I am a reasonably tech-savvy person.  In fact, I often find myself giving others advice on their problems with Computers or Technology of almost any kind.  I am also a hobbyist photographer, and up until now, have prided myself on my regular efforts at backing up data – especially the hundreds of photographs I end up shooting with my digital camera, each year.

So, it was with much surprise that I read a small piece in the local daily outlining the nuances of today’s storage techniques and how it might just result in a “dark age” one day.

It argued that today’s digital storage media formats may not last even a decade, and there’s no telling what form of media will be prevalent, say, 50 years from now.  With the proliferation of digital cameras in today’s age, most pictures are not only being shot in digital form but also stored in digital formats.  As a result, there may come a time – a century from now – when hardly any pictorial evidence may exist of our life and times!  Compare that with the old black-and-white snapshots that outlived generations in each of our families, providing us a brief glimpse of how life was at the time…

Scary thought, isn’t it?  I’m glad I’m getting select pictures of my darling daughter printed on actual photo paper for the baby album!