Flash Memory for Dummies

USB flash Drive (memory stick)

Is there anything more irritating than searching the internet for real information and finding bullshit instead? Let's say, for example, that you want to know how your car's automatic transmission does it's job. You google "how does an automatic transmission work," and what do you find in your results? Some bozo telling you to "Place the gear selector in Drive to move forward and into Reverse to move backward"! That's not how it works, you dummy! Yet Demand Media paid their "contributor" Tiesha Whatley to do the exact same thing for the topic, "How does a Memory Stick Work?"¹, which they moved to ItStillWorks.com. Ptui.

Here at the Antisocial Network, we'd like to think that if someone who knew how flash memory works were asked that question, we'd get a fairly technical discussion full of words like "non-volatile," "transistor" and "printed circuit"; with perhaps some mention of reading, writing and cycles. Certainly the answer would include the word "storage." What does Whatley tell us, though? Well, she doesn't use the word "storage" at all: Tiesha's answer is...

"After purchasing the correct Memory Stick, insert it into the device and start saving or transferring files. Once you are satisfied or are ready to transfer the files, pull the Memory Stick out² and place it onto another output device." Yup: she spent more than 400 words explaining who uses a Memory Stick® (a trademark owned by Sony) – gamers, she says – and what they use it for. She even mentions the year of the first Memory Stick (1998), although she never actually mentions Sony or, for that matter, Toshiba (where flash memory was invented) or SmartMedia, makers of the first commercially-available flash memory.

No, Tiesha expends a lot of words telling you crap like

"Memory Sticks are very durable and can withstand extreme pressures. Consumers favor Memory Sticks for the same reason flash memory cards are popular; they don't have to be replaced as often as other memory devices..."

and

"...Memory Sticks are able to save and erase files quickly. In the past, EEPROM was the technology used and caused a lot of problems because of its slow write and rewrite times. That problem is almost erased with Memory Sticks and flash memory. A Memory Stick can be completely reprogrammed within a few seconds..."

Wait, what? "reprogrammed"? We think not... Like the rest of the post, Whatley's text is obviously reworded by someone who had no idea what the words mean. Even worse, the content only answers the original question in a most tangential manner. It's no different from telling you that an automatic transmission works "when you shift into drive." In other words, worthless content. the kind we often find written by our Dumbass of the Day.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was ehow.com/how-does_4564028_memory-stick-work.html
² You noticed that too, right? there's no mention of ejecting the flash drive before pulling it out of the USB port...

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