Preserving History: Is technology hurting us?
source: http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/continuity/features/article.php/3812496
-
-
- DeliaTheArtist
- added this
"Luckily for me, no one backs up data to stone anymore, with the possible exception of the Rosetta project, but my wife raised an important point: electronic data storage and preservation raises a host of technological concerns that the builders of the obelisk never had to consider. Just try reading your backup tape, archived DVD or old Word file after 10 years, much less after thousands of years. Electronic data faces format, migration and data integrity issues that hard copies don't, although they have their own preservation issues, as archaeologists and document preservation specialists could tell you.
In some ways, the Egyptians with their simpler approach were far better off than we are at recording and saving information. Just look at the well preserved obelisk as you consider all the formats you probably have lying around that can no longer be accessed, from 5.25-inch floppy disks to 8-track tapes and old home movies. What would it take to preserve those for 3,500 years?
Paper was the medium of choice until about 10 to 15 years ago. Before that, digital storage was far too expensive. Today, we store just about everything digitally, from home pictures, music and movies to feature films, medical records, documents and personal communications like e-mail. But our brave new digital world poses a number of significant problems for future generations, such as formats, frameworks, interfaces and data integrity, that need to be solved through the standards process so that our digital records can be preserved and handed down more easily. Nothing less than the preservation of our history depends on it."
-
-
MycoJ
-
-
How long do you think this will be there?
- 3 years ago
-
MycoJ
-
-
DeliaTheArtist
-
MycoJ:
How interesting this will look in the future! I wonder what time will do to those faces...
- 3 years ago
-
DeliaTheArtist
-
-
MycoJ
-
-
StoneHenge is a good example of a monument with No Inscriptions. Now its anyones guess what they used it for.
- 3 years ago
-
MycoJ
-
-
cerealforeal
-
And? We still print on stones just as much as older civilizations did back in the day. Never seen one of the trillions of statues/monuments/buildings with engravings in it?
Nonetheless, it doesn't even matter. The earth has been here for billions of years and people on average (since prehistoric times) live up to 30 years. Who knows how much longer the human race will even exist in our infinite universe.
- 3 years ago
-
cerealforeal
-
-
PocketChange
-
good point, never though about it like that.
- 3 years ago
-
PocketChange
-
-
artemis6
-
It is something to be concerned about . Look at what happened to the libraries of Alexandria . Humanity had to start all over and it took thousands of years . A few hidden , secure protected archives would be a good precaution . I would rather not repeat the unpleasant parts of history ....
- 3 years ago
-
artemis6
