Courtesy of www.jumpstation.co.uk

The new eXtreme sport sweeping the globe is disk ripping.

So what is disk ripping?
simply put, disk ripping is high speed dismantlisation of 3.5" floppy disks, usually in large numbers and against the clock.

I have been casually disk ripping for about 10 years now and I was only when I noticed the disk ripping scene was getting so big that I decided to go professional.

Practice is of course key and I try and disk rip in any spare time.

Even I can not get it right every time, about one percent of all the disks I rip, die.

I not sure my wife agrees with disk ripping, but it makes me feel good so I find a little corner away from everything else and rip away to my hearts content.

As with most disk rippers I have suffered a number of injures, luckily the majority were not serious and they never stopped me ripping.

You do need space for real hard core disk ripping, as the ripped disk pieces can quickly mount up.

I currently ranked as number one in the disk ripping world rankings and I have no inclination to retire any times soon.

I would like to see it picked up by more major sponsors and eventually become an Olympic event.
The best thing about disk ripping is that just about any one from 8 - 80 can do it and it is a very cheap, all you need are some old disks and rip away!

disk ripping guide
	Safety first; disk ripping is dangerous and don't let anyone tell you different. Although gloves are considered cheating, some form of eye-wear is mandatory.
	Know your enemy; Floppy disks are not floppy, well the inside bit is but the outside can be a tough nut to crack. Usually consisting of an out plastic shell with a metal shutter, some variances have been known to use thin plastic shutters.
	Holding the disk ready for de-shutterfaction; Notice how one hand has a firm grasp of the main disk (we do not want to lose any limbs) while the other hand gently lifts the edge of the shutter mechanism (in a tournament this action would be hard to see without a high speed camera)
	De-Shutterfied; By simple continuing to lift the edge of the shutter it will disconnect from the main unit (I am reliably informed that the disk feels nothing). During the de-shutterfication it is common to launch the main shutter spring at a terrifying speed in a random direction, so I hope you are wearing your safety goggles.
	The rip; Again, performed at an astonishing speed, the forefinger on the apposing hand levers open the disk via the 'soft spot' now exposed from underneath the shutter.
	On the inside; The disk is now in the 'partial rip', from here a number of ticks can be performed. Most common rip tricks involve getting the disk open at speed and landing the respective pieces in predefined locations. In my up-coming video (titled 'rip roaring time') this is the process of piling the components into neat consistent groups.

ripped;
When training I often just do plain rips to keep my speed up. Plain rips do not involve any tricks and the insides can go anywhere.
Here we can clearly see the individual disk bits. (starting at the top left and working around the image clockwise
The 'center' or 'disk', the shell(often held together after a rip by a sticky paper label),the metal shutter, the shutter mechanism spring and finally the 'write protect tab'(which can be used to score extra bonus points).

Here are some clips from an upcoming disk ripping video (titled 'rip roaring time') in which I rip 207 disks to some kick-ass techno beats.
(watch for release soon).

There is a darker side to disk ripping that is referred to as disc ripping, but I have never taken part in it.

But I have seen companies and loved ones lose gigs of data in a matter of hours to these uncontrollable junkies needing just 'one more' rip.

Remember kids, if its not your disk, don't rip it !

Links

League of free rippers;

international body of disk ripping;

Eyewear for professional disk rippers;
http://www.eliteeyewear.co.uk/
http://eyewear.shades-1.com/gargoyle.htm

books and videos on disk ripping;
http://www.amazon.com/

(if you have any links for disk ripping you think should be here mail me)

email: diskripping@jumpstation.co.uk