Scribing Our Times On Dead Media

[Fenris Technique]

The Ebers Papyrus, detailing the medical and herbal knowledge of the ancient Egyptians is roughly 3,500 years old.

The Kish tablet inscribed with proto-cuneiform may be as much as 5,400 years old.

The red disk cave painting of El Castillo is 40,800 years old.

These expressions of human art and knowledge survived because of a favorable conjunction of their medium and environment. Take a moment to consider the average lifespan of our primary recording systems in modern times.

Average lifespan of computer hard drives (non SSD): 6 years.

Average lifespan of DVD/BluRay disc: 10-25 years

Average Lifespan of SSD drives (depends on write operations): Maybe 200 years if written and preserved.

This is a problem that was outlined in one of my history classes long ago. How do we preserve the records of our time when the media upon which we record with often has a shorter lifespan than ourselves? Sure, we can rely on copy-paste in the way medieval monasteries relied on monks hand-copying tomes by candlelight. But this requires constant attention from a human element (or at least a human element overseeing the automated process put in place to duplicate records).

It’s a conundrum I’ve not heard many authors comment on. Perhaps they haven’t considered how their work will be preserved beyond their allotted days on earth. Perhaps it does not matter to them.

Just something to mull over as the publishing industry goes increasingly digital. When everything is stored electronically we’re standing exactly one comet strike/EMP pulse/Solar Flare away from losing our equivalent of the Library of Alexandria, no?

(Ok, I may be using a little hyperbole there, yet I believe my point comes through)

[Coa]

That kind of annihilation every few hundred years is something completely welcome, in my opinion. We could use one right now, in fact. Repeat and repeat again, maybe we will learn something once.

"Perhaps it does not matter to them." - Both ID and tagline of any good author.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

I can see some attraction and benefits from repeated cultural annihilation but I think we benefit much more from long-term memory, like still being able to read Plato and so many old or even ancient things. It also gives you more flavours to choose from too.
And I don't know how you could destroy all culture (including architecture, all the things buried underground and underwater) without destroying the planet.
Restarting everything doesn't mean the next time wont be much worse. People still pass on ideas and attitudes. I feel wise ideas are probably harder to pass on orally.

I once heard this odd idea that words on paper was the death of storytelling as a widespread art but I don't know about that. Folk tales certainly have their own power but I think lots of qualities probably don't survive in all the retelling between people.