The NSA Is Defeated by a 1950s Tape Recorder. Can You Help Them?
The NSA struggles to access a valuable lecture by Rear Admiral Grace Hopper on an obsolete video tape format. Suggestions for assistance from organizations arise amid speculation on the NSA's reasons. Challenges of preserving historical data on outdated technologies are evident.
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The National Security Agency (NSA) faces a challenge in accessing a valuable lecture by Rear Admiral Grace Hopper recorded on a 1950s Ampex 1" reel-to-reel video tape. The NSA claims they can no longer read this format, leading to a denial of a Freedom of Information request to release the lecture. Despite the NSA's reluctance, the importance of preserving and studying Hopper's lecture is evident. Suggestions have been made for organizations like the Smithsonian or Library of Congress to assist in accessing and preserving the content. Various comments speculate on the NSA's reasons for not fulfilling the request, ranging from resource constraints to potential content sensitivity. The discussion also touches on the feasibility of recovering data from obsolete media formats and the potential solutions available, such as tape transfer services. Overall, the situation highlights the challenges of accessing and preserving historical information stored on outdated technologies.
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11 commentsThe linked article says this was recorded in 1982, so it probably was recorded on Ampex 1" Type C, which was pro-grade at the time. Not sure how the 1950s got into this. 1950s video tape would be 2" Quad, which Colorlab can also read.
[1] https://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/video-playback...
[2] http://www.colorlab.com/video/video_digitization.html
[3] https://www.archives.gov/research/order/item-approval-form.h...
I doubt trashing the NSA all over tech media will get you what you want.. plus I don’t want extra bureaucrats hired just to spend more money on obscure FOIA requests..
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