Adam, you're right. Of course you're right. You're always right.
I remember how it felt reading about Winston Smith's job with the newspaper and the crawling of the skin about the whole thing. Digital, indeed, makes it so much easier. Poof, the past is gone without a trace. That's for real.
On the other hand, I love my Kindle and being able to carry around every textbook I could ever want on a device I can put in my pocket is a huge win. Not having to hold open a bound stack of paper is so much more comfortable and less tiring. I love a digital world and the consumption story of digital media is so much easier on the reader. I don't want to give that up in order to have a permanent record. Now, with a device like the Kindle Scribe, sized for consuming heavier materials, including textbooks and with seamless note-taking capabilities, it's a great time to be a consumer.
Still, you're right. Now we're at war with Eurasia. Now East Asia. Ultimately, that's the winning argument on this matter. It's there for abuse and abuse it they will.
There is an answer, though.
Blockchain.
A decentralized record of the entire history of the changes to a publication would make it so that nothing is lost. Let them edit the publication, the old form is still there for inspection. It's the way.
Of course, you'd have to have these publishers putting their materials onto a public ledger. That's a barrier.
Still, in the same way that Bitcoin solves money and makes the ledger a secure, distributed, honest reality, it can work for digital media, too.
I agree. I think our current level of fascination with digital is a function of its "newness". I think as we go forward, we will still use digital (of course), but in a more balanced (and suspicious) way, coming to re-appreciate the "analog" and it's much more real and tangible nature.
Adam, you're right. Of course you're right. You're always right.
I remember how it felt reading about Winston Smith's job with the newspaper and the crawling of the skin about the whole thing. Digital, indeed, makes it so much easier. Poof, the past is gone without a trace. That's for real.
On the other hand, I love my Kindle and being able to carry around every textbook I could ever want on a device I can put in my pocket is a huge win. Not having to hold open a bound stack of paper is so much more comfortable and less tiring. I love a digital world and the consumption story of digital media is so much easier on the reader. I don't want to give that up in order to have a permanent record. Now, with a device like the Kindle Scribe, sized for consuming heavier materials, including textbooks and with seamless note-taking capabilities, it's a great time to be a consumer.
Still, you're right. Now we're at war with Eurasia. Now East Asia. Ultimately, that's the winning argument on this matter. It's there for abuse and abuse it they will.
There is an answer, though.
Blockchain.
A decentralized record of the entire history of the changes to a publication would make it so that nothing is lost. Let them edit the publication, the old form is still there for inspection. It's the way.
Of course, you'd have to have these publishers putting their materials onto a public ledger. That's a barrier.
Still, in the same way that Bitcoin solves money and makes the ledger a secure, distributed, honest reality, it can work for digital media, too.
Thanks!
And you’re probably right. Some sort of distributed blockchain is probably the way we will eventually sort this out.
Unless we get nuked by the filthy Eurasians…
I think our growing distrust of digital and AI is strengthen our appreciation for actual interactions and the good ol’ hardcover. Thank you, Adam.
Thank you!
I agree. I think our current level of fascination with digital is a function of its "newness". I think as we go forward, we will still use digital (of course), but in a more balanced (and suspicious) way, coming to re-appreciate the "analog" and it's much more real and tangible nature.
I sure hope we do, anyway!