Digital Domesday Defies Doom

Hulver writes "The BBC Domesday project, originally completed in 1986 and under threat (as reported in this old slashdot story) has had its data recovered. The contents of the laserdiscs have been put on DVD, and new programs written so that PCs can access the data. Interestingly, most of the images and films were not recovered from the laserdiscs, but were instead re-digitised from the original analog films at a higher resolution than the laserdiscs contained. Full details of the recovered data are at the Public Record Office website."

Comments

Here come the "they mispelled Doomsday" posts!

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's see how quickly it happens.

Your forget one thing though

[Raul654]

Language drifts and changes. Pick up a copy Beowulf, circle AD 800. Chances are you won't understand a whole lot, it's written in old english. What with the great vowel shift, the meanings of most of those words have significantly changed. Now, instead of 1200 years, imagine what 100,000 years of language evolution would do to such a warning. That's why ANY warning they choose will probably be pictoral, not script.

Re:Your forget one thing though

[IvyMike]

I wonder if widespread printing, audio, and video recording technology might have a long-term stabilizing effect on language.

Uh?

[The Bungi]

from the obsoletion-defeation dept.

michael, you font of knowledge you. I wondered what the hell 'defeation' was so I Googled it. I must say I understand what Google is suggesting.

The wonder of modern methods.

[Anonymous Coward]

Domesday Book, vellum and ink, still readable after 900 years.

Domesday Book II, Laser disks and computer files, in need of rescue after 17 years.

Progress ?