Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die

Good book. Well written. Quick read. I think this book will surprise many readers who think that simply backing up their data is enough. I work in a university library, but didn't have a good idea of how the National Archives and other agencies deal with their intellectual property. The author correctly points out that there is much more to consider when purchasing a backup device than price. There's longevity of media, which isn't as great as I thought it was, especially given that I don't store my archives in a constant temperature/humidity environment, and, more importantly, the compatibility of the hardware. I'm on my third PC, and already can't read some of my early work because I don't have syquest drive on my latest PC. As a result of reading this book, I've changed my archiving process and place little trust in my CD-ROM burner.This book is a good - and overdue - wakeup call.

Once again, Bryan Bergeron has written a book about technology that most can understand. This latest effort paints a very interesting picture about the proliferation of data that is generated and what happens to it. This book is a must read for anyone that uses a computer and thinks that by storing the information in a file or saving it on a disk will protect it for eternity. By the way, does anyone know the shelf life of my eight track collection?

I thought that if I just backed up my files, I was safe, but read this book and you'll know otherwise. I got this book because in the back of my mind, I worried about all of the digital information floating around and how safe that really was. Well, my fears were confirmed. What I really appreciated about this book is that the author actually gives you advice on what to do about it. This book is an eye opener with practical advice for anyone who uses digital data...just about everyone.