Great issue, Karena. These are fundamental questions. Lots of food for thought here, thank you!
In his 2016 book “The Inevitable: understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future” Kevin Kelly fleshes out his view of the future of technology over the next thirty years. I'm sure you know it. One super interesting idea that left a mark is that "The printed book is by far the most durable and reliable long-term storage technology that we have". A statement that I didn’t expect in a book on the future of technology (but that I loved to read in the printed version of the book). In a subsequent interview, he elaborates “I am the co-chair of the Long Now foundation, where we've been encouraging and fostering long-term thinking for 25 years, and one of the projects we looked at was the concern of moving information into the future. As we looked at this general trend in our society of going digital, the realization was that a lot of this digital information is not very permanent at all: it is very susceptible to being obsoleted by the next generation of things. Then when we turned to look at books we realized that, comparatively, books on paper are amazingly durable: if you keep them dry they will last for thousands of years, unlike your floppy disc, which nobody can read right now”.
I have lost the charger for my 1997 palm pilot - but not my handwritten scribbles in the 1997 agenda that fit in my handbag, that recalls funny toddler phrases.
Our kids will often put their heads together over the kitchen table as they collectively go through the physical photo albums housing their early pre-digital lives.
This idea that paper is permanent has been one that I share having lived through so many generations of technical "storage solutions".
I'm torn between using this as a wake-up call to properly account for all the content I have strewn across the internet, and on the other hand, letting it all go, like the Tibetan sand mandalas that are made over hundreds of hours and then brushed away in an instant, acknowledging the inevitability of impermanence. When do we let go of what we've digitally hoarded? (Some author just talked about this recently, but can't remember who?)
Having watched mandalas being made in Nepal, this visual metaphor is very rich, Rick. And appropriate. I recall a stat I put into E26: the universe of data in the world is expected to rise by 463 exabytes (18 0s) daily in 2025. A lot more sand to sift through to find the true gems.
I remember the digital hoarding. It was in a newsletter by @Melissa Menke.
I often worry if I'm building a house of cards by writing on Substack. What if they go out of business and all my writing goes poof? Derek Sivers takes this to the extreme by only posting on his own site and even housing his own server to run all of his tech on.
Such a well-written piece about that not-ver-sexy- yet evergreen task, archiving stuff.
Many good points have already been made but since you asked and at the risk of being repetitive, FWIW here’s what I consider when archiving (in no particular order):
- File format: maximum editability vs. future proofing (RAW files, text/markdown files)
- File sizes: how much storage space is needed? (DVDs / cloud / external hard drives)
- Curation: what deserves to be preserved and what doesn’t?
- Cataloging: how will I find the file(s) when I want them?
- Security: make duplicates, in case one set of files are lost or damaged. (Ideally, each copy will be in a different location)
- Access: how easily can I get to the files, either physically or via the Internet? (sometimes the internet doesn’t work / data caps)
It’s an ongoing process. Given the churn in technology, what worked yesterday may not work today. Or tomorrow.
Came back to say that these are real struggles in the digital age, and we all just need to find ways to cope. I've long been doing periodic backups, and also used a lot of hand-written notes outside of plain-text documents. Retro-compatible technology is there but it's not always available to everyone, which makes it even harder.
I once made a software prototype to address part the need and desire you shared here, so maybe it's time to dust it off the shelf, and revive it =) Thank you for sharing your story, and comment section is the best kind of market validation :)
I am sooo terrified of losing pictures. I think I get this from my mom. She still prints out every photo she takes and puts them in albums. I don’t do that, but I have every photo on my desktop computer. And I have multiple physical backups. One that runs automatically every day and another I manually run once a month, and that is kept in a fireproof safe. Plus, a cloud backup. Probably overkill, but it’s really not that much work to make sure it’s all safe. One thing I have been thinking about is my writing. 90% of my writing only exists in the cloud on the platforms where I write/publish. I may need to change that.
I have committed to iCloud for storing everything - mainly as a result of being Apple-converted 17 years ago, but also because I figure that it should (hopefully) be safer and more durable. I also like to centralise all my photos and files in one place and to be able to share with my whole family.
As a photographer I have an external backup system on my desk plus a cloud backup system. I use Backblaze.com and love it! I think we spend the first half of our life collecting and the 2nd half purging!
I'm so happy you took some time in preserving your memories to share your thoughts here Karena. I think about our data on the internet probably more than expected and you are so right, photos, one of the most precious things we have, is not immune to the ebbs and flows of the internet. I loved the Seth Godin quote you shared. I had a similar crisis recently when my university gmail suddenly shut down our "forever unlimited" google cloud access. I was probably in the 1% of people taking advantage of it and realized then how many things I would have to curate or move. Really enjoyed your reflection!
For someone who lives at her keyboard (a professional habit before it became a personal one), I share your stress, Michelle. We got gmail accounts when they first came out. It was a technology leap that made our year of travel feasible. But today, I am constantly curating as I battle the quota alert.
The Build a Second Brain exercise of archiving our entire history and only retrieving what we need was something that allowed me to move forward here.
Any other archiving+curation tips from your recent moving experience? And I am sure you have much to offer in the "photography" space as you must return with hundreds and thousands of photos from each safari. What is your practice for making sure you don't lose those photos, Kathy?
I love this piece and it’s an important topic to relate to ‘am I doing this right?’ And empty trash can confirmed.
Digital curation takes a different kind of mental and emotional energy, rather than physical lifting of real objects. Either way, the memory remains in us and not in the items, so it’s a good release of digital and physical space! I usually listen to ‘The Minimalists’ podcasts when I’m purging or cleaning to help me listen to their advice while doing so, and also while I’m shopping to remind myself not to bring home unwanted things.
Aww gee, thanks! It’s interesting for me to know what resonates with readers, so I try to point that out. And the comments are like mini playgrounds for us all to hang out 🛝
As you know, I've also been thinking a lot about this under the umbrella of digital hoarding! It's a tough balance, and I'm allowing myself to keep anything that strikes a sentimental chord. The amazing thing is how many "things" (multiple photos of the same moment, reports on something related to my field that I really should read) that it's easy to say goodbye to.
I hadn't thought much about this in the context of my own assets - my essays, or now, notes. It's a good reminder to make a plan on ownership of those. Thanks Karena!
Great issue, Karena. These are fundamental questions. Lots of food for thought here, thank you!
In his 2016 book “The Inevitable: understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future” Kevin Kelly fleshes out his view of the future of technology over the next thirty years. I'm sure you know it. One super interesting idea that left a mark is that "The printed book is by far the most durable and reliable long-term storage technology that we have". A statement that I didn’t expect in a book on the future of technology (but that I loved to read in the printed version of the book). In a subsequent interview, he elaborates “I am the co-chair of the Long Now foundation, where we've been encouraging and fostering long-term thinking for 25 years, and one of the projects we looked at was the concern of moving information into the future. As we looked at this general trend in our society of going digital, the realization was that a lot of this digital information is not very permanent at all: it is very susceptible to being obsoleted by the next generation of things. Then when we turned to look at books we realized that, comparatively, books on paper are amazingly durable: if you keep them dry they will last for thousands of years, unlike your floppy disc, which nobody can read right now”.
I'm sure you know KK. He's also the subject of my first curation essay in WOP, published a few months ago https://silviocastelletti.substack.com/p/the-inevitable-kevin-kelly
I remember your essay well, Silvio!
And you bring up a good point about paper.
I have lost the charger for my 1997 palm pilot - but not my handwritten scribbles in the 1997 agenda that fit in my handbag, that recalls funny toddler phrases.
Our kids will often put their heads together over the kitchen table as they collectively go through the physical photo albums housing their early pre-digital lives.
This idea that paper is permanent has been one that I share having lived through so many generations of technical "storage solutions".
I'm torn between using this as a wake-up call to properly account for all the content I have strewn across the internet, and on the other hand, letting it all go, like the Tibetan sand mandalas that are made over hundreds of hours and then brushed away in an instant, acknowledging the inevitability of impermanence. When do we let go of what we've digitally hoarded? (Some author just talked about this recently, but can't remember who?)
Having watched mandalas being made in Nepal, this visual metaphor is very rich, Rick. And appropriate. I recall a stat I put into E26: the universe of data in the world is expected to rise by 463 exabytes (18 0s) daily in 2025. A lot more sand to sift through to find the true gems.
I remember the digital hoarding. It was in a newsletter by @Melissa Menke.
Yes, good memory re Melissa. And that's insane re the exabytes. I think I just need a real beach.
I often worry if I'm building a house of cards by writing on Substack. What if they go out of business and all my writing goes poof? Derek Sivers takes this to the extreme by only posting on his own site and even housing his own server to run all of his tech on.
Hi, Karena ~
Such a well-written piece about that not-ver-sexy- yet evergreen task, archiving stuff.
Many good points have already been made but since you asked and at the risk of being repetitive, FWIW here’s what I consider when archiving (in no particular order):
- File format: maximum editability vs. future proofing (RAW files, text/markdown files)
- File sizes: how much storage space is needed? (DVDs / cloud / external hard drives)
- Curation: what deserves to be preserved and what doesn’t?
- Cataloging: how will I find the file(s) when I want them?
- Security: make duplicates, in case one set of files are lost or damaged. (Ideally, each copy will be in a different location)
- Access: how easily can I get to the files, either physically or via the Internet? (sometimes the internet doesn’t work / data caps)
It’s an ongoing process. Given the churn in technology, what worked yesterday may not work today. Or tomorrow.
Scott, thank you. This is such a well considered and useful list. May I quote it in future editions?
Of course! 😊
Came back to say that these are real struggles in the digital age, and we all just need to find ways to cope. I've long been doing periodic backups, and also used a lot of hand-written notes outside of plain-text documents. Retro-compatible technology is there but it's not always available to everyone, which makes it even harder.
I once made a software prototype to address part the need and desire you shared here, so maybe it's time to dust it off the shelf, and revive it =) Thank you for sharing your story, and comment section is the best kind of market validation :)
Helen, when you make that prototype, can you make sure there is a searchable element? That is why I am dumping my thoughts into Roam.
And +1 on the comments section. This edition certainly struck a common chord!
I think I was the one who took all those bird photos.
No comment. OK> maybe one ... dust bunnies.
I am sooo terrified of losing pictures. I think I get this from my mom. She still prints out every photo she takes and puts them in albums. I don’t do that, but I have every photo on my desktop computer. And I have multiple physical backups. One that runs automatically every day and another I manually run once a month, and that is kept in a fireproof safe. Plus, a cloud backup. Probably overkill, but it’s really not that much work to make sure it’s all safe. One thing I have been thinking about is my writing. 90% of my writing only exists in the cloud on the platforms where I write/publish. I may need to change that.
Multiple backups is a wise and consistent thread in these comments. Searchable is another realization.
Thanks for sharing my freaking out about photos! For those of us who spend our lives at the keyboard, creative content is another consideration.
I have committed to iCloud for storing everything - mainly as a result of being Apple-converted 17 years ago, but also because I figure that it should (hopefully) be safer and more durable. I also like to centralise all my photos and files in one place and to be able to share with my whole family.
Centralized (and platform-agnostic) sharing is what drove many of my decisions too.
I also realized, through the story of friends, how important it is to have an AND solution - local AND cloud. Because ... fires, theft, adapters
As a photographer I have an external backup system on my desk plus a cloud backup system. I use Backblaze.com and love it! I think we spend the first half of our life collecting and the 2nd half purging!
Thank you for the idea to hold a local + cloud solution, Kathy.
I'm so happy you took some time in preserving your memories to share your thoughts here Karena. I think about our data on the internet probably more than expected and you are so right, photos, one of the most precious things we have, is not immune to the ebbs and flows of the internet. I loved the Seth Godin quote you shared. I had a similar crisis recently when my university gmail suddenly shut down our "forever unlimited" google cloud access. I was probably in the 1% of people taking advantage of it and realized then how many things I would have to curate or move. Really enjoyed your reflection!
For someone who lives at her keyboard (a professional habit before it became a personal one), I share your stress, Michelle. We got gmail accounts when they first came out. It was a technology leap that made our year of travel feasible. But today, I am constantly curating as I battle the quota alert.
The Build a Second Brain exercise of archiving our entire history and only retrieving what we need was something that allowed me to move forward here.
I’m treating this moment like moving home. This is great advice thanks Karena!
Any other archiving+curation tips from your recent moving experience? And I am sure you have much to offer in the "photography" space as you must return with hundreds and thousands of photos from each safari. What is your practice for making sure you don't lose those photos, Kathy?
I love this piece and it’s an important topic to relate to ‘am I doing this right?’ And empty trash can confirmed.
Digital curation takes a different kind of mental and emotional energy, rather than physical lifting of real objects. Either way, the memory remains in us and not in the items, so it’s a good release of digital and physical space! I usually listen to ‘The Minimalists’ podcasts when I’m purging or cleaning to help me listen to their advice while doing so, and also while I’m shopping to remind myself not to bring home unwanted things.
Enjoy the spring cleaning!
Your comments here and on other platforms are so valuable, Kelly. Digital curation is indeed different. I have to discover that Minimalist podcast.
Aww gee, thanks! It’s interesting for me to know what resonates with readers, so I try to point that out. And the comments are like mini playgrounds for us all to hang out 🛝
As you know, I've also been thinking a lot about this under the umbrella of digital hoarding! It's a tough balance, and I'm allowing myself to keep anything that strikes a sentimental chord. The amazing thing is how many "things" (multiple photos of the same moment, reports on something related to my field that I really should read) that it's easy to say goodbye to.
I hadn't thought much about this in the context of my own assets - my essays, or now, notes. It's a good reminder to make a plan on ownership of those. Thanks Karena!