Digital preservation news

Did someone declare this digital preservation month? Because if they did, I sure didn't get the meemo.

Here's a roundup of the news from digital preservation land.

File Under "Oops"

So you accidentally wipe out the database. Oh, and the backup drive, too.

There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.

What did they do? Brought back the seasonal workers and re-scanned all 300 boxes of hard copies. To the tune of $200,000.

Is That Just Some Game? No, It's a Cultural Artifact. (Free registration required)

You know how every year the National Film Preservation Board publishes a list of films to be added to the National Film Registry? Well, now they're doing the same thing with video games. Cool, no? We can't save them all, but we might as well choose a few to preserve.

Mr. Lowood said that preserving video games presented certain challenges. For example the hardware that games are played on changes so frequently that there are already thousands that can only be played through computer programs called emulators, which, while readily available on the Internet, technically violate copyright laws.

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Does Microsoft's new format spell the end of JPEG?

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Has it ever occurred to you that JPEG could disappear?

Seems impossible, I know. But digital preservation isn't only about the recording media. Let's suspend reality for a moment and pretend that DVDs really will last forever. You still need to have software that can convert 1's and 0's into a photo of a chubby smiling baby. And a compatible machine to run the software.

Here's a quote from a recent Computerworld article.

Microsoft Corp. will soon submit to an international standards organization a new photo format...

The format, HD Photo -- recently renamed from Windows Media Photo -- is taking aim at the JPEG format, a 15-year-old technology widely used in digital cameras and image applications.

Listen, I don't have any special psychic abilities. I can't predict the future. But I know what has happened in the past when Microsoft sets it's eye on something.

You do the math.

And then order prints of your favorite digital photos. The ones your future grand kids should have a chance to see.

[link via Slashdot]

Online video search tool

Today I tried out a new video search tool called blinx. (Ugh. How much do you think they paid for that awful name, eh? Too much, no doubt.) It's not a video hosting site like youtube, it just points to videos posted on other sites. There's a nifty feature called The Wall which displays your next search results as row after row of thumbnail videos. Nice eye candy.

Here's what I found:

Beeetamax. I searched on "obsolete technology" and found an ITN news piece on the new dvd format wars, complete with archival footage of the last round of video format wars.
http://www.blinkx.com/burl?id=2334501

Billion dollar industry. Then I searched on "family history" and found a news piece from Fon du Lac, Wisconsin about researching and preserving family history, especially the stories: "People want to know more than the names of their relatives, they want to know about their lives." You'll meet a teenager who interviewed his grandparents and says "...the most rewarding thing is just being able to me that much closer to them." http://wfrv.com/video/?id=19226@wfrv.dayport.com&cid=5

They point to libraries and historical societies as sources for family history information, and mention a laundry list of helpful records, including: obituaries, local newspapers, city directories, yearbooks, historical photographs, census information. They even interview a librarian, yay!

I wish I knew how that story ended up on the news in the first place. I figured it had to be a Creative Memories consultant who pitched it, but there's no mention of that MLM biz. And none of the interviewees seem like they're the press-release-writing type. Maybe Ancestry.com or Family Tree? Both of those products are mentioned. Are they owned by the same company by any chance?

What I really love is the conclusion: "Nothing is more valuable than speaking with those who can share their memories." To which I would add: Or writing down your own memories. It's rediculously easy. Check out Denis LeDoux's Photo Scribe for a simple and painless way to capture the stories behind your photos (even if you hate to write).

FYI, Dick Eastman questions whether genealogy is really as popular as stories like this one claim.
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This computer is never obsolete! Or, Seth Godin is right...all marketers are liars

I thought this was hilarious.

"This Computer Is Never Obsolete!" screams the sticker.

Apparently eMachines is offering some sort of free-upgrades-for-life to back up that claim?

Riiiight. Thought not.

Who writes this stuff, anyway?

This great photo taken by the Guru Guys.
Link found via digg.

Flash drives

I got an email from a new subscriber to my newsletter. He was asking me to update my (free-with-subscription) ebook on scanning family photos. He suggested I include the option of storing digital photos to flash drives.

Will I make that change? That depends on the answer to some important questions:

• How long can we expect USB-powered flash drives to last?
• How soon will they become obsolete?
• How do these numbers compare to CDs? To hard drives?

Do I have an answer?

Nope. Not yet.

While I'm busy researching this question, you can check out this interesting thread on absolutewrite.com. It's a site designed for freelance writers, not archivists or IT experts. On the upside you get real-world stories -- but keep in mind that it's hard to tell who is a trusted authority and who is not.
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Can't Find the Right Machine?

The guys at Retro Thing have an entry about formats that disappear. In this case, it's a reel-to-reel video tape. And no, they don't have a machine to play it on. Yet.

Which reminds me, folks -- when we talk about digital preservation it's not just about the medium that holds the information (tape, CD, DVD, etc.) and how long they will last. If you don't have access to the hardware and/or software needed to translate all those ones and zeros into your recorded memories, then you can't access those recordings.

I thought the reel-to-reel video player was cool, but my favorite part of the post is the news that consumers appear to be waiting for the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD format war to finish before they buy in to either format. Once bitten, twice shy. Anybody remember Betamax?

Below is a link to RetroThing's entry, which includes a picture of the reel-to-reel video tape. If you like vintage gadgets, you will l-o-v-e this blog! http://www.retrothing.com/2006/12/scotch_color_ca.html