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Microsoft's "Immortal Computing" Project
SeenOnSlash writes "Microsoft is working on a project they call 'immortal computing' which would let people store digital information in durable physical artifacts and other forms to be preserved and revealed to future generations, and maybe even to future civilizations. The artifacts would be designed to make the process of accessing the information clear with instructions in multiple languages or hieroglyphics. In one possible use, messages for descendants or interactive holograms might be stored on tombstones. The project was revealed when their patent application recently became public."
Did anyone else also read 'immoral computing'? :)
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
Microsoft is working on a project they call 'immortal computing'
As far as projects like this are concerned, there can be only one.
Push Button, Receive Bacon
in tombstones? i start to understand the vision behind the zune ...
I guess the main question, is what kind of data will they store for future generations? porn? videos of coke and mentos?
Locksmith
Have your PC encased in a block of amber so your descendants can marvel at how primitive our coding was.
"The artifacts would be designed to make the process of accessing the information clear with instructions in multiple languages or hieroglyphics"
This is Microsoft we're talking about, their idea of clear seems to be a bit muddy at best. Besides, doesn't Windows already come with unintelligible hieroglyphics, otherwise known as "error messages?"
They can sell upgrades to the dead.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
They can sell upgrades to the dead.
When dealing with the dead, it's really more of a service.
Push Button, Receive Bacon
deus does not exist but if he does
Here's a snapshot of a prototype of what these artifacts will look like.
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
Clearly this is just the beginning of work whose logical conclusion is Bill Gates merging with the Helios core.
Wow, for a second there I thought Microsoft was doing something for the good of all mankind! Preserve data for future civilisations? Great! Then I clicked the link to the patent application. I almost forgot Microsoft's (or any corp) actions are solely driven by profit. Damn writeup.
Microsoft the one to finally bring to the world an absolutely universal and timeless standard of communication with which all future generations of not merely systems that humans create but also the humans that created them themselves will be compatible...
A HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
"How interesting. This ancient culture seemed to communicate solely by using images of nude females."
Help me take back Slashdot. When did 'News for Nerds' become 'FUD and Conspiracy Theories for Extremist Nutjobs'?
It looks like you are tring to decypher this ancient artefact!
Unfortunately, that text is the lyrics of Theme from Shaft by Isaac Hayes.
... and then they built the supercollider.
2000 years later...
Archaeologist A: Wow! A graveyard from the early 21st century, and it's perfectly preserved!
Archaeologist B: An awesom find!
A: I can't begin to imagine how much we can learn from this...
B: Yeah... oh look! This one has a kind of primitive digital inscription!
A: Can you activate it?
B: Reconfiguring my power source now... ah yes...
A: What is it?
B: A strange message..
A: What?
B: "This gravestone has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Would you like to tell Microsoft about this problem?"
A: Who is Microsoft?
...digital forensics in the far future reverse engineer the Word document format... And then, from the grave, rises a thousand ghostly lawyers that drag the future researchers into the depths of hell.Have you ever considered piracy? You'd make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts.
John?
John Titor?
Is it you?
At first they'll just try to run bits of our code...then more..and more..until they have a few functionnal applications. They will feel like Gods as they recreate our intriguing code and apply it to their system to ressurect the dreaded primitive beast known as "Windows".
And then all Hell will break loose. The BSOD wil run rampant, terrorizing the populace. Somewhere along the way Ian Malcom will probably spout nonsense while high on morphine, too.
I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
Sigh. Microsoft just patented the concept of people leaving information about themselves for future generations.
What's the catch? Oh, yeah "electronically". WTF is wrong with the patent office that they allow applicants
to append whatever the prevalent technology of the day is, to the end of their patent application as a sign of
originality.
The formula looks like this: [standard idea with which everyone is familiar] + ["The Web"] = [New Concept]
Obviously in this case we're talking about consumer electronics and not the web, but the point is the same.
Microsoft just patented the "Time Capsule", in fact I'll be amazed if they don't call it the "Microsoft Time Capsule"
in a fit of creative brilliance. Never mind that the idea is a standard part of cultural awareness, they've added something
new and its -- yes -- today's standard technologies for data storage. Sure there are plenty of time capsules out there,
but there's no prior art for this one because Microsoft was the first to marry all those 'pre-personal-computing' ideas
with their obvious 'post-personal-computing' counterparts.
And with an army of lawyers, there's a whole lot of work out there applying that formula above to each and every
concept on Earth.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
This was actually a smart move - this caters to the needs of our future robot overlords.
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain