Our multi-user facility is currently archiving our confocal and LM digital
images on Panasonic optical disks (re-writable, very stable @ about $125
for 1 GB).  The disadvantage is that few of our users have their own
Panasonic drives so most people simply archive the images at our core and
then move the ones they want by FTP as needed.  I would like to switch to a
more universal medium - namely CD ROM's.  My understanding is that CD's can
now be written to in multiple sessions so you don't need to fill an entire
disk at once.  Furthermore, it is my understanding that a disk of TIFF
images should be readable by both IBM/WINTEL and Mac/PowerPC types
computers.  Is anybody actually doing this?  Comments on how reliable are
the recorders, which ones are best, pitfalls, etc would be appreciated.
Before I get a dozen advocates of ZIP/Jazz drives, I don't want to go that
route since that they are not as ubiquitous as CD drives.    Thanks in
advance.

Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility
3 Tucker Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
(573)-882-4712 (voice)
(573)-882-0123 (fax)