Star Trek Three By Five Cards

I still fail to understand why, when delivering 6 reports to the captain, one gives him/her 6 different data pads in a pile. Why are these people always shuffling data pads on their desks, when most tricorders can sequence and store whole genetic sequences?

The data pads are 3x5 cards. There is no better form factor for humanoids to use to organize multiple data than 3x5 cards. You can shuffle PADDs, stack 'em, prioritize 'em, estimate 'em ... in the 25th century they even invent a way to tear 'em up ...

In which episode(s) can I see this?

Older speculations:

Just an embarrassment of riches thing. "Here's your six reports captain. Oh, sorry, I crammed them all into one padd because I can. Happy scrolling!"

And why is the data tied to the pad in the first place? What happens if you lose or break that pad -- is the report gone? Wouldn't it be a lot more sensible to have the data stored in a central server, accessible to anybody, from any point, as long as they have the correct security clearance? They already do that in most 21st century offices.

The data isn't tied to the pad, the pad is just a remote interface to the ships computer. As seen in the TNG episode wherein Crusher is directing a play, the script from the play appears on the pads. I forget why but, Data's brain mixes with the ship's computer, and Data's poetry appears on the pad.

Hmm. Maybe the Padd has biometric security devices built in so it's only legible by authorized personnel ...

It's very simple really, how many people today even know how to copy files from one Palm Pilot to another? UserError? continues into the future...

Almost every incarnation of Star Trek has promulgated the insane idea that there is only one copy of any piece of software, and many plots hinge on that weirdness. Other scifi shows have learned this concept from ST: an episode of OdysseyFive? has one of the "sentients" (evil AI lifeforms) "trapped" in a PC which is then disconnected and hidden in a closet.

Well, maybe all their computers are QuantumComputers ... you really can have unique and irreplaceable bits then.