I believe that one of the most critically important additions to this time capsule should be some sort of highly detailed world map, right down to the nearest square metre if possible.
That would be one of the most useful pieces of historical evidence, since it would show not only land formations and the movement of the earth's plates over the millennia, but also the city plans. Using this sort of evidence, whatever *intelligent* life form eventually finds this should be able to work out the urban sprawl and conclusively work out secondary information like population, density, agriculture and the general lifestyle of our era.
Slashdot Mirror
I believe that one of the most critically important additions to this time capsule should be some sort of highly detailed world map, right down to the nearest square metre if possible. That would be one of the most useful pieces of historical evidence, since it would show not only land formations and the movement of the earth's plates over the millennia, but also the city plans. Using this sort of evidence, whatever *intelligent* life form eventually finds this should be able to work out the urban sprawl and conclusively work out secondary information like population, density, agriculture and the general lifestyle of our era.