I've always been interested in things that are very, very old. For some unexplained reason I find it fascinating to be able to look at, think about, even touch ancient worlds. Greek pottery, Etruscan swords, Medieval paintings, heck, 16th British Pubs: it's all fascinating.

I've never felt that I had the luxury to think about how to make our world last this long. So much of what has survived seems accidental. Bits and pieces. Shards. Fragments. It's not like people were planning for these things to be around for millennia. So how realistic is it to think this is something that can be planned or designed? The world is just too Ozymandian for that.

But now that I'm OLDER, and worried about ways to BE EMPLOYED, I've found myself in a lucky place: the world of digital preservation. Lucky because this place lets me think deep thoughts about the past, present and future. Lucky too because it lets me do this in a technology context, which is a very natural fit for me.

Thinking about these things I'm reminded of something that I've heard about this field:

Preservation is communication with the future.

Digital Preservation Initiatives Group, SDSC

Chronopolis Initiative

Mass Transit Project