Yes, humans will be able to reproduce some technology from the past for a while. And, I am talking about the access to 'common' people's recordings of their thoughts and views. All too often, after a couple of generations of advances to a specific technology, there exists no backwards compatibility. This includes video. I still have numerous VCRs and recorded tapes. I know many people who no longer have (or never had) this technology. So, anything recorded say even a couple of years ago is all but obsolete now and soon will be lost. Again, yes, perhaps a few recordings will be transferred to new media, but I would guess that 98% will not be. My video tapes most likely will be in that 98% so future generations will not be able to hear/see them. Remember a couple of years ago when they were marketing VCR/DVD players in the same machine? I see precious few of these today. And, as blue-ray has already entered the market in a fairly big way and as 3d gains popularity etc., today’s DVDs will no longer have players in most houses to play them and will decay themselves.
On Sep 22, 1:46 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > Ahh forgive me OM, I was speaking cheifly about DVD's and CD's data > burnt on to plastic medium by laser. > > I think we shall contiune to use light as a methoed of transmiting and > transcribing data for a few more years yet, untill the onset of > quantum comptuing I guess, and then what? Particle manipulation, > Chemical manipulation, Genetic manipulation maybe? I for one am very > very exicted. > > I guess what I'm really saying is I can see you concerens, but I > belive that it will always be possible to step backwards and recreate > technology of the past. We can still build steam engines, radio > frequncys even in the ranges you talk about can still be used and > measured, thinkgs like magnetic tape and plastic CD's well yes of > course they can degrade. I wonder how long it will be until we can > sublty change the matrix of a gem and store data that way though huh? > > On 21 Sep, 17:36, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > “…I think perhaps it is one of > > the quality of the material used rather than the methoeds used to > > transcribe data onto or perhaps into such material.” – lee > > > Well, yes Lee, the medium is of concern and not only to me. Many, much > > wiser and well informed than I have been addressing this issue for > > years now. However, the method used to transcribe data needs to be > > understood too. The methodology used for video medium is something I > > know little about but what little I do know includes everything from > > old video tape machines to digital, right now we are moving from a set > > number of lines tracked on a CRT (LEDs too) to a higher number of > > ‘lines’ (HD), at least in the USA. If one lives in other countries, > > they have been using similar technology for a long time. > > > When it comes to both audio and video, the term analogue (NTSC, PAL or > > SECAM) is seldom used today even though it was the method used for > > decades and recently too! Digital will be replaced too at some time. > > We still hear of AM and FM, but what about VHF and UHF? I still > > remember when UHF first came out, well, I also remember when TVs > > themselves first came out! > > > When it comes to recording information in some technological device > > such as a computer, a quick look at the history of storage will > > include everything from the Hollerith card to Hex, to Binary, to Octal… > > RGPL, bits, bytes, sectors, cylinders, boot sectors, basic, COBOL, > > Pascal, DOS…pick a version, etc. So, the way data is stored is of as > > much concern and is equally as diverse as is the medium and devices > > used themselves as I see it. > > > On Sep 21, 9:13 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > Yeah I can certianly see your concerns. I think perhaps it is one of > > > the quality of the material used rather than the methoeds used to > > > transcribe data onto or perhaps into such material. > > > > On 21 Sep, 17:08, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > “…I think it will always be possible to recreate > > > > the tools on which to use old medium.” – lee > > > > > While this is a possibility, I would posit that when our culture is > > > > long dead and buried and our technology has all rusted away into > > > > oblivion, the possibility of a visitor from another planet > > > > reconstructing the tools necessary to reconstruct what was > > > > communicated by old Morse code machines, while perhaps possible after > > > > the specific type of electricity that we used as well as our specific > > > > sense of sound was determined, the actual messages sent over the wires > > > > have long ago decayed to a point that I have grave doubt that they > > > > could be ever captured again. This even though the human psyche and > > > > language would have to be reconstructed too. > > > > > When it comes to digital storage devices, once the technology and/or > > > > media has decayed, something that happens much faster than say the > > > > decay of the pyramids and/or Syrian (or other cultural) stella as well > > > > as is the case for things like the Rosetta stone…something that even > > > > human beings would have been hard pressed to do without when it comes > > > > to understanding and reconstructing older communications. > > > > > And, yes, there are a few people who have old Commodor 64s in > > > > ‘mothballs’. Also, yes, a precious few retain other earlier computers > > > > like the old VM machines (NorthStar produced a nice machine.) And, > > > > there do still exist a few stereoscope viewers, mostly in museums even > > > > though they were invented only about a century ago. Of course, the > > > > cardboard cards with the pictures and messages on them can be read > > > > without the viewer. However, in most cases, the newer the technology, > > > > the shorter the lifespan of it and its associated data. One specific > > > > is the Univac. While it wasn’t even shipped until about 50 years ago, > > > > and major military and corporate monoliths were the purchasers as well > > > > as archivers thereof, I have grave doubt that much if any that was > > > > stored on them still exists. Their ‘useful’ lifespan was not even 20 > > > > years! > > > > > Yes, I know that some of the data most likely was transferred to a > > > > different media, however, this discussion was the spin off from the > > > > idea of leaving behind some sort of recorded video message so that > > > > future generations would know what ‘we’ were about…I have doubts about > > > > this working…at least not working nearly as well as other and much > > > > more ancient media has over the millennia. > > > > > On Sep 21, 8:09 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > I agree and disagree. I still have records, tapes and old CD's that I > > > > > still use. I also still ahve old paper letters from penpals of years > > > > > ago. > > > > > > Meduim does change but I think it will always be possible to recreate > > > > > the tools on which to use old medium. > > > > > > On 21 Sep, 15:58, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > “… Perhaps, in the future, it will be standard > > > > > > procedure to leave a video biography before one dies such that > > > > > > people > > > > > > can write an 'extended epitaph' and have their own say that others > > > > > > can > > > > > > refer to….” – Pat [from a different thread] > > > > > > > One of the big technological problems here is that ANY specific > > > > > > technology used for such a video will be obsolete within a decade > > > > > > and/ > > > > > > or the media itself will decay within a similar time span. Paper and > > > > > > ink and paintings can and have lasted thousands of years. Stone and > > > > > > metal messages exist from similar epochs. I remember playing > > > > > > cylinder > > > > > > records on a Victrola type player. (How many still have 78 records?) > > > > > > Also, music from a player of metal disks and a player piano. A few > > > > > > original photos exist, fewer still from the era of the Polaroid > > > > > > camera. And, who still has information stored on punch cards? What > > > > > > about text from a DOS operation system computer? 8-track tape > > > > > > player? > > > > > > Tape cassette player and cassettes? How about just a 10 year old CD? > > > > > > Heck, what about emails from 8 years ago? > > > > > > > People used to save personal letters and many still exist centuries > > > > > > later, at least from ‘famous’ people. This seldom is the case for > > > > > > emails, let alone phone calls or other recorded media. We have > > > > > > become > > > > > > a culture of not only very short attention spans but of even shorter > > > > > > historical memories. > > > > > > > How say you?- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
