bits / 8 = 625 bytes. That is more than enough to hold a larger 512 bytes private key of an RSA encryption which noone has officially been able to crack yet (though I wouldn't recommend anything below 1024 bytes nowadays).

The main problem with this is that if you are ever incarcerated or arrested, they have the key that they can take to decrypt any of the data you encrypt with it. IMHO, a bad move. This is precisely why you should use at least a 2-factor system (Something you have [fingernail], Something you know [passphrase]).

As long as you are strong-willed and can resist interrogation, you can keep them from getting at your data. Nothing can keep them from taking the data or key from your fingernail (well, except that it is considered "property", and they aren't legally allowed to take it until/unless you waive your rights to your property... which of course you should NEVER do, and this includes fingerprints).

Er, I mean... I read that somewhere once... yeah, thats it. <grin>

Jorgen · 07-08-2005, 01:06 AM

>"And we still forgot something... 10 fingers x 640K/finger is more than 6 megabytes
<if you use both hands. More than 12 meg if you use your feet!"

So every time you cut your nails you forget something?

Alexander Turcic · 07-08-2005, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorgen

>"And we still forgot something... 10 fingers x 640K/finger is more than 6 megabytes
<if you use both hands. More than 12 meg if you use your feet!"

So every time you cut your nails you forget something?

I assume the information stored on the fingernail is redundant ... perhaps something like a RAID system?

They say the data gets lost after 6 months, which is after the compete nail has regrown.

Alexander Turcic · 07-08-2005, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hacker

The main problem with this is that if you are ever incarcerated or arrested, they have the key that they can take to decrypt any of the data you encrypt with it. IMHO, a bad move. This is precisely why you should use at least a 2-factor system (Something you have [fingernail], Something you know [passphrase]).

True that would be even better!

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07-06-2005, 04:47 PM	#2
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,171 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	That IS rather cool! Imagine, you can store your private key of some sensitive data into your fingernail! Noone would ever come to the idea of using YOUR fingernail for decrypting your data. Well at least until now when it was slashdotted. But how much really is 5 mega bits? 5000 bits / 8 = 625 bytes. That is more than enough to hold a larger 512 bytes private key of an RSA encryption which noone has officially been able to crack yet (though I wouldn't recommend anything below 1024 bytes nowadays).

07-06-2005, 05:47 PM	#3
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	If I'm not missing something, that is much bigger. 5 megabits = 5 x 1024 / 8 = 640K or following your method, which uses the common storage manufacturer's measuring stick... 5 megabits = 5 x 1000 / 8 = 625K Either way, if I didn't mess that up, it's actually a lot of data!

07-06-2005, 08:08 PM	#5
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	And we still forgot something... 10 fingers x 640K/finger is more than 6 megabytes if you use both hands. More than 12 meg if you use your feet!

07-07-2005, 01:06 PM	#6
derekweb Groupie Posts: 160 Karma: 3134 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: United States Device: Palm Treo 700p & iPaq hx2755	But you'll need to build into software the ability to read archival-spanned "disk-sets" again. LOL

07-07-2005, 01:30 PM	#7
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,171 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	WinRar 4.0 - New: With Fingernail support

07-07-2005, 06:53 PM	#8
pl0ni Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA Device: Palm IIIx -> pa1mOne T\|T5 -> Palm T\|X	Nail biters will give new meaning to 'data feed'.

07-08-2005, 01:06 AM	#10
Jorgen Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 84 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Spain Device: Sony prs-650, iPod, BEBOOK Mini, Nokia n810, iPaq	>"And we still forgot something... 10 fingers x 640K/finger is more than 6 megabytes <if you use both hands. More than 12 meg if you use your feet!" So every time you cut your nails you forget something?

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