Legacy formats are ticking time bomb for lost data

[yvanleterrible]

yvanleterrible will be the obnoxious bad guy will he?

[nekokami]

Genetically engineer turtles so they grow the PEV cells on their backs and display data on their tummies. Add a static memory interface that reproduces along with them, containing the critical knowledge you want to save. Make them resistant to disease, radiation, drought, and famine (turtles are probably a good platform to start from). Also, make them not taste good.

Extra points if you can figure out how to let them communicate via wireless so they can share any new knowledge any of them acquires.

(Talk about the world being carried on the back of turtles!)

Or we could each take responsibility for memorizing some quantity of knowledge and pass it along in an oral tradition...

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

yvanleterrible will be the obnoxious bad guy will he?

Hmm... my first rewrite...

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Extra points if you can figure out how to let them communicate via wireless so they can share any new knowledge any of them acquires.

That's an easy one! Telepathy!

[Jadon]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Genetically engineer turtles so they grow the PEV cells on their backs and display data on their tummies.

George Warren, Dominant Species, 1979. Not exactly, of course, but it has humans genetically modified into merfolk who colonized an all-ocean world, and they use sea turtles uplifted to intelligence as self-replicating libraries to store their knowledge.

[nekokami]

Wow. I'll have to find a copy. And here I thought I had an original idea...

[RWood]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

If anyone here remembers the George Pal movie The Time Machine, they might remember the "speaking rings" that simply needed to be placed on a table and spun with a hand, in order to speak. The beauty of the rings were that the recording, and the replay system, were self-contained, requiring only kinetic energy to function.

This is the optimum goal for any sound (or motion) based recording system: Making sure it can essentially play itself, powered by the simplest of energy sources.

So here's an idea: A holographic crystal is placed in the sun. Sunlight passes through the crystal, and illuminates a discrete holographic image at that particular angle. As the sun moves in the sky, it illuminates a new image at each angle... if you can pack enough holographic information to create, say, 30 images for each second of the sun's motion, you have a movie. (Okay... I am writing this one down...)

Wasn't that in a Stargate episode where they found that people had tried the rings back in the WW-II period? I know I have seen that one before.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Genetically engineer turtles so they grow the PEV cells on their backs and display data on their tummies. Add a static memory interface that reproduces along with them, containing the critical knowledge you want to save. Make them resistant to disease, radiation, drought, and famine (turtles are probably a good platform to start from). Also, make them not taste good.

Extra points if you can figure out how to let them communicate via wireless so they can share any new knowledge any of them acquires.

(Talk about the world being carried on the back of turtles!)

Or we could each take responsibility for memorizing some quantity of knowledge and pass it along in an oral tradition...

You have perfectly described the basis for a certain number of ancient religions, where in the turtle has been a symbol for stability, strength, knowlege and wisdom. Someone should build a reader called the Turtle.

"Extra points" Are you reading HP too?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Or we could each take responsibility for memorizing some quantity of knowledge and pass it along in an oral tradition...

As tribes of peoples around the world could tell you, as times get bad and their numbers dwindle, more and more of their oral history gets lost as there is no one to pass it on to...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

You'd think that, between librarians and historians, e-book readers, e-book sellers, e-book manufacturers, and e-book publishers, that you had enough people that agree that a document (software) format solution is needed. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be enough people to create a quorum to discuss all the issues, and come up with a solution.

As far as storage (hardware), the biggest problem there has always been the lack of thought to backwards compatability when upgrading to new formats. This is the same issue as with doing regular and proper backups, and that cause is simple laziness.

In either case, the problems are easily solveable by simply getting everyone involved together, and getting them dedicated to finding the solution. The solution will kick-start the industry, making everyone happy. It just amazes me that we've had to wait so long for everyone involved to come to their senses and "git 'er done."

Microsoft's solution is typical of them: "Yes, we agree that we all need a standardized format. Here, use ours!" A better solution for MS documents is to convert them to HTML (using their own tools), then strip out all the extraneous XHTML that they add (which is only there to reconvert their HTML back to their applications, and is otherwise useless).

But as I've maintained, an HTML- or XML-based format is already established and usable. MS should be embracing OEBPS, if they want to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.

I have the perfect solution to the problem.....

Store the books on the server in some format HTML/XML would do) and then when someone wants to purchase a book, they specify the format and the site generates it for them. So all formats can be supported. That would work quite well and it means all formats can then be supported until they standardize.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have the perfect solution to the problem.....

Store the books on the server in some format HTML/XML would do) and then when someone wants to purchase a book, they specify the format and the site generates it for them. So all formats can be supported. That would work quite well and it means all formats can then be supported until they standardize.

Simple and effective. I like it. The only thing you'll have to worry about in that case is how many formats they will support.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Simple and effective. I like it. The only thing you'll have to worry about in that case is how many formats they will support.

if you can buy a device to read it now then they'll support it. And they'll support any new formats in the future. So from his day on you'll have 100% support (dead formats in the past won't count).

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have the perfect solution to the problem.....

Store the books on the server in some format HTML/XML would do) and then when someone wants to purchase a book, they specify the format and the site generates it for them. So all formats can be supported. That would work quite well and it means all formats can then be supported until they standardize.

A similar idea has already been suggested on post 22 of this thread. The similarity of the ideas, thought out at different times, proves their usefulness potential. The only drawback would be if the owners of the works chosen to be featured, will wish a compliance with DRM.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

An owner wishing for DRM compliance could specify only formats that supported DRM. The consumer has only to choose whether they want their format of choice with DRM, or no purchase at all.

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I have the perfect solution to the problem.....

Store the books on the server in some format HTML/XML would do) and then when someone wants to purchase a book, they specify the format and the site generates it for them. So all formats can be supported. That would work quite well and it means all formats can then be supported until they standardize.

Well, yeah. This seems so sensible, though, that it probably can't happen. The people trying to make money from custom formats wouldn't probably like this suggestion, I guess.