History of CD Rom Inc.
1988
Incorporated as a C Corp, State of Colorado October 27 1988. Adopted the corporate name of an emerging technology called cd-rom, or compact disc read only memory after chance meeting with Dr. John Belshe, Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for recording military base closures with a new technology that could store 300,000 pages of information on a 12cm disc. Company name formally became CD ROM Incorporated and later abbreviated as CD ROM Inc, and then simply CRI. Initial work space was single car garage (of course) in Golden Colorado near the Colorado School of Mines.
1989
Sold single speed cd rom drives for $1000. Published first CD ROM Inc. sales magazine and distributed by US Mail. Microsoft OS did not automatically include a driver for cd-rom drive connection at this time Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions, or MSCDEX, available as an installable add-ons since MS-DOS 3.1 and higher, released at COMDEX in Chicago as included in Windows 3.1 on five 3 1⁄2” floppy disks. CRI moves into Jefferson County incubator.
1990
Sales started soaring after MSCDEX became mainstream. This technology was revolutional at this early time in the personal computer industry. First multi platform CD ROM discs produced by USGS.
1991
Inc. magazine awards CD ROM, Inc. 184th fastest growing privately held company in the US going from zero sales in 1988 to $1.5 million in 1991. Inc. Magazine also said CD ROM Inc. was the third fastest growing company in the State of Colorado. Employees reached 20 people. Several large companies express interest in purchasing CD ROM Inc.
1992
Patent US5367301 Method and System for Decoding Digital Audio files. CRI develops its first patented process to use the internal audio circuitry inside every CD-ROM drive to decode audio files without need for separate sound card. Gateway expresses strong interest. Anonymous third party offer to acquire the technology. Initial work started on compressed and encrypted CD-ROMs. Stacker, Double Space and other compression software packages existed to compress hard drives. Compressed volumes could be placed on CD-ROM media but the compressed volumes had to be uncompressed back to the hard drive to access the files.
1993
Continued developing a way to dynamically generate a virtual file allocation table on compressed and encrypted CD-ROM discs. Routinely produced 3GB CD-ROMs. Produced a demo 60GB CD-ROM all readable in real time from the CD-ROM disc. This led to the commercial development of the CRI-X3 compression and encryption software. Licenses sold for $30,000.00 plus annual maintenance updates.
1994
Patent US 6584520B1 awarded to CD ROM USA, then the consulting branch subsidiary of CD ROM Inc for virtual FAT process. Licensed Boeing, Cummins Engine and other confidential clients with this
technology. Produced 3GB parts catalog for mechanics to maintain Longbow Apache Helicopter in the field. Moved out of the incubator into office spaces on top of Lookout Mountain (near Woody Allen’s well known space ship building from the 1973 movie Sleeper).
1995
Produced seven 30 minute TV programs for Jones Intercable including one 30 minute program with General Alexander Haig broadcast internationally on World Business Review. Produced sixty 5 minute program segments broadcast on prime time TV. CRI President was in Kobe Japan to start CD ROM Kobe on January 16 2005 but due to earthquake, dissolved incorporation documents. See “Great Hanshin Earthquake and Dr. Roger Hutchison”. CD ROM, Inc. burglarized and multimedia simulator training disc stolen permitting pilots a computer simulated training environment to learn to fly planes without time in a simulator. FBI labeled the break in-State sponsored. Principals of CRI under police protection for 2 weeks. Training of the perpetrators of September 11 2001 twin tower destruction had eerie similarities to training concepts of multimedia training CD ROM disc content. FBI office informed post 911 of concerns.
1996
Produced first internet online presence at www.cdrominc.com. Announced new release of Soft Audio produced from patent 5367301 and Trademark 1827309. Teamed with Taylor Kramer (former Iron Butterfly bass player) and Dan Shields of Total Multimedia or TMM with their Soft Video.
1997
Applied for second patent in compression and encryption technology. Digital Versatile Discs, DVD, enters the main-steam marketplace. CD ROM, Inc. sells 1X DVD recorders manufactured by Pioneer for $18,000.00. Cannot inventory enough for demand. Second US patent # 658452081 awarded for virtual FAT systems.
1998
Settlement reached against Cummins Engine in a Federal suit for copyright infringement and other business matters of CRI-X3. CD ROM Inc. a guest speaker at JETRO with SONY Entertainment CEO, Mr. Ken Kutaragi. First patent awarded in second field of science in high security for a device to destroy the information bearing layer on a CD ROM disc to include classified data. US Patent # 6039637A.
1999
CD ROM, Inc. organizes conference with Denon on optical disc technology at famous Brown Palace Hotel.
2000
Initial development to branch into providing services for digital data destruction using equipment developed for the military to destroy classified data on optical discs. Microsoft Encarta released on CD ROM discs using compressed CAB files. CD ROM Inc. receives NSA evaluation on manual CD destruction device and NSA adds to listing of approved devices in their NSA/CSS 04-02 evaluated products list. CD ROM Inc. receives General Services Administration GSA Contract under IT Schedule 70 GS35F0450J.
2001
Blu Ray optical disc technology enters the mainstream technology stage.
2002
DVD recorders drop in price from $18,000.00 to $5,000.00 clearly demonstrating downward price optical disc industry, similar to other electronics economic models.
2003
Featured speaker at Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Conference in Milwaukee. CD ROM Inc. sister company Digital Data Destruction or D3 opens a data destruction bureau in Iron River, Wisconsin working with the Wisconsin Business Innovation Corp. US Patent # 7134940B2 granted for DVD splitter.
2004
Ground breaking for new 24,000’ facility in Iron River, Wisconsin. Contract signed with Symantec Corp., one of the largest software manufacturers in the world, to destroy obsolete and end-of-life commercial CD ROM software packages.
2005
First shipments arrive in Wisconsin for large scale commercial destruction of CD-ROM retail software that has reached its end of life. Processed millions of software packages using 100% recycle processes and high security equipment. US Patent Application 20070069570A1 submitted for optical disc destruction device based on specification to destroy classified data on optical discs.
2006
D3, sister of CD ROM, Inc received new data destruction patent.
2007
CD ROM Inc. attends FOSE trade show in Washington DC.
2008
About 180 million DVD recorders produced world-wide. Five billion CD-R media produced world-wide. The production of DVD-R media surpasses CD-R media. US Patent Application submitted for manual DVD splitter # US20090120260A1.
2009
Late 2009 CD ROM Inc. moves corporate headquarters from Iron River, Wisconsin to Fort Myers, Florida. Company opens a new sister company eTriage to retrieve data from damaged electronic media.
2010
eTriage offers Government and commercial data retrieval services. D3 receives another patent for data destruction process US patent #7753762.
2011
CD ROM Inc publishes white paper on the Future of Optical Discs.
2012
Major federal government agency makes major purchase of new professional flash duplicator for storing video on optical disc.
2013
Facility and operations in Iron River, Wisconsin fully transferred to corporate headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida. Digital Data Destruction Services merges with Digital Data Destruction leaving Digital Destruction Services as surviving company.
2014
CD ROM, Inc. adds exFAT capability to professional flash duplicator capabilities.
2015
CD ROM, Inc. receives new GSA contract for data destruction services under Schedule 36. Receives third 5 year extension of GSA Contract GS35F0450J making the GSA contract officer notes that this award was the first time in his career a company has achieved this milestone.
2016
Developed version of professional flash duplicator with NTFS system capability to complement FAT and exFAT capability on earlier duplicators. Developed ransomware-proof computer capable of restoring data integrity from infected computer simply by shutting down and restarting infected computer by booting through a CD ROM disc.
2017
Developed with Dr. Philip Teo a malware-proof prototype computer. Received new GSA Schedule 70 contract, 47QTCA18D00FJ to replace GSA contract GS35F0450J which completes is final 5 year renewal in May 2019. Contract was awarded under expedited processing by the General Services Administration due to the long successful history of CD ROM Inc. as a military contractor.
2018
Developed first iteration of augmented and virtual reality computer. Developed second generation anti-ransomware computer design. Completed prototype.
2019
Released first generation virtual reality computer CRI 33-M VR, optimized to provide the end-user with state-of-the-art parallel processing of augmented and virtual reality environments. Designed specifically for military applications and based on the gaming industry developments. Completed Gen 2 of solid state computer (fanless) CRI SRB 33, for mobile-ruggedized forward deployed environments. Completed DX-CD3 final design after NSA published specification for safe destruction size for data containing area of Blu Ray media to be the same as DVD, or 2mm; CD-ROM remains the same at 5mm.
2020
Introduced DX-CD3m. World's first manually operated destruction device for all forms and all types of optical discs: CD-ROM, DVD and Blu Ray. Optimized CRI 33M VR military grade virtual reality computer with NVMe 970 M.2 SSDs boosting performance @ 15%. VR frame rates exceed 200fps and gflops now at 16,500+ gflops. A true rocketship engine for the VR world, especially flight simulators for DoD. Introduced M.2 SSD duplicators for rugged military applications. Expanded into the Thurstmaster Warthog HOTAS joystick extension field at the request of military clients.
2021
Introduced the DX-CD3 electric version of the DX-CD3m manual version. A universal power supply capable of worldwide usage with just the correct electric plug. Also capable of power conversations for use onboard ships and other mobile platforms. The DX-CD3 like its manual counterpart is dust free and nearly noiseless making this optical media destruction device the first in the world with an environmentally neutral destruction device.
2022
With the decline of the Covid-19 pandemic and resumption of travel, CRI upgrades their augmented and virtual reality computer, VR flight simulators, and Thrustmaster HOTAS extensions and springs. The new 2022 offering includes onsite installation and GPU gflop optimization of the CRI virtual reality flight simulators for pilot training and recertification of fixed wing and rotary aircraft at a fraction of the cost of traditional flight simulators. CRI VR simulators include FOV drill downs for mechanics training for maintenance of rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
2023
Developing customized VR headset with Big Screen VR for applications to military flight and mechanic training which are 1/6th the weight and capable of prescription vision inserts and unique fitting form to individual facial features. CRI believes that this is a fundamental disruptive development to AR/VR technology.
Developing a gpu-based, modular, stand-alone, large language model (LLM) to generate, parse, and predict new concepts from massively large datasets. This is the core intellectual backbone of artificial intelligence, or AI, terms which are grossly misunderstood.
2024
CD ROM Inc. (CRI) has been headquartered in Fort Myers since 2011. We purchased a 27,300 foot building and 1 1/2 acres of riverfront property on the Caloosahatchee River. On September 28, 2022, Mother Nature decided to let us know who was really in charge and threw a Cat 5 Hurricane at us called Hurricane Ian.
The property suffered extensive damage. It has been completely rebuilt and also ruggedized with several features including 185 MPH hurricane windows. We became fully operational again on February 1 of this year.
We continue to upgrade our VR flight simulators and the CRI 33M GPU-based engine that powers it. The DX-CD3 project was delayed due to the hurricane and we are now fully engaged to complete this third gen optical disc destruction device.
Our process will permanently destroy the digital data on all forms and all sizes of optical discs to include CD ROM, DVD and Blu Ray. If a new type of optical disc reaches mainstream consumer adoption, for example Petabyte-scale optical discs, 1TB optical discs, Folio Photonics, or new materials like AIE-DDPR, which would permit a staggering 1.6 petabits (200 terabytes) of data on the same size disc as the current blu ray, which has a maximum capacity of 128GB, our patent-pending process will be upward compatible and capable of permanently destroying corporate sensitive and classified (TS/SCI) data beyond forensic recovery.