Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die [Paperback]

Bryan Bergeron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

Today, most of the world's data is stored in media and formats that are frighteningly ephemeral: Web sites and email stores that are here today and gone tomorrow; magnetic media that isn't proven to last; document and e-book formats that quickly become obsolete. In Dark Ages II, Bryan Bergeron shows why our data is at far greater risk than we've ever imagined -- and envisions a frightening future, where so much critical information is lost that civilization itself is at risk. Bergeron then offers specific, realistic solutions -- for individuals, companies, governments, and societies. Dark Ages II covers every aspect of the looming crisis in data storage: risk factors associated with today's magnetic and optical media; the economic and management issues that lead to the loss of huge data repositories stored on Web sites and in email repositories; fast-changing document and media formats that quickly make old documents inaccessible; and more. After projecting the potential impact of massive data loss, Bergeron offers step-by-step techniques you can use to solve the problem in your own home, organization, or enterprise. This book is essential reading for everyone who depends on digital data, including business decision-makers, libraries and educational institutions, policy-makers and government officials, and virtually every individual.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• Civilization at risk: Is our most important information about to vanish?
• Here today, gone tomorrow: Disappearing Web sites, unproven storage technologies, obsolete data formats
• Specific, realistic solutions for individuals, organizations, and society

Your data—and everyone's—is in danger. Discover why—and what to do about it!

Dark Ages II shows why our data is at far greater risk than we've ever imagined—and envisions a frightening future, where so much critical information is lost that civilization itself could collapse. Bryan Bergeron examines how we're storing our most precious data: on Web sites and email servers that could disappear tomorrow; on unproven magnetic and optical media; and in document formats that become obsolete virtually overnight. After projecting the potential impact of massive data loss, Bergeron offers step-by-step techniques you can use to solve the problem in your own home, organization, or enterprise.

• Why your disks aren't as reliable as you think
• Who owns your data—and what happens when they stop taking care of it?
• What's happening to civilization's "paper trail"?
• Why backups aren't nearly enough
• Why "pervasive computing" will only make the problems worse
• What you can do now to ensure the survival of your digital information—and everyone's

This book is a powerful wake-up call for everyone who depends on digital data, including business decision-makers, educators, librarians, researchers, public policy-makers—and you!

About the Author

BRYAN BERGERON has over 30 years' experience designing and working with computers and electronics and has been writing about leading-edge technology and envisioning the future for most of that time. He teaches at Harvard Medical School and MIT and serves as President of Archetype Technologies, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in advanced technologies.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130661074
• ISBN-13: 978-0130661074
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,042,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great subject, well written, poorly organized, February 16, 2002

By 

"spynx_jd" (Carson City, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die (Paperback)

Tom Bergeron is a great writer, and the subject is both important and interesting; so I found myself wondering exactly why I had to keep fliping back and forth to make his points make sense.

The book is entertaining; and he held my interest the entire time, but I kept wondering exactly how all of this related to his point. Up until chapter 6 I wouldn't have been able to tell you what the book was about had it not been printed on the back cover. His editors shouldn't have allowed it to come out before it got some better organization.

I love what I got on his main subject: data preservation and the need for it; I only wish there was more of that and less of the tangentially related stuff that fills out the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, Serious Subject, May 5, 2002

By 

"powersplus" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, October 17, 2001

By 

Todd Graham (Wyckoff, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die (Paperback)

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?