It comes down to this one simple but undisputable fact.  Ones and zeros will out last Gutenberg.  Movable type—out.  Typewriters—out.  Magnetic cards and magnetic tape—out.

Digital disks—IN.

And it has recently come to the attention of the people of the Metro Denver Area that the Denver Public Library’s now fragile books are lined up to be forever stored in a digital “repository of private and public records.”  According to the present plans, each community will have its ancient stories forever digitized and everything will be accessible through the library’s website as it grows to encompass the west.

At keeping stuff, we are the city of the future.  Next we will catalog the landfills.

Anne-Imelda Radice, director of the D.C.’s Library Service and other library officials working for her office noted that it is important to preserve the contents of old papers and all other crap that they will be able to find and eventually digitize.  From what I’ve read in the still undigitized newspaper, this stuff that I’m now sitting here in my underwear writing might, a millennium from now, be spread out in a giant mosaic, analyzed and studied over by future litter and junk collectors.  It might even be sold on 2:00 a..m. infomercials for $35.00 a disk plus postage.

What a nightmare.

These Washington, D.C. people “note that there are 4.8 billion artifacts held in the country’s archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.”  Of course they forgot to look in my living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and basement which I’m sure is unintentional storage to at least another half billion worthless items.  And let’s get honest about this.  What about all the garages and attics that litter the Metro area?  Will it someday also be cataloged on some future servers that we can only imagine today?

The whole White clan was a “collecting institution” before archives, libraries, museums and historical societies existed.  And as the last member of this branch of the clan, all I’ve got to say is, “Will somebody help me clean this mess up?”

Sorry.  I’m a little manic at the moment.

- Bob