Critical Role Critical Role removes hundreds of YouTube videos and podcast episodes.

[Thomas Shey]

Even books degrade. Paper oxidizes and eventually crumbles.

If anything, there's a lot more work needed to copy and save those, though you have a lot longer to decide to do it.

(In case I've never mentioned I'm a one time library assistant, so I think very much in these terms. People would find my data backups probably a bit OCD on the whole. I'm still grumpy there's no really easy way to save my Kindle books offline).

 

[Maxperson]

That physical (other than actual books) tends to degrade over time is another problem, one I wish they'd solve somehow.

I'm not sure why you excluded books!

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Even books degrade. Paper oxidizes and eventually crumbles.

Clay tablets FTW!

 

[Lanefan]

Even books degrade. Paper oxidizes and eventually crumbles.

Yes, but as paper generally lasts for decades or more it's highly likely I'll have "oxidized and eventually crumbled" long before the paper will.

I have books here from when I was a kid (i.e. they're well over 50 years old) and if they've degraded at all, it's not noticeable. What digital media is that reliable?

 

[Deset Gled]

Yes, but as paper generally lasts for decades or more it's highly likely I'll have "oxidized and eventually crumbled" long before the paper will.

I have books here from when I was a kid (i.e. they're well over 50 years old) and if they've degraded at all, it's not noticeable. What digital media is that reliable?

M-disk is designed specifically for long term storage. M-DISC - Wikipedia

Of course, the real benefit of both books and digital storage is that we can theoretically make lossless copies. So as long as someone is maintaining the archive, the data will be preserved.

 

[darjr]

M-disk is designed specifically for long term storage. M-DISC - Wikipedia

Of course, the real benefit of both books and digital storage is that we can theoretically make lossless copies. So as long as someone is maintaining the archive, the data will be preserved.

That’s the key bit. But it’s also true for all media, to some degree.

The other problem with digital media is the software, especially if the data is encrypted or obfuscated some how. But if enough people are interested enough and motivated it’ll get copied.

 

[Clint_L]

Yes, but as paper generally lasts for decades or more it's highly likely I'll have "oxidized and eventually crumbled" long before the paper will.

I have books here from when I was a kid (i.e. they're well over 50 years old) and if they've degraded at all, it's not noticeable. What digital media is that reliable?

It hasn't been 50 years yet, but everything I own that is on the cloud is exactly the same as when I acquired it, and immune to things like fires and earthquakes. I switched to an e-reader years ago, and now instead of dead trees piled everywhere I have my entire library available anywhere I go, at all times, and can add to it as soon as I need a new book. So there are some pretty hefty advantages, and I don't think analog media even wins the durability battle.

I still love a lot of it though. Having the physical thing in my hands is its own reward, for me - this is a guy with a garage full of lovingly hand-painted miniatures and terrain. So I get where you're coming from.

 

[Parmandur]

It hasn't been 50 years yet, but everything I own that is on the cloud is exactly the same as when I acquired it, and immune to things like fires and earthquakes. I switched to an e-reader years ago, and now instead of dead trees piled everywhere I have my entire library available anywhere I go, at all times, and can add to it as soon as I need a new book. So there are some pretty hefty advantages, and I don't think analog media even wins the durability battle.

I still love a lot of it though. Having the physical thing in my hands is its own reward, for me - this is a guy with a garage full of lovingly hand-painted miniatures and terrain. So I get where you're coming from.

I've tried ebooks, and it just lacks something for me.

 

[Lanefan]

It hasn't been 50 years yet, but everything I own that is on the cloud is exactly the same as when I acquired it, and immune to things like fires and earthquakes.

But not immune to system crashes, power failures, or dead batteries. Or dropping: I can drop a book on a concrete floor and so what, but if I drop a tablet I'm probably out a few hundred bucks.

More importantly, to me anyway: you're trusting whoever owns/runs that cloud storage to keep it a) functional and b) freely accessible in perpetuity. I wouldn't bet on that, particularly the "freely accessible" bit.

If I own a movie on a DVD, for example, I can watch it whenever I like; but if I use Netflix I can only watch that movie when Netflix decides to put it on their menu.

 

[Oofta]

But not immune to system crashes, power failures, or dead batteries. Or dropping: I can drop a book on a concrete floor and so what, but if I drop a tablet I'm probably out a few hundred bucks.

More importantly, to me anyway: you're trusting whoever owns/runs that cloud storage to keep it a) functional and b) freely accessible in perpetuity. I wouldn't bet on that, particularly the "freely accessible" bit.

If I own a movie on a DVD, for example, I can watch it whenever I like; but if I use Netflix I can only watch that movie when Netflix decides to put it on their menu.

When I drop my reader on the floor again (it's happened) it didn't break. Even if it did, I just need to re-download the book I want to read. But yes, I am trusting that Amazon isn't going anywhere. Just like I trust that my house is not going to burn down, that the public library (where I get many of my books) will still be there.

It's worth it to me to have multiple books I can stick in my pocket and read anywhere. There are always going to be trade-offs.