Abstract: An apparatus comprising a slider and a detector coupled to the slider. The slider is configured for writing data to and reading data from a magnetic recording medium. The slider comprises a heater configured to receive a modulated signal and cause oscillation in a spacing between the slider and the medium. At least one heat generating component of the slider is configured to receive a modulated signal. A contact sensor is situated on the slider to receive heat generated by the at least one heat generating component. The detector is configured to measure a response signal of the heated contact sensor as the slider approaches the medium. The detector is further configured to detect contact between the slider and the medium in response to the response signal reaching a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for sanitizing audio recordings. One of the methods includes identifying confidential information in a transcription of an audio file. The method includes altering at least a portion of the audio file to remove the identified confidential information.

Abstract: A recording medium is written to using an energy source that heats the medium during the writing. A read error in a sector is determined when reading via a read transducer. While traversing a part of the recording medium that includes data, a write coil is activated before attempting to re-read the sector. The energy source does not heat the recording medium sufficiently to change a state of the data during the activation of the write coil. The activation of the write coil removes a magnetic instability of the read transducer.

Abstract: A drive-implemented method according to one embodiment includes determining that unthreading of a tape is to be performed, and in response to the determination that the unthreading of the tape is to be performed, determining whether to write an index on the tape prior to unthreading the tape. In response to a determination to write the index on the tape, the index is written on the tape prior to unthreading the tape. The tape is then unthreaded.

Abstract: An optical information recording apparatus and method thereof for recording information in a holographic medium. The apparatus includes a laser source which generates a reference beam and a signal beam to record the information in the holographic medium, a sensor which detects a vibrational amplitude over a time period applied to the optical information processing apparatus for recording the information, an operational circuit which calculates from the vibrational amplitude at least one statistical measure of the vibrational amplitude; and a processor programmed to control a recording mode such that the processor evaluates the calculated statistical measure to determine continuation of a recording operation to the holographic medium.

Abstract: Systems and methods for long-term non-volatile non-rotating optical storage of digital information rely on storage elements that include optical storage media, an access subsystem configured to access bits of information from one of the storage elements, and a support structure configured to support multiple storage elements. A laser used to retrieve and/or record bits of digital information may be moved along two orthogonal dimensions while the storage element is non-rotating.

Abstract: A slider of a heat-assisted recording head comprises electrical bond pads coupled to bias sources and a ground pad, an air bearing surface, and a waveguide configured to receive light from a laser source. A contact sensor proximate the air bearing surface is coupled between a first bond pad and a second bond pad. A bolometer is coupled to a reference thermal sensor. The bolometer is situated at a slider location that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide. The reference thermal sensor is situated at a slider location unexposed to the light communicated along the waveguide. The bolometer and reference thermal sensor are coupled between the first and second bond pads and in parallel with the contact sensor. A ground connection is coupled to the ground pad and at a connection between the bolometer and the reference thermal sensor.

Abstract: A storage control device configured to control a storage device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to receive a request of writing of data from an information processing device, assign a unit memory area in the storage device in response to the request of writing, determine whether a sequential format processing is to be executed on the unit memory area based on continuity of logical addresses designated by the request of writing, and determine a timing to execute the sequential format processing on the unit memory area based on a number of commands per unit time to the storage device when the sequential format processing is determined to be executed on the unit memory area.

Abstract: An apparatus including a heat sink layer and a magnetic recording layer over the heat sink layer. In addition, a thermochromic layer is over the heat sink layer, wherein the thermochromic layer includes a first optical absorbance at a first temperature and a second optical absorbance at a second temperature.

Abstract: Systems and methods for a providing a chirped current profile with an undershoot for a channel preamplifier are described. A method for writing bits in a magnetic recording disc may include applying an overshoot to a write current which is supplied to a magnetic writer of the magnetic recording disc and applying an undershoot to the write current after the overshoot is applied to at least partially de-saturate the magnetic writer. The method may also include writing a bit to the magnetic recording disc with the magnetic writer using the supplied write current. In some examples, the application of a short negative pulse after an overshoot portion of the write current waveform is delivered to the head during a write operation that writes the bit to the magnetic recording disc.

Abstract: A reproducing device (100) includes (i) an optical pickup (6) for irradiating, with reproduction light, an optical disk (1) which is a super-resolution medium, (ii) an RF signal processing circuit (9) for converting, into a reproduction signal, light which reflected off optical disk (1), (iii) an i-MLSE detecting section (141) for evaluating quality of the reproduction signal, and (iv) a spherical aberration correcting section (142) for correcting a spherical aberration by using a result of evaluation of the quality of the reproduction signal.

Abstract: Data is written to a recording medium via a read/write head. Subsequent to the writing, the data is read via a read transducer of a read/write head. An instability indicator is derived based on measurements performed while the reading the data. If the instability indicator exceeds a threshold, a current applied to a write coil of the read/write head is changed for subsequent write operations.

Abstract: The optical disk device performs recording/reproducing of data by a predetermined recording block on the track of an optical disk. The device has a recording unit, an optical-head, and a failure detection unit. The recording unit generates a recording signal by modulating the data. The optical-head records data on the track by optical beam emission to the track according to the recording signal, and detects light reflected off the track and then generates a detection signal based on the reflected light. The failure detection unit detects an abnormal condition based on the detection signal changed from a normal condition. If the sum of duration of an abnormal condition in the recording block is equal to or greater than a first time-length, the failure detection unit determines that the recording block has a flaw.

Abstract: A recording head includes a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface. The near-field transducer comprises an aperture portion surrounded by walls of plasmonic material, the walls oriented normal to the media-facing surface. A notch protrudes within the aperture. The notch comprises at least one of Rh and Ir. A write pole is proximate the near-field transducer. The write pole has a back surface facing away from the media-facing surface and an aperture-facing surface proximate the aperture.

Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a first voice coil motor (VCM) comprising a first voice coil, and a second VCM comprising a second voice coil. The first VCM and the second VCM are unloaded during a power failure by measuring a first velocity and a first position of the first VCM and measuring a second velocity and a second position of the second VCM. A BEMF voltage generated by a spindle motor is used to generate a first brake voltage based on the first velocity and the first position, and the BEMF voltage is used to generate a second brake voltage based on the second velocity and the second position. The first brake voltage is applied to the first voice coil, and the second brake voltage is applied to the second voice coil.

Abstract: An error correction block generated by performing error correction coding to the user data is divided into b number of sectors (b: a natural number), each sector having a number of bits (a: a natural number), the sector is divided into c number of sub-sectors (c: a natural number) and bits are distributed to each of the c number of sub-sectors, arrangement order of the bits is randomized for each sub-sector to which the bits are distributed, the c number of sub-sectors in which the arrangement order of the bits is randomized are combined to generate an interleaved sector, the interleaved sector is divided into c/d (d: a natural number, c?d, and c>d) and e number of divided interleaved sectors (e: a natural number, e?b, and b>e) are combined to generate a pre-modulation block, which is modulated by a modulation rule.

Abstract: Before writing to a heat-assisted magnetic recording medium, a DC signal modulated with an AC signal is applied to a laser of a read/write head. A modulation level of an optical power sensor is measured, the optical power sensor being coupled to detect optical output of the laser in response to the modulated current. A target value of the DC signal that causes the modulation levels to reach a predetermined value between zero and a maximum value is determined and used to set a bias current for subsequent activation of the laser based.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for syncing multiple electronic devices for collective audio playback. According to certain aspects, a master device connects (218) to a slave device via a wireless connection. The master device calculates (224) a network latency via a series of network latency pings with the slave device and sends (225) the network latency to the slave device. Further, the master devices sends (232) a portion of an audio file as well as a timing instruction including a system time to the slave device. The master device initiates (234) playback of the portion of the audio file and the slave devices initiates (236) playback of the portion of the audio file according to the timing instruction and a calculated system clock offset value.

Abstract: A record playback apparatus of the present disclosure includes a plurality of optical pickups that records information on a recording medium or plays back information from the recording medium; a single transport mechanism that transports the plurality of optical pickups together; and a transport control circuit that drives the single transport mechanism so that, when the single transport mechanism is driven to transport the plurality of optical pickups to respective target positions on the recording medium, absolute value of a maximum value of transport errors of the plurality of optical pickups with respect to the respective target positions becomes substantially equal to absolute value of a minimum value of transport errors of the plurality of optical pickups with respect to the respective target positions.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for syncing multiple electronic devices for collective audio playback. According to certain aspects, a master device connects (218) to a slave device via a wireless connection. The master device calculates (224) a network latency via a series of network latency pings with the slave device and sends (225) the network latency to the slave device. Further, the master devices sends (232) a portion of an audio file as well as a timing instruction including a system time to the slave device. The master device initiates (234) playback of the portion of the audio file and the slave devices initiates (236) playback of the portion of the audio file according to the timing instruction and a calculated system clock offset value.