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Comment by andrewstuart | Hacker News Reader

I hope some mega billionaire is printing all the books and Wikipedia to metal tablets and storing multiple copies in hidden caves around the world, and in low lying areas where the coming floods will hide the tablets and reveal them again when the seas recede in millennia to come.

On a different topic... this episode of the "Fall of Civilisations" podcast is where I heard about the Library of Ashurbanipal.

It's probably the best podcast episode of all time on any topic that I've ever listened to:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/13-the-assyrians-empir...

3.5 hours long!

"Fall of Civilisations" probably being my favorite of all podcasts.

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Thanks for the reco! I would also like to make one, which is the book “Assyria: the rise and fall of the world’s first empire” by Eckart Frahm. An absolutely fascinating read which leverages modern scholarship and archaeological discoveries to paint a much more nuanced picture of the Assyrian empire than the strongly anti-Assyrian standard narrative that has roots in the biblical perspective. I learned a ton.

The amazing thing about ancient history, for me, is that it helps situate my experience and this present moment. The more I learn the more the past feels close. And it is so close! What we call ancient history is just a few dozen generations ago. These people were so much like us. It is truly remarkable how far we have come in terms of technology but how little progress we have made in terms of wisdom.

Someone is doing it with clay tablets!

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/01/human...

Hopefully someone will build a pyramid on the Moon and store all the tablets within it. This will fulfill all my science fiction hope and dreams for the human race.

Somewhere past the present orbit of Mars might be nice. People could still visit it after the sun goes red giant.

Perhaps in a decade we can efficiently do this with an ILLM (insanely large language model) with eidetic memory, trained on the web and all our other media.

Store the model in an elaborately constructed polygonish gold-etched glowy ball that fits in the palm of a hand, complete with a plutonium thermal energy core, carbon fiber audio sensor and speakers, and then hide it somewhere - but leave clues.

I know we are not supposed to post Chat Gen stuff here, but I couldn't resist getting some help with the critical part, naming the artifact:

Omniscube of Existential Continuity

TerraQuorium, a Human Codex

PlutoniLex, Oracle of Mankind

The Nexus Cube of Cosmic Archives

Anthrokora Galactica Rosetta

Helixicon Pinnacle of Human Intellect

Quintessence Eternal Brain

MetaMnemnon, The Earth Archive

Solon's Cubic Echomancer

Tempuscrate's Timeless Witness

Apotheotic MindStone

Pandora's Polyhedron: Repository of Reality

Aside from the names, I think placing devices like this on various solar system bodies would be an effective and convenient back up for aliens to interact with.

Just a couple years ago this would have sounded fantastical and impractical. Today it would be sensible.

just commented to write this as well. By coincidence, I have listened to the Assyrian episode today. There is really nothing like it. I also recommend the youtube videos of the same podcast. They are really the perfect companion to this incredible history podcast.

Oh, yeah, I saw that one too. A scholar and a psycho, excelling both in art and genocide. That podcast is a good one.

Ashurbanipal is also in Civ 5!

The second persian empire did this. Well, in reverse. They tried to preserve books in high dry lands, believing there will be flood (coming from the west if I remember correctly).

... and the most beautiful theme music, loaded with appropriate melancholy:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N3_fjdUiamc

Great that the composer put it in the public domain.

Play it at my funeral!

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