http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail400.html is the most interesting IT Conversation that I listened to while driving around California. This is Brewster Kahle, founder of archive.org, talking about the practicalities of digitizing and storing everything that was ever intended to be published (print, photos, sounds, films and video). There are lots of numbers in the talk, which makes it satisfyingly precise.
[http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail94.html is an older interview with me that might be of some interest to newer readers of this Weblog.]
I haven’t had time to listen to the lecture yet, but, I have to ask: aren’t there some copyright issues involved in doing this? I’m sure he addressed in the lecture, but hopefully someone with more time can enlighten me.
Brewster is waiting for copyright law to evolve in his favor. Until then, he is content to archive public material. Even that is a great undertaking.
Hot off the press: “Deadheads Outraged Over Web Crackdown”. The Grateful Dead (apparently one of Brewster’s favorites) forces archive.org to remove their recordings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/30/arts/music/30dead.html