One of the great, engaging aspects of physics is its application to everyday technology. The compact disc player is an example of one such technology that applies fundamental principles from optics in order to efficiently store and quickly retrieve information. We have created a lab in which students use simple optical components to assemble a large-scale mockup of the compact disc player. In this lab, students are challenged to both "write" and "read" a word of their choice in order to demonstrate the way in which the principles of optics are applied in the design of a CD player. In particular, students actively apply the optics concepts of specular reflection, diffuse reflection, and ray tracing for lenses in building the apparatus. The laboratory also provides a vehicle for learning the fundamental principles of binary data storage.