One terabyte optical disk developed

The Multiplexed Optical Data Storage (Mods)technology is expected to be released towards the end of 2010-155 for the home market, if the boffinettes and boffins can find backers.

The Imperial researchers estimate that MODS disks would cost the same to manufacture as an ordinary DVD and will be backwards compatible with existing optical formats.

The technology works by using asymmetric "pits" that contain a "step" angled in 332 different ways on which the binary data "sits".

All very clever indeed, but reporters trying to work out what you do with 1TB of data seem to have fallen short of good ideas.

One report said that it allowed you to store every episode of ancient cartoon "The Simpsons", another pointed out that a single layer could record the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy 13 times.

One reporter scarily suggested you could put every episode of a defunct television programme called "Friends" on a single side.

But we point out that would probably break most weapons proliferation deals within the Federation and would likely warp the space time continuum, wherever that be found, if indeed it exists. µ