"For that matter, I can see the
Internet leveled overnight and all my online work
destroyed. I think books are more durable, but I fear
for their safety as if they were living things (which
in a memetic sense they are)."
- Mac Tonnies, 3/2/06
Certainly the 'Net could be leveled overnight -- either temporarily or (in the case of EMP) - somewhat permanently. In the latter case, I'd fear for the survival of books as well.
ReplyDeleteIn "Snow Crash", Stephenson makes a case for clay tablets being the most durable of records.
In any case I *LIKE* books. Solid. Durable. Each one a door to somewhere/when/thing else.
Ah, books... guess it's kind of a tactile thing - they even smell good!
ReplyDeleteActually, Mac's comment came from one of our "apocalypse" discussions... in which we concluded that the survival of books depended upon small, private libraries - among them, mine and his... and yours, too - so, take good care of them! :-)