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Get Perpendicular

teraera08 · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Hardware (other)Arts & entertainment (other)

What it is

A Hitachi promotional cartoon in the style of Schoolhouse Rock explaining perpendicular magnetic recording for hard drives.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Remembered fondly as a fun, memorable animated explanation of how perpendicular disk storage works.

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2011, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “It's a simple concept to explain, but animation sure makes it fun and lasting.”

    Animated explanation of perpendicular disc storage.

    pcurve, 2023-01 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: What's your favorite illustration in Computer Science?”

  2. “That song is etched into my memory and bring back a flood of great feelings.”

    staticshock, 2026-05 · Recommendation · in “What Is Z-Angle Memory and Why Is Intel Developing It?”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: perpendicular recording, hitachi, hard drives, animation, schoolhouse rock

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