Sebastian David

Sebastian David Welcome to the world , Sebastian David Robinson-Cook, born 2:15PM today. Mum and bub are happy and healthy.

UPDATE: News and Photos are here   – bookmark it!

Is The 'Digital Dark Age' Mainstream Yet?

Many more more people are waking up about the looming ‘Digital Dark Age’ – the Sydney Morning Herald warns of a cultural ‘black hole’ spanning the mid-90s up to about now, where most of our memories are being archived on volatile media that might not survive.

(I first mentioned this back in 2004 – do I get any extra points?)

I’m proud to say that one of my former ventures, ACM, is part of the Pandora project that this article mentions.

Again, the main problem is that none of the media on which we currently choose to store our data (read: memories) is able to last more than 10 years or so. If I were investing in technology ventures in the medium term, I’d be looking to archival technologies that will let us Generation Xers show and tell Generation X+3 what the sea levels looked like before the Great Warming and Innundation of 2012.

Future historians will be better informed about the back catalogue of New Kids On The Block than The Backstreet Boys. Sobering thought.

And, speaking from personal experience – BACK STUFF UP! PRINT THE IMPORTANT STUFF OUT on ARCHIVAL QUALITY PAPER AND INK! NOW! You can’t afford to lose those memories, even if some of it lives on perishable optical disks for a time. If your disk crashes, you will have some explaining to do to both future and current generations.

Any ideas on what the next wave is? Should we go back to stone? That’s the only thing that seems to last, at least, according to Time Team.

<voice=”Mal Garvin”>
Or maybe, just maybe, our memories are best stored in the lives of others – they can be heard as echoes of the laughter of those who share stories of us when we’re long, long gone. Where do you store YOUR treasures? It makes you think.
</voice>

Dance: Like, There's Everyone Watching

Caleb and (new partner) Olivia have been featured on the main page of ‘Online Danceline’ following their successful debut at the Metropolitan Championships on the weekend.

Great photo – and great results for their first comp – two first places, two seconds. See it here (for a limited time)

Spending Your Savings

Only a few weeks to go before WA votes on the final, yes definitely, never again referendum on whether to keep observing Daylight Savings after its three year trial.

The ABC has set up a useful site to explain how the previous referenda were split, and general opinion is that while Perth is split, the farmers don’t like it.

I was surveyed about it recently – judging by the questions, there seems to be a perception that a yes vote these days is more based on business needs than a pressing urge to get to the beach after work every day. For that reason, I think there’s now some pressing need to get WA in line with the rest of the country.

However, given that the recent elections in WA established that the country folk carry more than a little electoral clout these days, I predict another NO vote.

Lessons from the Farm: The Deeper You Dig, The Bigger The Hole

The more we learn about machinations behind the NSW Government’s intentions to sell off Hurlstone Agricultural High School, the sillier it looks. Alan Jones summarises the insanity on his show this morning, with fellow SHEAPer, David Moore.

The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC also show up the sneakiness behind the decision – although it’s likely the government is softening us up to sell ‘more like 50’ hectares of Hurlstone (we suspected as much when it was announced). Gotta haggle.

The SHEAP Website receives a new lease of life today, hot on the heels of today’s Parliamentary Forum. Join it, or Facebook, to keep in touch with the latest.