>Oh, and while _my_ arrangements of digital data will be insignificant possibly
>those of others may contain some information of interest (not that it will
>probably mean much) to future generations who might just wonder what society
>was like in the early 2000s.
Andy,
This point is flawed I'm afraid: let me explain.
A) Assuming no major collapse of society (and as a direct result technology) "historians" don't need to rifle around in attics looking for "arti-facts" on which to piece together how things were. The standards of records (pictorial, literal etc) are flawless - being digital - so you just log on and are presented with the Empire's global approved view of history. At a price: all sites being subscription only.
B) If there is a major collapse: technology as we know it will go with it. In a century nothing: absolutely NOTHING of what we have archived digitally will exist in a readable form (or worse, in a form which looks like it might be). Maybe historians might wonder what those shiny disks were. Currency? Ornament? frankly they would not have a clue.
Thousands of years BC the ancients had a very well organised society. We can only speculate at the extent of it. The records that remain are literally carved in stone (or moulded from gold). All thier organic bio-degradable records have long gone.
The flying phutt remains:
B
Bob,
"Rubbish! the Archaeology of Garbage" is a fascinating book. Turns out paper can stay readable almost indefinitely buried in
land fills.
AZ
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