I had a similar thought and wrote about evergreen blogs recently: https://rishikeshs.com/journal/evergreen-blogs/
Derek Sivers is planning something similar with Digital Legacy Trust: https://legacytrust.nz/
Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
71–80 of 101 posts
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#72100 years is too long time. Modern science don't know, how to make something, which will exist so long. This is because, even when we could make machine which will work so long, nobody could guarantee existence of jurisdiction where machine will be. And to move machine to other place will need some people, but people active lifetime is much less.
For this problem, even Darpa created special research program and at the moment only exists one serious applicant - https://100yss.org/
You could try to ask some of Japanese oldest organizations to host your page, as they have few entities existing hundreds years. But you should ask not one but few, I think at least 3, because just few years ago bankrupted 700-years old Japanese bank.
Other possible candidates - some churches and property communes in Western countries. But also, each additional host will just make higher probability but will not guarantee anything.
Also possible to ask your family to save your site, but even if your family is reliable enough, who knows, how will look like society in 100 years, and if your book/site will be legal.
I think, if you will place something on Moon, exists high probability nobody will reach it in 100 years (I think, large share territory of Moon will be desert like now), so it will save. And yes, it is possible to make laser communication system, so somebody could buy components for some reasonable cost and make call and receive data from your site there.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#73My strategy would be to go for redundancy:
The physical book can contain a QR Code, Barcode, printed URL and so on, that’s correct at the time of print.
But then leave hints on how to search and find the book online if those resources are not available.
Such as a promise to list the book with your Author name, book title, ISBN and so on.
Then replicate the content across the internet, and try to cross link to all the resources.
The only thing you can really trust is your own domain name, so that has to be the base right now.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#74100 years is too long. Maybe not because the company or institution where you will host it directly or indirectly will vanish (the Lindy effect matters choosing one), but because we, as internet and its users, moved on. The changes are accelerating, in the last very few years AIs are being used as search engines and providing content, new generations doesn't read so much (as they consume things like Instagram or TikT…
You might find this perplexing, but trust me when I say that the kind of legacy that needs to endure centuries, and VC wet dreams like AI are totally disjunct domains.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#75Just a suggestion, and I suspect I might have overlooked some drawbacks: what about hosting it on SEVERAL of those websites/platforms/services/communication systems (probably with a version "number" or a last updated date), and inside the book, provide several backup links, in case the first one was dead by the time they visited it? Basically spreading the risk to maybe 10 platforms instead of 1, hoping that at least…
This.
If you setup multiple domains or url shorteners, each can redirect to whatever free platform is available (facebook groups, reddit, github, web.archive, etc). It does require a bit of maintenance tho.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
The internet archive seems to continually be getting into legally precarious situations. I wouldn’t bet on it staying around for too long.
there is no way we will let the Internet Archive die, absolutely no way
Within 10 years probably not. Within 50? I'm not so sure.
Everything has an end.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#77100 years is too long. Maybe not because the company or institution where you will host it directly or indirectly will vanish (the Lindy effect matters choosing one), but because we, as internet and its users, moved on. The changes are accelerating, in the last very few years AIs are being used as search engines and providing content, new generations doesn't read so much (as they consume things like Instagram or TikT…
> 100 years is too long.
The Long Now Foundation would like to have a word.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#78Putting it on Arweave is the best I can think of. And then link to the content on arweave.net: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:arweave.net+book As Arweave is designed for this exact use case. Even if arweave.net disappears, one can still find the content one the Arweave blockchain via the hash. The chain is built in a way that it creates a very high incentive for people around the world to keep hosting the conte…
This is preposterous. You're suggesting a "solution" that's overly complicated by orders of magnitude, fragile and relies on the continued value of some shitcoin. Plus the company behind the underlying shitcoin is already dead because they were offering unlicensed securities.
> is already dead
Which kinda proves the concept works. People shitting on web3 are clueless what it is.
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#79Think knowledge as carried by the human brain. What you are asking is few generations ahead to remember the knowledge your brain created. The best way is to transmit it from brain to brain. Codify your knowledge into some kind of poetry stanzas. this would ensure effective compression and repeatability. Teach the poems to a few in the next generation. Create a loop to ensure that knowledge is passed verbatim. After a few centuries you will see it will survive. This how it is done traditionally
Re: Ask HN: Where to put a static page that would last forever
#80100 years is too long. Maybe not because the company or institution where you will host it directly or indirectly will vanish (the Lindy effect matters choosing one), but because we, as internet and its users, moved on. The changes are accelerating, in the last very few years AIs are being used as search engines and providing content, new generations doesn't read so much (as they consume things like Instagram or TikT…
> 100 years is too long. The Long Now Foundation would like to have a word.
The Long Now Foundation has existed for less than 30 years. They have some lofty goals, but they're just goals.