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I have been asking myself for some time how can we archive data long term. Long enough so that in the event of a nuclear war, pandemic or something similar we can still retrieve the means to survive and move on to kick start the rebuild of our civilisation.
Looking at the past we didn’t have much data, it was stored on stone and even that has not survived. What has survived has been subject to continual misunderstandings and mistranslations. Hell, look at all the discussions about the second amendment to the US constitution and that is written in English only 250 years ago. So what chance do we have translating some long dead language? Now consider that that language is also written by humans and there are certain base understandings we have and we still can’t be sure what it means.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there is currently only one way we can do this. No removeable media we currently have will last beyond 15 years unless stored correctly. DVDs are rated at 10 years and CDs at 15. Hard disks however vary between 4 and 40 depending on what magnetic fields are around. Word is going on to make a system which will last 1000 years. I would imagine it would be a while before we have that system at home.
Basically, that means we are on our own now. We need to take what is available now. Keep that as simple as possible and prepare as best you can. In our case it is unlikely to be perfect but you can only do what you can do.
What I have done :
For critical data, instructions etc. print them out. Buy books.
For all data store on DVD (several copies), Removable hard drives (several copies), and try USB and SSD and the main ones stored on your computer. (USB and SSD are getting larger by the week. We already have 500Gb USB sticks) Don’t encrypt or be smart with anything. Basic files like TXT or PDF. Something with no licensing to expire.
Store everything safely away from water etc. in a shielded metal container.
Store a small working laptop, loaded with all the necessary software and a DVD drive with a solar power capability in the container as well.
Then while life is good keep refreshing the data, making regular full and incremental backups to USB drives and storing somewhere safe. Arrange with a friend to store your data and you store theirs. Then every 5 years replace the media with brand new versions, update the computer and make sure everything works before you seal the package. If you have the room keep the old one as well. This version will make the old one look like something from the Ark.
That will keep your short, medium and long term storage going.
Now looking to the future what chance do we have of archiving data enough so that a future civilisation or another species entirely can pick up and read the collected works of our civilisation, our planet even? How would they interpret the hardware? The only way we could do this is if we left a working system that could process the data. We are not at that level of technology yet. Then when they could read the words how do they translate it. Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry etc. being sciences should be relatively easy to translate but how do you think Aliens would interpret fiction like, err, Alien or the Mills and Boon pulp fiction.
Well it seems that the answer is actually Socialism. We can plainly see it is certainly not Death.
It is funny though because no matter who you speak to they always want more liberty for themselves. It is the others, you know the darkies or chavs or whatever, who don’t deserve freedom but deserve to be catalogued, tortured and deprived of their liberties for our convenience or perceived safety. So, although we all want to be free and have all the benefits we see attached to that freedom we are happy for everyone else not to be free and have no benefits of Liberty. We don’t actually see the slightest bit of irony with having both these thoughts at the same time but such is the beauty of being human.
I was discussing the political situation today and why, IMO, the people are just not ready for Libertarianism. It’s not that they don’t want it it is just that they are scared of letting go of what they know as they see Libertarianism as Anarchy and are frightened. Looking at what goes on in the Libertarian camps I can understand why. In the US Liberty is clearly defined and supported and yet they have no real impact on politics either. Interestingly enough James Higham has done a post on the Libertarians as well where he says he thinks that the US has a better understanding of what it means and Libertarism has a better chance. I agree with it in one way but feel it could be changed.
Personally, though although I support Libertarian Principles I actually think the UK would be happier with a party not quite totally Libertarian. There is still time for the LPUK to be that party and it won’t be a conflict, after all if the Lib Dems can still use that name then Libertarians, with a bit (a small bit) of control can be called the LPUK.
I am a UK Libertarian yet even I wonder what is going to happen. It is clear we can’t go from a welfare state to a Libertarian paradise overnight and yet nobody is clear on what it means to them if the voted in the LPUK. Lower taxes, less interference, choice are mentioned time after time but no clear policies on what that means. For people stuck in our system we need a clear roadmap. We have a starting position which is now, everything is as it is, and we have an ending position with the intentions of the Libertarians and there is a frightening difference between the two with nothing defined as a route map. Sure, they have a policy on this and a policy on that but how will that be implemented, what does it mean to me?
Until Libertarians actually look at the process and define the first term in office, what it will do, what changes it will make during its first, and potentially only, term then people will be unsure, better the devil you know than this bunch who want to remove all controls and bring anarchy to the UK. We need Libertarian Lite which is a stepping stone on the way. Then even if a second term is not forthcoming we can make a big difference and make what Gordo has done difficult for someone else to attempt.
I think that the first step is to prioritise the easy wins, Tell plod to go back to Peelian Principles, and sack every outreach coordinator, special advisor for short people, long people etc. and social worker in there. Then, get every Quango to list what they do on an A4 piece of paper including costs and benefits. If it is not of benefit to the people abolish it and put the people on the dole. Tell everyone on the dole that payments will stop dead in five years, remove carefully selected hurdles to businesses. And so on…. up to a nice point where we have restored all our freedoms, defined a constitution(or something) and brought control to our society. Just to be clear these are not suggestions or ideas from the LPUK but just examples from me. The LPUK have their own ideas, and better than mine (hopefully), of what they want to do.
With a clear roadmap of what will happen, the benefits and the impact to themselves then people will see what Libertarians stand for. They will see the benefits, and the downsides, and make up their own minds. Then, understanding what is going on will bring people in as supporters. Norwich showed that there are people out there that are willing to support them. After only a year that shows there are many out there willing to take the leap. We need to make it more and in time for the next election. It can’t be that far away now and the message needs to get out as soon as possible so that when it comes to ticking the boxes the ideology is clear, the intentions are clear and the choice is clear.
Screw Cameron, he is just another politician in a sea of them and is not worthy, we need someone who will work for us so we need to be lined up, clear in thought and way forward and ready for the backlash against the political class that Gordo will leave. The time is never going to be any better than early next year for Libertarianism. Let’s not waste it.
Its an old cliche but the phrase ‘Who will think of the children?’ is often used as the mantra from our whingy whiney people as a way for them to remove our freedoms one at a time so that children can have the benefit of a false perception of their safety. Usually, changes made under this mantra have a negligible, if any at all, impact on their safety but even the perception of safety is apparently worth us giving up something, anything and everything. Of course they would be a lot safer if socialists were those that were given up but it is not to be, not yet anyway.
You see it appears that to fight off the Swine Flu, which we discussed a few days ago, the US are going to try out the vaccine on 12,000 children. Note that is not immunise but test. WTF? As I mentioned previously there is likely to be more side effects from the vaccine than there is from the Swine Flu and before we get the vaccines out the Swine Flu will have run its course anyway. What is the point?
And just to make sure that if there are more deaths or injuries, if injuries is the right word here, the US has also pushed legislation that makes the vaccine suppliers immune to prosecution. One of the only immunities actually of any use here. The reason being that they are rushing it through without any tests blah blah blah so they can’t be blamed. That may be so but then to test it on children and make it compulsory is criminal.
Well, I for one will definitely not be having it and I’m sharpening my spork as we speak.
Biological computers are currently the most adaptable computers in existence. Easily programmed and yet flexible enough to bring our society to the peaks it has achieved. Personally, I think 1999 was the peak of our society because, except for minor advances in certain areas, we seem to be going backwards.
There have been several attempts at making biological computers using slivers of mouse brain and so on all with some measure of success and lately scientists engineered e-coli, our famous stomach bug, to solve a puzzle. Isn’t science great. Next time you have a stomach bug you can get its help solving puzzles while laid up. That is progress.
Anyway, now it appears that they were using the same technique to perform the Hamiltonian Path Problem, basically routing between nodes, which it appears to have handled correctly. Personally, I’m a bit concerned about teaching something that makes us ill best routes around a network but that is just me.
I’m not clear in my own mind how easy these biological computers are going to be to program but I can certainly see how they can help us if they can handle routing issues. Traffic management for one. However, current computers can do the same things. Their speed is such that there is little benefit of replacing them with biological computers for our more mundane tasks at this point. It will be in the areas of thinking outside the box, linking apparently disparate facts and formulating theories that biological computers will come into their own. Thinking just like we do and not the on rails mechanical thinking that computers do so well.
That is a long way off but when it gets here we will enter the dawn of a new processing age. The sky will then be the limit. In the meantime of course computer technology continues to improve in speed. I wonder if we will have a computer brain comparable with our own before we develop a fully working biological brain.
Well it looks like Socialism is the name of the game for the early 22nd century despite its numerous and repeated failings through the 21st century. How stupid can we be? Our good natures taken advantage of by a handful of liars and thieves.
I’d like to actually think that it is a good thing in a way. One that we can get out of our system but it is clear from our history that we are just too stupid, simply too easily manipulated by the shiny beads that are put in front of us for payment for our very lives. We may rebel a bit and vote in someone not so bad next time but a few years later we will sell our souls again for lies and baubles. We won’t learn, we will keep on doing the same thing time after time after time until finally we have no freedoms left, no lives of our own for us and our children.
Then, of course much too late, we will look around and wonder what happened? What went wrong? We will tell tales of a time long ago when man was free and when you could afford too or were unable to work you retired and were not taken away to a recycling centre where you were disposed of like an unwanted dog. When you were free to decide what you wanted to eat and where you lived and the jobs you wanted for the best pay you could negotiate and at the end of your working lives you relaxed and enjoyed the fruits of your labours.
Then of course there will be real men hardened by life, not the whingy whiny wimps we have now, lead by a few thinkers they will rise up and start a new revolution. Make a new start. Exactly as has happened for hundreds of years. Man will ascend again. The wheel will turn and the future will beckon. Freedom will again be fought for and won. The wheel will continue to turn.
However, that will not be the end of it. The wheel turns and these revolutionaries will have children. They will be told the hard facts about these hard won freedoms and the world will be safe with these people in charge. Innovations will occur, the world will grow and prosper and men will be men, they will be honourable and their deeds will reflect their words. Time will go on and these men will also have children. Children born listening to stories from long ago about honour and freedoms hard fought. But these won’t have any memories of these stories. Things will have changed so much it will be difficult to believe and anyway, that was a long time ago. The storytellers will be old farts going on about times long gone where there were dragons and tales of glory. By the next generation most who actually remember will be gone or ignored as relics from a bygone age. Life will go on and it will be easy. Life will be good with plenty and few threats. Justice will start to be a bit more lenient as people will not warrant harsh punishment. People will start to look around and share the wealth. People will start to look at fixing injustice. That’s what we do. We want to help people and make them the same as ourselves but that then opens the doors for those that take advantage. Criminals will see the cost of crimes going down to affordable levels and it will prosper. People will see the benefits of working come down and will decide they can live at that level and won’t work. It opens the doors for people to talk about help and equality and want to prosper from your generosity. To control it. They offer to take the burdens from us and promise to ensure that things are fairer, more equality and ensure that nobody suffers. They then mould society to their will while we, unused to these manipulations and although we read it from history do not believe that it could happen now, nobody would try that with us, so we just sit and let them set themselves up as our leaders and not the servants they started out being. They offer baubles and tell us it is gold and we must buy. Don’t question as they know what is best. By the next generation of children, we will all be wimps thinking we are men and as threats to our society will not vanish entirely when a few die due to some nutter going berserk as lax punishment will make crime worthwhile and we decide we had better disarm the population, for the children of course, and having no idea this is the first part of the plan we don’t see an issue with it and we barely say a word as we are disarmed. All those that lived through the last time are long gone and we are too dumb to recognize the experience of history and the baubles we have been sold are worthless. The wheel continues to turn.
We are right there on the verge of the wheel going over and crushing us now. Personally, I hope that we change direction just in time. Socialism has screwed our economy and because of the way this government has done it with utter contempt for us and our wishes then there are a few, not a countries worth, but still a few who are standing up and being counted. It won’t be long before people snap and we will have an assassination in the UK. I’ve a few suggestions but I’m not in that group so I won’t be asked. I’m sure they will get it right, how could they not? It’s the same in the US, the Socialists have pushed too hard thinking that they can push it through quickly and no one will object. They are wrong. The resistance is already started and having the 2nd Amendment should make the difference for them. Next revolution we need something like the constitution and this time we need to make the wording clear for all those whingy whiney women and men who are as ball less as women.
If we don’t manage it though and they wheel does turn and throws us into darkness. Next time I’m hoping we break the cycle by escaping into space. Start new colonies and just get out there. The new frontier. Only be careful what government you set up. Electronics and software will allow you all to get involved. Break the cycle and make sure that you are kept well read and aware of Socialism. It needs to be stamped out. Space anyone who wants to give it a go or starts down that path. It’s a long path so be careful. Put that in your new Constitution.
I am still hoping that there is a breakthrough while I am still here. Of course we need to destroy those holding us back with all these green taxes and half the population of the planet on handouts. We need to utilize all our resources creating wealth and innovation not just developing new TV programmes to keep the masses happy.
It’s not too late. It just needs a spark to ignite it and, to be honest; I’m unsure why nobody has snapped here yet. People are dying and their relatives just put pen to paper to complain. What will it take to get some action from this ball less lot? Hopefully soon when people realize that they worked all their lives and saved for retirement and now they are here they are no better off than those that have not worked, have not saved and have simply had their hands out. Soul destroying.
Socialism. The destroyer of society. Worse than any plague.
Seems like Google are taking massive steps in enhancing EMail which I would imagine they will be rolling out as part of their new OS. This enhancements, an application called Wave, are quite significant and seems to encompass EMail, IM, document sharing with a bit of collaborative working and all running on a browser. Watch a demo here. It sure looks good. It’s Googles killer application and will be a blow to MicroSoft.
I, of course, will be sticking with my old EMail program until I am dragged screaming and shouting into the 22ndcentury which if this application takes off, which I think it will, will be late next year. The reason is that my EMail can run on any old processor with hardly any memory. Wave on the other hand will need a hefty processor to act as a server which will hold all your EMail and document files just like all corporates do now.
This app looks so good it won’t be long before it is introducing a Google OS into all the forward thinking companies. It is clearly a leap forward in corporate EMail systems and will replace several disparate systems, EMail, IM, document management and conferencing facilities with one nice neat well integrated package. Come September a few IT departments will be looking at this tool as a matter of urgency.
If it performs as well as it looks here it could change significantly the balance of power in the corporate environment. First by introducing a Linux OS to predominantly MS computer rooms and, secondly, by making a non MS application a key component of corporate infrastructure. Google are just the company to do it too. Roll on September.
There are a few items around now that seem to be intended for use in the third world. This latest, a bio-mass cooker which also generates power, seems to me to be very useful for remote areas. I do like the idea of units like these where aid is not in monetary form and it is difficult for it to be taken and sold on for money. However, what about the users carbon footprint? Only joking.
The cooker, cost about $20, doesn’t seem to be available in the West at all where it would also be useful for outdoor pursuits. Similar items, with more gizmos, are on sale however at about £200, currently $330, a significant difference. Other items in a similar vein such as the wind up laptops, cost about $100, don’t seem to be available either.
I wonder why that is? I suspect that it is to stop us purchasing a useful low cost, no frills tool so that manufacturers can sell us tools that are more expensive with lots of addons. Keeps their businesses going.
Personally, for many things, I actually prefer a simpler and robust model. The extras are usually the bits that break first and the whole quality of the units seem to be such that they are designed to be obsolete in a few short years. Some cheap and simple items just go on and on and the items designed as aid seem to be build this way. They should be available here as well. After all most people would actually go for the one with all the gadgets anyway. We all like our toys.
This wireless charging technology has been available for some time but it is not available anywhere for us to use. By the looks of things that may be changing.
Basically this system sends power over the airways just like we previously mentioned in our space solar panel system. Beaming power without wires.
This means that we can have our units wherever we want and instead of making sure they are wired up we can use this technology. It has many advantages you can move anything any time you want and not have to worry about cabling. You can have portable phones etc. being recharged wherever you leave them and batteries will be fully charged whenever you leave the powered area. No longer will you need to plug your phones, PDAs, iPods etc. in at night as they will start charging the moment you enter your powered area. As I look around now I find all my sockets full and most of them have chargers on.
Of course in the current political climate I do have some questions.
How much energy is lost in the conversion process?
How does the unit control the output when units are turned on/off?
How much control do you have over who can tap into your power?
What is the range of the unit?
One very important one I have not touched on yet is what are the health implications? Living in an electromagnetic bath must be similar to living next to power pylons and they have had health issues linked with them in the past. Is the power output low enough to alleviate these concerns?
Of course when we generate cheap and virtually free energy from grass or something the power questions, not the health one, won’t be an issue but in our current situation will this technology actually be viable for home use? Wasted power won’t go down well when every watt needs to be carved out of our souls never mind people tapping in and collecting your power for free.
Nevertheless a step forward.
It seems that this week is silly week. Read the full details at Man in a Shed’s post. We are supposed to post about silly things and the like but seeing as most of the news and what actually goes on in real life nowadays is so surreal it could fall into that category I’m just going to continue as normal. You won’t notice the difference.
I’m no doctor. I thought I would say that before I start just to put a stake in the ground. So, I’m no doctor but I’m starting to get concerned about this outbreak of Swine Flu.
Normally, every year we have an outbreak of some form of flu. Bird flu usually and it kills a few vulnerable people around the world, causes a bit of a panic with health warning and predictions of global catastrophe. The newspapers, always the ones to start a panic, ask is this the one that will bring one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and bring mankind to its knees and back to the stone age.
Usually the answer is ‘No’. It usually just provides a month or two of misery and death for a few people and then peters out. Personally, I still see Swine Flu being exactly the same. We read now about how many people have it and are given advice on how to combat it but it doesn’t seem to be behaving as a doomsday virus. It isn’t multiplying exponentially as the virus does on on the best sci-Fi films where it’s 20 infected one day, 200 the next, 4,000 the next and so on. It doesn’t even seem to be particularly lethal. The young and the old always succumb to disease much easier than healthy adults. It’s unfortunate but true. So what we need to do is stock upon what we can to improve our immune systems, Flu is best handled by Vitamin D tablet or getting out into the sun I understand and avoid people as much as possible and make sure when we interact with others we do it hygienically. Wash your hands after touching others or what others touch is usually a good start. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, ears or mouth without washing your hands and take care when you cough. Cough into your elbow rather than your hands or coughing uncovered. Basic common sense precautions and, remember the 7 Ps, Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, teach your kids how to handle themselves, ensure they get a bit of sun and they have wipes with them at all times and minimise contact with others until it is under control.
Even though I suspect it is still overkill to minimise contact with others, clean your hands every 30 seconds and treat everyone as a potential threat but it can’t hurt and if it does start to spread nationwide then you have a head start.
So although I don’t see this as any different from previous outbreaks despite it being declared a pandemic by WHO for most of us one thing does make me concerned. I’m concerned because our government has decided that there is a risk and has ordered enough of the vaccine for the entire population. Sounds good.
Only problems are that it has not been tested yet and this untested vaccine is not expected to start to be available until the end of August with delivery for half the population by the end of the year with the rest next year. Now if this is a pandemic and of even a fraction of the scenarios generated in the films then we are screwed. Only the government and others chosen by them will get the vaccine in time. Typical.
Now one other area of concern. I’ve heard talk that they are talking about mandatory vaccinations for the UK population. That does worry me for one, vaccines themselves tend to kill people, think of the hassle over the MMR vaccinations, and that is a tried and test vaccine that has been around a while now. In addition by the time we have enough vaccine the pandemic will be over one way or another, we will all be dead, immune or the pandemic will have burnt itself out.
Either way I will watch as a politician is given it, to show it is safe, and will avoid it as much as possible until I’m forced to at gunpoint or I feel easier about it.
It does make me suspicious though that a fascist government that wants total control over its subjects wants to give every single one of them injections over a virus that has a very low mortality rate with healthy people and the outbreak will likely be over anyway. Where is my tin hat? I’d better get it on.
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Long term storage of data
I have been asking myself for some time how can we archive data long term. Long enough so that in the event of a nuclear war, pandemic or something similar we can still retrieve the means to survive and move on to kick start the rebuild of our civilisation.
Looking at the past we didn’t have much data, it was stored on stone and even that has not survived. What has survived has been subject to continual misunderstandings and mistranslations. Hell, look at all the discussions about the second amendment to the US constitution and that is written in English only 250 years ago. So what chance do we have translating some long dead language? Now consider that that language is also written by humans and there are certain base understandings we have and we still can’t be sure what it means.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there is currently only one way we can do this. No removeable media we currently have will last beyond 15 years unless stored correctly. DVDs are rated at 10 years and CDs at 15. Hard disks however vary between 4 and 40 depending on what magnetic fields are around. Word is going on to make a system which will last 1000 years. I would imagine it would be a while before we have that system at home.
Basically, that means we are on our own now. We need to take what is available now. Keep that as simple as possible and prepare as best you can. In our case it is unlikely to be perfect but you can only do what you can do.
What I have done :
For critical data, instructions etc. print them out. Buy books.
For all data store on DVD (several copies), Removable hard drives (several copies), and try USB and SSD and the main ones stored on your computer. (USB and SSD are getting larger by the week. We already have 500Gb USB sticks) Don’t encrypt or be smart with anything. Basic files like TXT or PDF. Something with no licensing to expire.
Store everything safely away from water etc. in a shielded metal container.
Store a small working laptop, loaded with all the necessary software and a DVD drive with a solar power capability in the container as well.
Then while life is good keep refreshing the data, making regular full and incremental backups to USB drives and storing somewhere safe. Arrange with a friend to store your data and you store theirs. Then every 5 years replace the media with brand new versions, update the computer and make sure everything works before you seal the package. If you have the room keep the old one as well. This version will make the old one look like something from the Ark.
That will keep your short, medium and long term storage going.
Now looking to the future what chance do we have of archiving data enough so that a future civilisation or another species entirely can pick up and read the collected works of our civilisation, our planet even? How would they interpret the hardware? The only way we could do this is if we left a working system that could process the data. We are not at that level of technology yet. Then when they could read the words how do they translate it. Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry etc. being sciences should be relatively easy to translate but how do you think Aliens would interpret fiction like, err, Alien or the Mills and Boon pulp fiction.