One reason this is called the information age.

[_MeDotOrg]

This is an IBM 5 megabyte hard drive from 1956.You could rent it for $35,000 (2015 equivalent of $300,000) per year..




Below is a SanDisk 8 gigabyte flash drive - with the equivalent storage capacity of 1,600 of the above IBM monstrosity. It cost $3.40

[_ludwigm]

In 1967, as a young lieutenant, I was the technician of a certain "VOZDUH-1P" (later "1M" = modernized...).
It was a device to collect and transmit radar data.

With a computer, packed in four ~1 cubic meter chest
CPU: 11,000 operation/MINUTE (18 bits size)
RAM: 512 words
ROM: 1024 words
Magnetic Drum Unit: 2048 words

There are about hundred pictures of this technology at http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3938312/1 (/2, /3, /4)

Up to 1985 (89?) those devices were yet deployed. At that time we could buy ZX-Spectrum (me...) C-64 (one of my colleague) for 3-4 month salary of an officer.

[_ludwigm]

I have some 8'' disks; and a Southwest to read/write them. I didn't use it in the last 20 years.
I hope, You, oversea, (relative...) don't use them.

- https://Twitter.com/60Minutes/status/460556757505687552 -
"One of the computers that would receive a nuclear missile launch order from the President still uses big floppy disks"

[_DarkHelmet]

This is an IBM 5 megabyte hard drive from 1956.You could rent it for $35,000 (2015 equivalent of $300,000) per year..

The hard drives back then looked like airplanes;)

[_MeDotOrg]

I have some 8'' disks; and a Southwest to read/write them. I didn't use it in the last 20 years.
I hope, You, oversea, (relative...) don't use them.

- https://Twitter.com/60Minutes/status/460556757505687552 -
"One of the computers that would receive a nuclear missile launch order from the President still uses big floppy disks"

I used those 8" floppies at work. Still have an old 5 1/4 inch drive and a ribbon cable to USB converter, but the BIOS for modern computers does not recognize a 5 1/4" drive. Someone does make a device to make it work, but I remember it was pretty expensive.

[_ludwigm]

I have some 8'' disks; and a Southwest to read/write them. I didn't use it in the last 20 years.
I hope, You, oversea, (relative...) don't use them.

- https://Twitter.com/60Minutes/status/460556757505687552 -
"One of the computers that would receive a nuclear missile launch order from the President still uses big floppy disks"

I used those 8" floppies at work.
...

Are You is as old as I am?
We are living fossils, then.