Re:Memory of Mankind: All of Human Knowledge Buried in a Sal...
by javajosh on Thursday January 19, 2017 @12:36AM
(#13433310)
Information is a linear ordering of shifting states. The most information dense substrate I can think of would be irregularities in a (perfect) crystal lattice, plus a convention regarding what path your scanner takes through that lattice.
The problem is that future thinkers need to know it exists, and where to start. Both problems can be solved with a larger, more obvious medium. And in fact, you could have several mediums at different scales between big, billboard sized stuff and the ultimate substrate, and each level describes what you need to do to access the next level down. The billboard(100m) points out the library (1m) describes how to read the microfiche (1mm) describes how to build the TEM (1nm) which you use to read everything else.
Of course, that might very well be far too much information. Certainly most of it will be useless to most observers - just like it is today. Well, we could do worse than just storing Wikipedia, Project Gutenburg, and YouTube. But I digress.
The problem is that future thinkers need to know it exists, and where to start. Both problems can be solved with a larger, more obvious medium. And in fact, you could have several mediums at different scales between big, billboard sized stuff and the ultimate substrate, and each level describes what you need to do to access the next level down. The billboard(100m) points out the library (1m) describes how to read the microfiche (1mm) describes how to build the TEM (1nm) which you use to read everything else.
Of course, that might very well be far too much information. Certainly most of it will be useless to most observers - just like it is today. Well, we could do worse than just storing Wikipedia, Project Gutenburg, and YouTube. But I digress.