Archiving Digital Data an Unsolved Problem 405
mattnyc99 writes, "It's a huge challenge: how to store digital files so future generations can access them, from engineering plans to family photos. The documents of our time are being recorded as bits and bytes with no guarantee of readability down the line. And as technologies change, we may find our files frozen in forgotten formats. Popular Mechanics asks: Will an entire era of human history be lost?" From the article: "[US national archivist] Thibodeau hopes to develop a system that preserves any type of document — created on any application and any computing platform, and delivered on any digital media — for as long as the United States remains a republic. Complicating matters further, the archive needs to be searchable. When Thibodeau told the head of a government research lab about his mission, the man replied, 'Your problem is so big, it's probably stupid to try and solve it.'"
Microsoft to help! (Score:5, Funny)
Not too long... (Score:5, Funny)
So, they're shooting for about 10 years then?
hieroglyphics (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not too long... (Score:3, Funny)
10 years or the next presidential election - whichever comes first
Government Area of Expertise (Score:5, Funny)
I'd trust that guy. If there's one thing our governrment knows, it's stupidity.
HD-DVD - dark data (Score:2, Funny)
Speaking of trash... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Extra irony points. (Score:4, Funny)
KFG
Re:Not too long... (Score:5, Funny)
Are you trying to say she didn't do that?
Crap, I am so getting an F on my history paper.
Obligatory quote ;) (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Microsoft to help! (Score:4, Funny)
That's not a word.
Re:I've heard this problem over and over (Score:1, Funny)
Well, I have to say, I'm at a University too, and this is far from being not a subject I'm not unfamiliar with.
I'm doing my part... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm doing my part by working on a project where I'm copying every single MySpace page onto stone tablets.
When future archeologists dig them up and see "LOL Bobby Ray Sucks!" and "D00d 1 pwnz3r3d U!!1!", they'll understand that our civilization didn't just decline; our only choice was to destroy ourselves because we were so lame.
Re:I've heard this problem over and over (Score:4, Funny)
Working at a University, this is not a subject I'm not unfamiliar with. We've had lots of discussions about this. Everyone always talks about how many zillions of "pieces of information" are out there. The number of web pages in existence is always brandied about.
Where can I attend these meetings, where people speak in triple negatives and much brandy is available?
Re:Microsoft to help! (Score:5, Funny)
And remember: nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft.
Re:How is this different (Score:3, Funny)
I do. (Adjusts glasses)
--Rob
Re:Not too long... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How is this different (Score:4, Funny)
That's what MIME types are for. Duh.
Re:Who cares? (Score:3, Funny)
That's easy... (Score:3, Funny)
can just read it all back in again with OCR! Oh, I know we could use
punch cards instead, but we don't want our kids to laugh at us, do we?
Besides, if we print the ones and zeros real small, we can achieve higher
data densities.
Re:Who cares? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hieroglyphics (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How is this different (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How is this different (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Forgotten (Score:4, Funny)