I found this site a while back but had forgotten about it. However, since I just bought new computers I was in the market for more blank DVDs but I couldn’t remember the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R.

How To Choose CD/DVD Archival Media is a very informative blog article. It gives the history of both CD and DVD technology, the differences between the various flavors of the media available, and which format you should choose for archival purposes. The author also has a recent update listing his choices for CD/DVD burners.

In a nutshell, the author recommends Taiyo Yuden media, which apparently is difficult to find outside of Japan; however, it’s the most reliable of all media on the market. Also, don’t spend the extra money on gold CD-Rs because they don’t give you much benefit for the price. Oh, if you’re buying blank DVDs, get DVD+R if your computer will handle it; they are better quality and generally perform better.

After making a comment on a fellow GIDBlog site, I realized that it would make a good topic of discussion. The original comment I made was that, by playing Gran Turismo, I’ve learned quite a bit about cars that I didn’t know before. Obviously, it’s a game so a lot of real life aspects can’t be duplicated exactly, but much of the premise of the simulation is still applicable.

For example, I never realized how much tires affect the car. It makes sense though. The tires are the only part of a vehicle that actually interact with the environment, in this case the ground. Having poor quality tires means your are more likely to lose that precious ground contact. Once you lose good contact, you no longer have control of the vehicle. This means not just when your tires actually leave the ground (like when you go over a cliff) but when you lose any type of traction. If you brake too hard without anti-lock brakes, your wheels will lock up and you lose control. If you go over a “washboard” road or hit a speed bump too fast, your tires will momentarily lose contact with the ground and you just can’t drive on air very well. > more <