What is the must-have knowledge and how does one protect it?

'Book stack' by ginny
under a CC license

There was that Slashdot article on survival knowledge that got me thinking again. The question is: (i) what is the minimum knowledge that human civilisation should have in order to kick-start itself after a catastrophic event of some sort and (ii) how does one effectively preserve that knowledge?

There is even a book on 'rebooting civilization' and I'm sure that there plenty more works on that question, which - by the way - is not at all uncommon.

The second part of the question seems simpler. There is no ultimate backup medium and we already know that the internet is no safe bet. Modern technology is good and sleek but it can fail, too (plenty of personal experience on that front). So, really, modern non-magnetic storage media, such as DVD's, seem like a decent backup solution but they haven't been tested against time, yet. Magnetic media are now reliable for operation in the scale of 5-10 years but one shouldn't expect miracles. The 'cloud' could do better, since the storage equipment is maintained but then access to the stored data can't be guaranteed. For an digital storage medium and format there's the additional challenge of compatibility with future (or past) equipment.

I hate to admit that but as a storage medium, paper has served us reasonably well. Despite it being fragile, compostable, flammable, etc. Amazing, isn't it? And by some tricks we could store even more per page, even though that would make pages illegible to humans (for example, the QR code below, contains the first 2 paragraphs of this blog entry - and, yes, it can be printed smaller and still be readable by a smartphone).

To settle the argument, let's say that we use a combination of media and storage methods to be on the safe side. What should we put on those? The Survivor library that the article mentioned has an interesting selection of topics that range from 'hat making' and 'food', to 'anesthesia' and 'lithography'. Several state-of-the-art areas are missing (but that may be the point) and so do some well-established disciplines such as mathematics and physics, while with some topics, we could possibly do without.

Some have proposed keeping a copy of Wikipedia at a safe place. Yes, Wikipedia can be downloaded (its database dump, at least) and the size - so far - is said to be about 0.5 Tb (i.e., 512 Gb or about common 110 DVDs) with all the media files included.

There are also several physical and digital archives. Some specialised, other more general. The Internet Archive is an interesting approach, as it keeps snapshots of the various websites at various times. Not necessarily useful for the survival of mankind but interesting, anyway.

Another tricky bit that may not be apparent is that knowledge can only be effectively used by skilled people. So, not only do we need the knowledge but also a group of people with sufficient expertise to put that knowledge in good use. And then we need materials, resources, tools to allow for knowledge to be put into practice....

Hmmm.... Saving the civilisation seems to need a lot of thinking, after all :)

On September and personal resolutions

'Autumn?' by dr_gorgy
under a CC license

September has always been a time for reflection for me. It marks the end of summer, the beginning of the rain season - climate change aside - the beginning of the school year (in many places), the end of the holidays (in the north hemisphere), etc. It is no coincidence that, besides me, many argue that true, real-life calendar years should start in September, not January.

I find myself considering "new year resolutions" in September. Well, I do that in January, as well, but that's not my point. In a sense, it may be easier to accept objectives in September, simply because one is already in "work mode". One can assume action or put something into practice immediately. Contrary to that, in January one tends to think on new year resolutions during the festivities, when - I believe - it's easier for one to be unreasonably ambitious regarding life objectives.

Personal resolutions are tightly connected to the need of people for hope. Not so much as plain wishes are, that is, but they do represent the intend to act towards a better life. The irony is that September, with its normal season change, its clouds, rains, etc., is a month that, for some people, helps depression kick in. Maybe that is why people take the time, in September, to decide on actions and objectives, start new activities, embrace new lifestyles, etc. For sure it is a great way to self-motivate oneself, which is also great for the people around us.

Thus, I believe, "happy new season" wishes are in order! May our wishes come a bit closer to reality this new school year...