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Estimating how many bits there are
This AP story reports that IDC guesstimated the number of bits people created last year...
Add it all up and IDC determined that the world generated 161 billion gigabytes -- 161 exabytes -- of digital information last year. That's like 12 stacks of books that each reach from the Earth to the sun.
Wow... that's a big number. I wonder how many gallons of water there are in the ocean! That must be a pretty big number, too!
More to the point, what should users do, in their daily life and work, to respond to this increase in bits? Does the AP writer pursue this line?
... the study has intriguing implications. Among them: We'll need better technologies to help secure, parse, find and recover usable material in this universe of data.
In other words: don't worry, users... the technology industry will create ever-better tools, improving (yes) even on today's gold standards, to continue to take care of you and your needs.
Truth is, users need to take responsibility for their own bits. Pretty soon you can read more in Bit Literacy...
A great read on this subject is Ambient Findability, by Peter Morville.
http://findability.org/
Whenever I get a new computer, it has enough storage to copy all the disks on the previous computer in a corner of its much bigger drive.
I can still find my original Word Perfect 5.1 files (an my Sony has WP 12 to read it) and original Visio files (when it was given away for free on part of a floppy).
We have ALL our computers, starting with Commodore PET, Amigas, Vic 20, Columbia "portable" PC (35 pounds!) running dos 2 (originally 1!), and machines with Windows 3.1, 98, XP, MCE.
This is being written on a 3+ year old iBook.
The 161 exabyte comment reminded me of this....
https://breeze5.umn.edu/didyouknow/
It is estimated that 1.5 exabytes (1.5 x 1018) of unique new information will be generated worldwide this year.
That is more than in the last 5000 years, and the amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years.
talk about "bit literacy"...
Bits have no physical dimensions.
How "big" are the bits in those 12 stacks of book????
I dunno what the point is. People who actually like _listening to_ music and _experiencing_ music will probably still go to concerts etc.
People who are interested in hearing music or owning a certain track will go to mp3. No problem, just different types of use.
We used to have books that were handwritten with lovely capital letters at the beginning of every chapter. Does anyone miss them?