Re: [ARSCLIST] Digital in a post-digital universe--was: Interesting WSJ Article on when libraries should discard their holdings.

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> This is really well said. I agree. We will not devolve into a Dark Ages again,
it's not
> technologically possible. It'll be nuclear wipeout or cosmic disaster or some
other rapid meltdown
> that will render human civilization kaput.
>
> Hmm, this gets me thinking about those drooly aliens on "The Simpsons"!
>
Well, there always exists the possibility of a "NEAR-disaster"...which
either leaves a handful of humans surviving in some remote place (note
that in this scenario the amount of technology that survives for any
length of time will depend on the level of knowledge among those
survivors...) or the survival of some hardier life form which could
in theory evolve into a now-unknown form of intelligent life (i.e.
my "radioactive cockroaches...?) and thus try to use and/or undferstand
the artifacts the late and unlamented Homo Sapiens left behind in the
rush of their departure...

There are any number of science fiction works which rely on these
scenariii...

Steven C. Barr