Listenting with Your Scanner

A few years ago, someone sent me a link (via Slashdot) about a Ofer Springer, who figured out how to use his scanner to take pictures of vinyl records using a scanner and use software to read the grooves off the pictures and ultimately create audio files. The original site is still up and has some cool pictures and audio. The results aren't great, but it's a neat concept. (One slashdotter suggests why it might not be possible to get super high fidelity audio using this technique, although on casual reading I think he incorrectly makes the assumption that not being able to hear quiet sounds means you can't hear anything).

Just this morning, NPR did an interesting story of a newer attempt at the same problem. Physicist Carl Haber developed a system based on the same idea, and is currently being tested at the Library of Congress. I wonder if these two folks know about each other.