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This nonprofit plans to send millions of Wikipedia pages to the Moon — printed on tiny metal sheets
A nonprofit with grand ambitions of setting up a library on the Moon is planning to send the entire English archive of Wikipedia to the lunar surface sometime within the next couple of years.
Don't worry: there won't be reams of Wikipedia printouts sitting in the lunar soil. Instead, the organization says it will send up millions of Wikipedia articles in the form of miniaturized prints, etched into tiny sheets of metal that are thinner than the average human hair. The nonprofit claims that with this method, it can send up millions of pages of text in a package that's about the size of a CD.
The unusual mission is the brainchild of the Arch Foundation (pronounced "arc," short for archive.) Formed in 2015, the nonprofit's goal is to set up archives of humanity's culture in different places throughout our cosmic neighborhood, as a way to inspire people about space. "We thought of this project to archive human civilization around the Solar System — to create a permanent off-site backup of all our cultural achievements," Arch co-founder Nova Spivack tells The Verge. "So, our knowledge, our art, our languages, our history — all the stuff the human mind has produced." The idea is that these archives could last for millions to billions of years in space, where they might be found and read by future humans.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday May 15 2018, @11:20PM (4 children)
English only ... because human knowledge does not include language diversity.
Also, the micro-tech is cute, but when we find ancient writings, the fact that we can see the symbols tells us they're probably valuable. I won't presume of the eyesight of future space travelers from Stavromula Beta, but our rockets are powerful enough to send many tons into space, so a low-tech readable solution might be a lesser waste of time.
(Score: 3, Informative) by requerdanos on Tuesday May 15 2018, @11:40PM (2 children)
No, that doesn't seem to be the reason. On the contrary, it's a diversity and inclusiveness measure: "Printed in a language spoken by each and every human ever to have walked on the moon."
I guess a future reading would need to be scheduled in advance, "The Opening Of Arch Mission Foundation™, Inc. Time Capsule!" or whatnot.
Their primary goal seems to be (FTFS):
And a distant second of
but either way, humans (coincidentally with dollars to donate) seem to be the target audience. So inclusive, but not *too* inclusive.
(Score: 4, Informative) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday May 16 2018, @12:09AM (1 child)
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be payin' still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me?
('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I was already payin' 'im fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes takin' my whole damn check,
Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin' up,
An' as if all that shit wasn't enough
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here?
(Hm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 16 2018, @12:50AM
lying signing mofo
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Wednesday May 16 2018, @05:51AM
I just wonder if this is kinda like etching the New Testament on the head of a pin. Only maybe less pointless.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--