There was a topic on NPR a few months back that discussed the fact that as
we become more technically capable our stories, thoughts and ideas become
more volatile.  When we first learned how to tell stories on the caves of
France and to keep information stored on the Rosetta stone, we were not
very technilogically advanced, but now we lose information that just over a
decade old because of changes in technology.  The point of the topic was
that we as a society should find a way to house not only this "old"
information but also the means by which to access it.

- Pam

------------ Previous Message from  Dan Becker <[log in to unmask]>  on
04/23/98 08:54:28 AM ----------

Please respond to "BP - Telepathic chickens leave no traces."
      <[log in to unmask]>

To:   [log in to unmask]
cc:
Subject:  Preservation _of_ Technology




Some of you may remember my threat to post a copy of my speech from a few
years back, "Modern Day Historic Preservation," which talked about the
challenges of preserving 20th century architecture.  Turns out it was so
many years back (1986) that the electronic version is encapuslated within a
5.25" truly floppy disk...which was composed on a Wang mainframe, using
Wang's proprietary word processing software.  As you are surely aware, the
brilliant Mr. Wang was slow to recognize the desktop revolution, and his
ponderous mainframes were left in the dust, as was Lowell, Massachusetts.
Dang, Wang.  Now what am I going to do?  When the city dumped the
mainframes and moved to a server environment with PCs, they converted all
the mainframe stuff, but didn't suggest that we convert our floppies.  Now
I find that they haven't retained a shred of that old Wang stuff, not even
one itty bitty emulator, nor do they even have a 5.25" drive.  So all I
have to show for my typing are random magnetic pulses on a circular disk of
film.
Society certainly may have advanced, but there are benefits to adzes and
quills.
On the topic of modernism, we have locally designated six properties of
Modern design less than fifty years old, and have seven listed on the
National Register, years of construction ranging from 1949 to 1966.  We
continue to work hard to raise awareness.  For those of you interested, we
have just recently formed the battle lines over a threatened modern
building...the news article [regrettably without the photo that was in the
paper] can be perused at
<http://www.news-observer.com/daily/1998/04/21/tri05.html>





_______________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Executive Director       "Conformists die, but
Raleigh Historic                                 heretics live on forever"
Districts Commission                                   -- Elbert Hubbard
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