I read somewhere that some organization, maybe a government agency, was studying printing binary
machine language of certain key digital documents or software and printing on archival paper, the
idea being that it would survive a nuclear war and if surviving people could somehow construct a
computer and punch this stuff in, they'd be able to recreate the digital content. Might be sci-fi
but I'm pretty sure I read it from a reputable news source. This may have been some dot-bomb bs in
the 90s, however.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] "Forever" is hype (was Re: [ARSCLIST] Why sticky shed happened)
> In a message dated 7/1/2006 1:55:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> On 30/06/06, steven c wrote:
>
>>> Hmmm - maybe there is a real 'forever' in this business. As things
>>> are going, perhaps we should coin a new slogan: Music copyright is
>>> forever.
>>>
>> 1) Well, I have shellac discs approaching their first century that
>> show no visible signs of degradation! Of course, "forever" for a
>> shellac record implies it isn't dropped, stepped on, immersed in water
>> for any significant length of time, exposed to ambient temperatures
>> above about 120 degrees F or contacted by any alcohols...
>
> Much the same as books. I have plenty of books that are well over 100
> years old and still fully functional.
>>
>> 2) "Music copyright is forever" seems, so far, to apply only to the
>> USA (though RRIA would like to see at least world-wide applicability,
>> with that extending into outer space as necessary?!). In any case, it
>> can only last as long as the US does (will the radioactive mutant
>> cockroaches be able to play sound recordings eventually...?!)
>
> The longevity of 78s and that of cockroaches is a worthy topic, since the
> shellac of the former is from a distent relative of the latter.
> Don Chichester
|