tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31460873.post3715156837436515018..comments2023-11-02T09:38:45.738+00:00Comments on 42 @ 60: THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORYrogerchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04927522546203624848noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31460873.post-32667091224862575302007-03-29T12:16:00.000+01:002007-03-29T12:16:00.000+01:00Update: Here's an amusing Digital Rot story.<B>Update:</B> <A HREF="http://worsethanfailure.com/Articles/That_0x27_s_Not_Totally_What_I_Meant.aspx" REL="nofollow">Here's</A> an amusing <I>Digital Rot</I> story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31460873.post-31096376665450547382007-03-29T10:09:00.000+01:002007-03-29T10:09:00.000+01:00You're talking about a phenomenon usually dubbed "...You're talking about a phenomenon usually dubbed "digital rot" and there's a little more to it.<BR/><BR/>Generally you are right if you consider the matter only on a small, personal scale. Does it matter in 100 years' time if no-one can see my digital happy snaps? Of course not.<BR/><BR/>But what if future historians can't see not just my digital happy snaps (or tax returns or <A HREF="http://chris-linfoot.net/d6plinks/CWLT-6ZGCEK" REL="nofollow">responses to the Office of National Statistics</A>), but those of <I>everybody else too?</I><BR/><BR/>Would we be richer or poorer if we ourselves had no access to the Magna Carta or the Dead Sea Scrolls or the <A HREF="http://www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk/" REL="nofollow">1901 census</A>?<BR/><BR/>Yes, there is a vast amount of "information" out there in the digital domain that has no intrinsic value from day one - but if we ultimately lose all of it, then any opportunity for future generations to learn from our mistakes will be lost.<BR/><BR/>I know that learning from past mistakes is currently a little démodé (qv Iraq and so on), but as a general principal it is probably a good thing and may yet come back into fashion.<BR/><BR/>And if you want help transferring those old VHS tapes to YouTube, just let me know...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com