Rosetta Disk Designed For 2,000 Years Archive 659
Hugh Pickens writes "Kevin Kelly has an interesting post about an archive designed with an estimated lifespan of 2,000 -10,000 years to serve future generations as a modern Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta disk contains analog 'human-readable' scans of scripts, text, and diagrams using nickel deposited on an etched silicon disk and includes 15,000 microetched pages of language documentation in 1,500 different languages, including versions of Genesis 1-3, a universal list of the words common for each language, and pronunciation guides. Produced by the Long Now Foundation, the plan is to replicate the disk promiscuously and distribute them around the world in nondescript locations so at least one will survive their 2,000-year lifespan. 'This is one of the most fascinating objects on earth,' says Oliver Wilke. 'If we found one of these things 2,000 years ago, with all the languages of the time, it would be among our most priceless artifacts. I feel a high responsibility for preserving it for future generations.'"
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:5, Funny)
With the way things are going very soon the Bible will be the only book that's out of copyright....
You watch... (Score:2, Funny)
This thing will end up in 2000 years on someones altar as they make sacrifices to some weird god thinking it's a source of untold power. Then some nut with a hat and whip will come along and steal it for a museum only to have it end up on a coffee table somewhere.
Or...
2000 years from now some primitive creature will be trying to crack some kind of nut for food and end up using this as a fancy nut cracker.
Genesis (Score:4, Funny)
That's a lot of Phil Collins - three Genesis albums!
Surely a greater variety would have given a broader view of our world! Maybe some Elton John, and Boney M at least!
Re:Pronounce what? (Score:4, Funny)
you start simple and work your way up from there...
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:4, Funny)
To give an idea of how embarrassing this will be, think of it like this: Bible-thumpers are the old Trekkies.
WTF ? (Score:5, Funny)
replicate the disk promiscuously
Only nerds too long in their basements would use this kind of terminology !
The rest of us would say "make a lot of copies".
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:5, Funny)
What other texts do we have that has a similar chance of surviving? There are a lot of texts that are revered to some extent
the man pages for emacs?
Logical next step... (Score:5, Funny)
This sounds great. Now we need one with a copy of Wikipedia on it, so that all human knowledge can be preserved as well.
Re:Also, bury at the Georgia Guidestones (Score:4, Funny)
Permission from who? The Illuminati?
Do you have their email address?
Re:Pronounce what? (Score:3, Funny)
I'd just send them the url to xkcd. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.
Re:Only 2000 Years? Pffft (Score:1, Funny)
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, public health, and the preservation of their language, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Re:Logical next step... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, that would be lovely. "Albert Einstein was a scientist who JASON MAYNOR SUCKS COCK developed one of the most important theories..."
Re:Pronounce what? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pfff (Score:1, Funny)
The translation of the Bible is actually useful. 2000 years from now with zombie hordes roaming the earth and humanity scattered and hiding, it will be very helpful to know who was Zombie-0.
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Put it into deep space (Score:5, Funny)
That's why you would hide it in an intuitive place. In the middle of the biggest crater on the moon, for example, inside a big, obviously artificial thing. A black monolith, say.
Speak for yourself (Score:3, Funny)
Speak for yourself, man, all the geeks in us already found a better way long time ago. We store our important stuffs for long term archival in newsgroups.
Re:Logical next step... (Score:1, Funny)
[citation needed]
Re:You need a 500x microscope to read it (Score:5, Funny)
Why not include the tool to read the document with the document?
That's how they make their money! It's brilliant! Give away the media for free, then in 2,000 years, sell the 500x microscope "readers" for a *huge* profit! Just make sure the teaser text and critical reviews are readable by the naked eye.
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:3, Funny)
If you paid attention in health class (Score:3, Funny)
You'd know that information replication can lead to viral outbreaks of learning, unplanned knowledge, and not voting Republican.
Re:GOATSE!!! (Score:3, Funny)
http://goatse.cz/ [goatse.cz]
You nerds love it!
Says the guy who has goatse bookmarked.
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:5, Funny)
The problem, as usual, is in the presentation bias.
I got myself a copy of this rosetta thing and well, see for yourself:
Sad.
Re:Well that's embarassing (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Should have used Harry Potter... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Should have used Harry Potter... (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, we allowed idiots acess to the internet.
Or are you you arrogant and ignorant as to believe the only things that have so influenced mankind have only been produced within the last century?
Oops, did somebody shit in your cereal this morning?
Re:Should have used Harry Potter... (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry. I get confused in the morning sometimes, I guess I found my way into his kitchen by mistake.
I'll try to avoid further kitchen-defecation.