apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can see your point to an extent, but I also feel like if our generation keeps up on technology, that we'll actually leave more behind for future generations. Old photos get destroyed in fires and floods. Shoe boxes of memories get misplaced or accidentally discarded. With digital copies we can just keep on backing up our lives to thumbdrives, the internet, or whatever the next great storage device will be. The only way for our files to become obsolete is if we stop caring about upkeep - if we don't upgrade to the latest file format. But I'm sure even 50 years down the road, someone is going to know how to convert those "old JPGs" to the latest format, just as we can convert 8mm family films to DVD now. And with lossless digital formats, those memories will be as sharp as ever.

The thought and care of written letters and analog photo albums is being replaced with cold rubber stamped digital archival systems that can be erased in a link of an eye without proper backup. While the warmth of the mementos is lost from something you hold to something you read with as much feeling as a wikipedia page, there is something to be said about the new mediums. When my kids are in their 20's and beyond they will be able to see still and video images that are not tainted yellow, not torn or ripped, can be easily printed out in excellent quality, and have a clear sortable view of their ancestors and families history. The outlying question is will they feel the same nostalgia that we feel looking at our parents wedding photos and memories.

There will be more technologies which will make it easier to view these documents, for example quickly making a web page to share across the universe, or having the family over and playing slideshows on the TV as everyone sits in the living room. But it will be a little longer until everyone is more properly versed in how to do these things effectively.

@Spacemonkey,

A flood or fire will also destroy your backup system if it's onsite, which is still the best way to do it. And the only way not to misplace digital files is to have one vault that contains everything, much like Aperture does and then back up that vault.

If jpegs were to become obsolete a new file format would probably be what will replace it and it will not be able to replace it unless it can easily convert it, like you can convert a Jpeg to a tiff. If it is a more powerful image file that is invented it will always be impossible to 'upgrade' your jpeg file because the information is not in that file. So it is likely that your image will convert over, but it will not get any better, unless maybe you have a raw file.

regardless digital or analog is your solution each does have it's upkeep issues.

I hate to be pedantic, but the opposite of digital is NOT analog. Analog defines a specific type of electrical signal transmission - one that is continuously variable.

Paper and pen are NOT analog. Writing is NOT analog. I'm not sure why or where this habit of referring to anything that isn't digital as "analog" got started, but I sure wish it would stop.

I just broke out my old film SLR. I thought I'd start taking some nice shots with film. Since I'm not an expert, I kind of like how certain pictures turn out at different settings (not necessarily the right ones). A bonus feature of my camera is that I have a couple of different lenses, one of which is a pretty powerful telescopic. I'll probably print a few good shots to frame. Of course, I'll scan all of them. I guess the whole process of shooting film and admiring the photos makes the whole ritual feel artistic and organic.

Next step will be burning the 1000 cds and figuring out some sort of art project for their respective artwork.

I like the idea of having one foot in each world. Even with music, I like the perfection that can be heard in digital electronic music but I also like the feel of analog electronic music--the precursor of what is mostly produced now. Is there a huge difference? Not really, but it's kind of like the difference between digital and film photography to me.

I don't think I was stating that they were opposites, or maybe your directing it towards the article. I was stating that they were two ways to go. If you were given the choice of milk or soy milk in your coffee it does not mean that milk and soy milk are opposites. Writing is not analog but the written letter is. Unless you destructively change a written letter it will be continuos. The printed photograph is. An image made out of 1' and 0's is digital in that it is digital technology, whether or not it is continuos.

I'm with Art, here, except that my only good camera is a 35mm slr.

I'm also the family historian. I am currently sorting, scanning, restoring, and recording the stories regarding hundreds of family photographs - dating back to the 1800s. The hard copies are spread across my mom and her 6 siblings, so they're giving them to my grandfather, who is giving me notes on them, and then I'm digitizing and returning. My ulitmate goal is to provide all 7 children (and grandchildren) with dvd slideshows and a complete (as possible) family tree.

This is not a small endeavor and it's taken well over a year and I'm barely halfway finished. But I think it's better to embark on a major project than lose the stories of our family to the passing of time.

As for my current images: all of them (film or digital) are burned monthly to a backup cd, and then also printed and put into photo albums. Important events (weddings, etc) are on a second cd that's kept in the fire safe. It might be overkill, but like I said - losing the past just isn't an option for me.
(I do also have facebook, which is fun.)


http://embritadesign.blogspot.com

A truly complete digital archive ought to include the necessary hardware and software to properly view the digital files. File formats become obsolete over time, and provisions (or conversions) need to be made.

I love this idea - what happens when technology fails. And I do mean when because it will fail. The digital dark age will come. Even items on my burnt cds are starting to not read properly and there are holes here and there...

No data will be lost because of new standards. When a standard change appears it is always pssible to transform the old things into the new standard.

Anyway: Nearly all programs are downcompatible.

Anyway 2: Humans will only adopt things they find useful. Nobody would buy an operating system that is not able to host a software that reads jpegs; and then of course nobody would buy a software that would not read jpegs. Lets keep it simple: We just want to take a look at the photo! Why find a new standard? For lesser data? -> Hardrivespace became so vast.