As you can see, even in this low res image, it appears like the bonding glue between data layers has given way forming this liquidy looking gunk near the edges. If you want to see higher res versions of this, e-mail me and I'll send you a copy of the high res image (800K file size for the JPEG).

To address an earlier question about the thread getting off topic, it really isn't off topic. In the push for making all things digital, some folks are excited about archiving films in digital form. Some of us have been making the argument that certain analog formats, like film, might actually be more stable. Dead disc and tape storage formats are one warning for the digital archiving mess. The situation with storage media degrading is an even worse factor. The talk of laser rot and DVD rot is just another example.