<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif;font-size:large">Sorry, but as an archivist I can vouch for the fact that the simple use of crayons alone is not good enough. You need archival quality paper, or better yet, crayon on some type of stable stone. Modern day acid-washed paper falls apart after only a few decades.<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman,serif;font-size:large">On the other hand, have you ever taken a good look at ancient stone tablets? Some are really hard to read....</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jan 13, 2026 at 8:00 PM Jim Kinney via Ale <<a href="mailto:ale@ale.org">ale@ale.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div>You just nailed it.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Crayon</div><div dir="auto">THE backup tool </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Hahahaha!!!</div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr">-- <br>James P. Kinney III<br><i><i><i><i><br></i></i></i></i>Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you
gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his
own tail. It won't fatten the dog.<br>
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain<br><i><i><i><i><br><a href="http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/</a><br></i></i></i></i></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:42 PM Steve Litt via Ale <<a href="mailto:ale@ale.org" target="_blank">ale@ale.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><br>
On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:39:21 -0500 (EST)<br>
"jon.maddog.hall--- via Ale" <<a href="mailto:ale@ale.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">ale@ale.org</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
> One of my fears about e-books, the web and documentation that can<br>
> disappear as easy as "rm -r *", is that we will lose a LOT of this<br>
> information and not know where we came from and how we got here.<br>
<br>
Good backups allay that fear. What I fear is that over time current<br>
physical and software formats are replaced and disappear. I can't read<br>
my QIC tape backups anymore. I can no longer read my cptools floppy<br>
backups: Hell, I don't currently have a floppy drive installed. With<br>
cases no longer accommodating CD/DVD/BluRay, how long will it be until<br>
those become very difficult to get. I have nothing to read my old VHS<br>
video tapes. I have no way to recover any files from my ancient Kaypro<br>
2x, even if I did have a floppy drive.<br>
<br>
It's very important to take old backups and convert some of them to<br>
newer formats every once in a while.<br>
<br>
LOL, I still have a crayon picture I drew in 1955 of my trip to the zoo.<br>
<br>
SteveT<br>
<br>
Steve Litt <br>
Featured book: Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful<br>
Technologist <a href="http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques</a><br>
<br>
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