Preserving Digital Content for Centuries: Lessons from Traditional Skills and Knowledge
By
klgt
Sesame, salt, and substance. A flagship bake.
Summary
The article is a philosophical discussion about preserving digital content and websites for extremely long periods (100+ years), drawing parallels with traditional skills and knowledge that have been passed down through generations. The author reflects on how their family has maintained practical skills like farming, tool use, leatherwork, and other traditional crafts across generations, while questioning how to achieve similar longevity for digital content. The piece explores the challenges of digital preservation, including technological obsolescence, format changes, and the ephemeral nature of digital platforms compared to physical artifacts and skills that have endured for centuries.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledSpoken language, reading, writing, arithmetic, farming, tool use, law, mechanics, tracking, sewing, leatherwork, casting, weaving, forrestry, swimming, diving, shooting, general warfare, riding, dishwashing ...Almost, but not, aviation.
That's my family though - we're still using 1935 CWA cookbooks and occasionally pull a plough with horses or bullocks.
We've obviously added and upgraded those skills over generations, but we still have stuff the great grandparents used, and added in a few more contempory skills.
I guess we'll lose some of that if
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