Some Concerns
“The patent office, home to nearly 6.5 million patents dating to 1790, is converting to an electronic database and discarding a significant portion of its paper files after they have been scanned and digitized.” -Mitchell, A. (2001). Ingenuity’s Blueprints, Into History’s Dustbin. NY Times. December 30, 2001, p. A1.
A scenario: A truck loaded with hazardous waste is headed toward a dump site. Will our descendants know where we have buried the waste? (Bide, et al, 1999)