From Ian Wright, Sheffield, UK
I read Karmela Padavic-Callaghan’s article on storing data in glass with interest, but I couldn’t help but feel that such research is misdirected. In my long life, I have used many “ultimate” methods of long-term data storage, from wire recorders in the 1940s to floppy discs. Now, it is virtually impossible to recover data from these media, as the relevant technology has been superseded. How will people in 100 or 1000 years know that data is contained in the glass? (28 February, p 13)
I suspect our efforts would be better directed to finding ways to record information in a readable form on stable materials, then creating and distributing a number of modern “Rosetta stones” across the planet to enable subsequent generations to interpret the information.
