Sesquipedalian Disquisitions
William F. Buckley Jr. was known for his sizable vocabulary. “Why did you use ‘irenic’ instead of ‘peaceful’” one Firing Line guest inquired? Buckley replied “I wanted the extra syllable.” Buckley’s mannerisms and…
Rescued Film Project
An American WWII soldier shoots 31 rolls of film. They sit undeveloped for more than 70 years. Then they come to the attention of The Rescued Film Project. And the painstaking recovery and…
Genetic Diversity in Forestry
Tim Harford’s superb new book explores hidden benefits of randomness and disorder across multiple disciplines. In Chapter Eight, “Resilience: Broken Windows, Stomach Ulcers, and the Dangerous Belief That Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness,”…
“Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes rolling down the interstate.” 1
Chapter Nine of “Society’s Genome” discusses the importance of geographic diversity for data preservation. The concept is simple – if one physical site becomes incapacitated, then the other site can be used to…
Making it possible for people like us to learn more from people we may never meet.
Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution provides a warm introduction to a video of the great guitar player, Doc Watson. In this intro, he captures what is at the heart of “Society’s Genome.”…
Does this Mongo Database Make Me Look Fat?
“Big Data” represents a large reason for data collection and the importance of its preservation in Society’s Genome. The MIT Technology Review highlights a study on obesity using statistical methods. Data Mining Is…
The Challenges of Analog and Digital Preservation
Yes, digital backups and archives have their own complications. But at least you’re not likely tasked with preserving the sunken remains of the Lusitania, the British ocean liner that was sunk by a…
Preserving Our Past
But fire does not destroy clay tablets. On the contrary, it preserves them. When exposed to heat in a process known to potters as firing, they became far more durable. An indication of…
Spectra Logic CEO Featured on Recent CEO Podcast sponsored by Storage Switzerland
“Society’s Genome" author, Nathan C. Thompson, was the guest on a “MeetTheCEO” podcast on August 2, 2016. Nathan covers the storage business, Spectra Logic’s history, trends for the future — and how they…
The Data Explosion
The storage industry has become very accustomed to describing data growth as “an explosion.” It has stopped being an original metaphor and the search is on to find a new word that adequately…
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