I have two LG BD-R drives, but they are discontinued. Honestly I would just browse Amazon and read the reviews in-depth. There are some useless reviews out there but it is fairly easy to determine which products are good and bad based on the good reviews. I can say my older LG drives are still holding up just fine.

I remember back when CD drives were new in PCs (back when the CD was connected to the SoundBlaster, not PATA or SATA). After a while the mechanicals would go and they would fail to seek. I remember old burners failing to burn after a while. Honestly, any drive I have bought in the last 10-15 years has lasted as long as the rest of the computer without any problems, including the two BD-R drives I use. That is probably a combination of technology improving and the fact that I do my research and find good quality drives.

As to your SSD comment, they have improved quite a bit recently. I just bought a 512 GB for the same price as a 256 GB just two years prior. The quality and durability are improving as well. If you have been holding out making the switch, now is a good time and it will only get better.

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and get a BD burner soon, does anybody here have exp with using BD for storage? How are they holding up?

I have two BD-R drives. Much like with DVDs, I use a good quality media: pretty much all of the good DVD brands also make good BD-Rs, e.g. Verbatim. I store the discs in a cool, dry place away from sunlight (disc binders). After about four years I have had no problems reading any disc I have burned.

Blu-ray discs have two advantages over DVD. First is size: a single layer disc holds 25 GB, or approximately three times as much as a dual layer DVD. Dual layer discs hold 50 GB, or approximately six times as much as a dual layer DVD. This drastically reduces both the annoyance of burning (sitting at the computer swapping discs) as well as the amount of physical space required.

The second advantage, which I wish applied to other media as well, is the scratch-resistant coating. Due to the much tighter storage density as well as the thinner layer of plastic required to get the laser closer to the data surface, a scratch is more serious for a Blu-ray. To help with this, they use a much more durable plastic that does not scratch easily unless you are deliberately gouging the surface.

For commercial use, go with tape. For home use, I love my BD-R. A 50 GB BD-R disc holds plenty of data for a home user, is durable, and can last years under residential conditions.

Actually, we are sending several fighter jets to bomb ISIS, right now. Odds are that's what is precipitating these attacks.

I didn't say any of that. I said, we know how to mete our own form of justice to those that deserve it.

We will not go apeshit. We will not allow our government unrestricted control over every aspect of our lives or violate our laws.

What we will do is find those responsible, and hold them accountable, and very little will stop us until we think this has been accomplished. That is the way we have always done things. (And perhaps burn down the Whitehouse just for shits and giggles on the way home. ;) )

Word is in, the Reservist who was standing watch at the War Memorial has passed away.

Sorry Lumpy, but this is the second soldier killed on Canadian soil this week by, presumably, an extremist. We only put up with so much, then we go all http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardenne_Abbey_massacreArdenne Abbey on them. As the German SS if that massacre was worth what our soldiers did to them afterward. "No Prisoners" was the chant.

federal

how? it's not interstate commerce.

Tesla Motors is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. They are trying to sell in as many states as possible, and this article is about them conducting commerce in Iowa. Last time I checked, Iowa and California were different states. Furthermore, Tesla is building a battery factory in Nevada and their assembly plant is in Fremont, CA. While obviously California-centric, they are involved in multiple states.

This would be my choice, as it's actually banned!

It should be banned, but not because it contains forbidden knowledge; anyone who tries anything in the book can get themselves hurt! It should be banned as a public safety service.

Nothing inspires more confidence in a complex cryptographic system than a name like "CipherShed.'

At least they did not call it The Gimp.