Date   : Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:49:56 -0000
From   : "David Hunt" <dm.hunt@...>
Subject: Newsnight aired 2005/11/08

Hi all,

Did anyone catch Newsnight ? Go to
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4418728.stm> click on view
video the article starts at 37m 20s.

It had an article on the panic of preserving digital information.

"Digital history locked into dead computers..."

Notably, a man called Syd Hislam wrote his autobiography on an 80s machine
and couldn't read it because he gave the machine away and his new "running
Windows 95" machine didn't have a 5.25" floppy. 

Anyone heard of an 8.5" floppy!?! One of the presenters held up the disc by
touching the magnetic surface - oh dear...

Also a quick look at the Computer Museum to which Bill Gates gave all that
cash.

Perhaps old format data retrieval would be a useful income stream to a
computer museum or a group of enthusiastic collectors...

Dave ;)