Communications of the ACM
Nailing Smoke
Credit: Cosma
Computers may be the best repository of all time for information—as long as the operating system or storage medium is not out of date—but they are unable to record or reproduce the sensual presence of a material work of art. Unlike the qualities of material works of art, games and arbitrary interaction do not qualify the computer as a medium for memories and recollections."1
In common with most senior academics, I am required from time to time to offer assessments on applications for research funding. Over recent years, I have been pleased to see funding agencies increasingly asking applicants to pay formal attention to the means by which the outputs of publically funded research may be preserved over the medium to long term. A second, although clearly related, concern is how applicants plan to ensure that ongoing access to research results may be achieved. These are good questions, and the fact they are being asked represents real progress, but unfortunately, for the most part, they are not well answered.
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