Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
A book I designed
Citation preview
fading away
1
2
3
4
fading away
5
6
this is a book about the power of human memory,and what happens when it is gone forever.
7
8
CONTENTS
GOOD MORNING
YOUR MEMORIES
THAT ARTICLE YOU LIKED
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
11
12
73
82
9
10
You’re probably wondering what this is.
Well, bad news. You went to the doctor
and they said you have Alzheimer’s.
You are losing all your memories. So
you decided to log a new memory in
this book every Month until you ran
out. You circled any important words
you might forget for a glossary in
the back of the book. Good luck.
Good morning, Arnold.
11
12
You used to love photography. It was one of
your favorite hobbies. These film rolls are
from the trip to the Grand Canyon with Mary.
You never got them developed because you
realized you forgot the aperture card to store
the pictures on when the trip was over. You
had a good laugh about it and even though
there are no pictures from the trip, these film
rolls captured all the memories you needed.
Memory Recorded on November 20, 2009.
Film rolls, August 5, 1993
13
14
This was the day you taught your grandsons,
Michael and Johnathan, how to play wiffleball.
The whole family came over for a huge back
yard barbeque. The look on the twins’ faces
when they hit the ball for the first time was
heartwarmingly innocent. You were so sunburned
the next day because you forgot to wear
sunscreen. You had to put bandages on your face,
and the boys kept saying that you looked like a
mummy. It made them laugh, so you didn’t mind.
Memory Recorded on December 20, 2009.
Wiffleball bat, July 4, 2000
15
16
Memory Recorded on January 20, 2010.
You shot this bird on your 70th birthday with your
old buddies in the Adirondacks. The had it stuffed
for you as a present to commemorate the trip. With
the bird, they also gave you anti-wrinkle cream
and Viagra as gag gifts. You all had a good laugh.
It was the last time the whole college gang all got
together before you started losing people. Jimmy
wrote “1992” on the plaque because his present
that year was making you ten years younger.
Taxidermied Bird, April 1, 2002
17
18
Memory Recorded on February 20, 2010.
You got this book when you first started dating
Mary. She told you she loved flowers, so you
wanted to learn more. You borrowed this from the
library, but never returned it. This helped you put
together the herbarium you made for her birthday.
It took you a long time to freeze-dry all those
flowers. Her favorit s were the forget-me-nots.
Flower guide, May 25, 1952
19
20
Memory Recorded on March 20, 2010.
Your Uncle Roger brought this back from you
after serving in Germany during World War
II. At age 13, all you wanted to do was fight
in a big war and get super famous. It was
seventh grade, you think. Maybe high school.
You hadn’t met Mary yet. She is who made you
ultimately decide not to join the army.
Brochure, July 1945
21
22
Memory Recorded on April 20, 2010.
This was a trinket you bought in Mexico on
your last vacation before Elise left for
college. Mary was so sad Elise was leaving
and kept asking you if time-travelling was
actually possible. It was right after they
sent up the Voyager Golden Record. Elise
thought she saw a UFO on that trip. You don’t
remember why exactly you bought this horse.
Wooden Horse, Summer 1977
23
24
Memory Recorded on May 20, 2010.
Lettered blocks, Summer 1967
Elise used to play with these. She would sit
at your feet in the living room and make
different words. The freezer was filled with
popsicles that summer because it was so hot. You
think that was the same summer. You secretly
miss the tacky, avocado-colored fridge.
25
26
27
28
29
30
Memory Recorded on June 20, 2010.
This was the first present you bought for
Elise. She carried it with her everywhere.
She used to alway do that voice for it when
she introduced it to everyone. You don’t know
what it’s name was right now, but you remember
exactly how it smells just like Elise’s hair. Smell preservation is a powerful memory.
Lion puppet, 1963
31
32
Memory Recorded on July 20, 2010.
These are from your first job after
college. You sent campaign mailers for the
mayor’s race. You were so excited to move to
New York and start a life with Mary. Yo u r boss was a real good guy, with a
funny accent. Maybe it was British.They always had bagels in the office. Good
ones, with smoked salmon and lox. For lunch, there was an array of delicious cured deli me ats. The food was your favorite part.
Campaign mailers, after college
33
You wish you c ou ld remember what it is now.
34
Memory Recorded on August 20, 2010.
You kept stamps fr om ev erywhere
your father went. Your favorite one
is the o n e fr om India. –––Some of them were microforms. You used to
t e ll everyone you showed all about it.
Stamp collection, Childhood
35
Christmast i me.
36
Memory Recorded on September 20, 2010.
It has Fanueil Hall in Boston inside. You went to Boston a few times ss a
kid, but got this years later.
Maybe you visited Boston again with Mary
w h e n you were older. You wanted to stop
c o c o oning, but you liked butterflies.
Snow gl o b e
37
You r em emb er feeling the snow seeping throu g h
your ts that day. Th e y wanted pictures .boo
38
Memory Recorded on October 20, 2010.
All y ou wanted was a McDonald’s Burger.
It w a s so snowy where you lived then.
There as just a huge storm.
The bears were hibernating.
w
T h e b cky r da a
39
We sat on the boardwalk and
drank tetra paks of mi l k .
She kept humming “F o r e v er Young.”
It was a reenactment of your youth.
40
Memory Recorded on November 20, 2010.
C oney isl and hot dogs.
41
You were panicked so y ou built a s h elter. Mar y started
canni n g vegetab l e s.
42
Memory Recorded on December 20, 2010.
Scraps fr o m your shed.
You l oved fixing things.
Pasteurization. Don’t forget.
43
The boys ’ crayons.
44
Memory Recorded on January 20, 2011.
Coloring with them made u forget about the sperm bank
and the freezing eg g s .
They were your grandsons.
yo
45
Rocks om the ocean.fr
46
Memory Recorded on February 20, 2011.
The summer cot t a g e ,It ha d a cellar fo r wi e s n torage.
47
er favorite boo k .
You tucked her in with it.
“An e l e phant never forgets,”
she alway s said.
It is a facs im ilie. But the book is immortal.
H
48
Memory Recorded on March 20, 2011.
49
Fin he hol gr il .
Ol co ns, ho w o ?d i ld
d t y a
50
Memory Recorded on April 20, 2011.
You’re old. You want Bo tox.
You want Resveratrol.
Does cloning work?
How can you be c ome a vampire?
51
her hair wa soft that y.s da
52
Memory Recorded on May 20, 2011.
Mar sai d,y
s ia f lwerspec l o
53
Phones.
You a lled e ry ne that d a .oc ve y
54
Memory Recorded on June 20, 2011.
55
56
57
58
Memory Recorded on July 20, 2011.
Perpe t ual
ligh ts
59
60
Memory Recorded on August 20, 2011.
a n-timeYou could writ
allbestsell er.
J ust call
h im..
61
h p is
62
Memory Recorded on September 20, 2011.
co nserv t oa
in
63
64
Memory Recorded on October 20, 2011.
s
p l
a
t
65
Immo talityr
66
Memory Recorded on November 20, 2011.
67
mhd
m
y
d
c
m
68
Memory Recorded on December 20, 2011.
minu t e
hourd a ymon t h
y eardecad e
centu r y
mil e n n i u m
69
70
71
72
parallel worldsby Stephen Willats
73
74
75
If we see a complex more dynamic world, it results in a more complex, dynamic
language being employed to articulate what we want to express and vice versa. Th is
relationship between language, perception, and ultimately belief facilitates the personal
encoding of what is seen, so as to help lift and transform it from a descriptive state,
into an imagined, psychological realm of a possible state. Th e world as it is, is lifted
into, and through a ‘meta state’, is transformed into the ‘world as it could be: In all
perception there resides the potential for transformation to occur, from one thing into
another, for there to be two parallel realities ‘as it is’ · and ‘as it could he: the descriptive
and the prescriptive. Th is transformation from one thing into another I consider is the
fundamental creative act.
It is the ‘Descriptive World’, the world we describe ‘as is’: that is
predominately the normative world, the world of rules, convention and beliefs
that has been determined by the dominant institutional fabric of society.
For it is this institutional fabric that has the means of verifying, legitimizing,
idealizing and projecting, as well as possibly implementation penalties, to induce
conformity and compliance in perception, belief and behavior. Th e descriptive
world I see as embodying ‘determinism’, while in the ‘imagined world’ there is
the possibility, not always exercised, of the freedom of creative self-organization,
to go beyond what has been given, into the possibilities of what can be. Walking
down any street, ‘reality’ is experienced as a time based multichannel encounter
with a complexity of variables that are so vast that we are unable to coherently
comprehend them all, and so they require a reduction to be made, to form an
articulation of all that data into a model. Of course, this act of reduction is made
according to shifting priorities that enable selective items to be singled out from
the complex multichannel mosaic, and moreover it enables particular items to be
related to each other, so that a ‘descriptive model’ can be formed. Items become
‘cues’ in the sense that a ‘meaning’ has been attached to them, and access to this
76
‘meaning’ is triggered by the item, and so there is an active coupling between
priorities, meaning and learning in the process of reduction, which is made in
time and consequently is never static. And yet in the dominant institutional
society the representation of a reduced reality is emphasized as just that, static,
for example as in the setting up of monuments. Th ough of course even here the
meaning of monuments can change over time. Within institutional society cues
are given a set vested meaning, where they become signs, and the social collective
psychological pressure is to accept the given message. So while a role of culture is
to provide us with certainty in our perception, the certainty it gives us is layered
onto an en tropic base of reality in constant fl ux and it is this that under pins (but
is psychologically separated or even denied) in all our social cognition.
So when we look for a moment at an item in the street we are seeing it existing
in two parallel worlds, of the descriptive with its meaning given to us by the society
surrounding us, i.e. its determinism, and at the same time can become a cue that has the
potential to act as a transformer that leads into the counter consciousness. Of course the
transformed cue, in the imagination can become actual in that a new use or meaning
becomes established as its function [ ... ]. In real time, sequences of cues are experienced
and sequential acts of individual transformations likewise opens up the possibility of feed
forward chains of imagined associative meaning. Diff erent languages will give diff erent
frameworks of understanding that can be applied to the ‘cue’: and will thus generate their
own relative networks of associative meaning.
Not only is the ‘world’ now recognized as richly complex and dynamic, in our
psychology of perception, but what has been culturally encoded for us to absorb has
likewise found forms to externalize this new state of aff airs. Th us the world as it is, the
way we describe things encountered is subject to us using a language, the form of which
is in itself is a cultural phenomena that has been externally infi ltrated into the formation
of our perception to create a parameter in our responses to what is seen.
77
78
79
All-time bestseller‘Mark Twain’s Memoirs: Is this the oldest bestseller ever?’
Publishers routinely set release dates far in advance, and
keep a book’s secrets under wrap to build anticipation, but
Mark Twain’s demand that his memoir be published a century
after his death surely must set some kind of record. Hugely
underestimating its audience, the University of California Press
planned a fi rst print run of 7,500 copies - but they’ve already
printed 275,000 so far. The publisher cannot print copies fast
enough, as bookstores across the country demand more copies
of the 500,000-word tome in advance of the holiday season.
An elephant never forgets - or does it?Scientists have long believed that animals do not have an ‘episodic’
memory - the kind that allows humans to remember past events.
Animal memory researchers fi rst face the challenge of establishing
communication between species: ‘You can’t exactly ask the
animals where they were.’ The saying that elephants never forget,
however, has been backed by science. It seems the old adage is
particularly true in the case of matriarchs who lead the herd.
A study of wild African elephants has revealed that dominant
females build up a social memory as they get older, enabling them
to recognise ‘friendly’ faces. They then signal to the rest of the herd
whether an outsider is a friend or foe, allowing family members
to focus on feeding and breeding when there is no danger.
Anti-wrinkle creamAnti-wrinkle products are manufactured to meet the world’s
demand for younger-looking skin. A typical anti-wrinkle cream
contains some of the following: retinol, epidermal growth factor,
AHA, peptides, coenzyme 010, antioxidants and sunscreen – 1
day. The retinol in most anti-wrinkle creams minimises pores
and fi ne lines. Epidermal growth factors (EGF) stimulate the
regeneration of skin and natural collagens to create a supple look.
AHA, or alpha-hydroxy acid, is responsible for the peeling effect
of creams, dissolving the adhesion between the dead skin and
new. Peptides, on the other hand, have no clear effect on the skin.
They are thought to help the creation of antibodies, which help
with bacterial protection. Coenzyme Q10 is responsible for cellular
respiration. Antioxidants are generally understood to reduce the
signs of ageing and help slow down the ageing process. Lastly,
sunscreen -1 day protects the skin from premature ageing by
UV rays and protects its from getting burned. Some anti-wrinkle
products promise to make you look 15-20 years younger.
Aperture cardsComprising a punched card with a cut-out window into which a
chip of microfi lm is mounted. These cards are used for archiving
and for making multiple, inexpensive copies of documents
for easy distribution. Typical aperture cards are punched with
machine-readable metadata associated with the microfi lm –> 5
centuries image, the details of which are printed across the top
of the card for visual identifi cation. The microfi lm chip is most
commonly 35 mm in height, and contains an optically reduced
image. There are libraries of these containing over 3 million cards.
Aperture cards have various advantages when compared to digital
systems: They have a 100 year lifetime, are human readable,
and there is no expense or risk in converting from one digital
format to the next when computer systems become obsolete.
ArchiveNoun: records, annals, chronicles, accounts; papers, documents,
fi les; history. Record offi ce, registry, repository, depository,
museum, chancery. Verb: fi le, log, catalog, document, record,
register; store, cache. Origin: Early 17th century (in the sense
[place where records are kept] ): from French ‘archives’ (plural),
from Latin ‘arch iva’, ‘archia’, from Greek ‘arkheia’ ‘public records’.
Containing objects such as: Stone tablet and stone
paintings, Nickel tablet, Books, manuscripts and
newspapers: 1 made from acid-free paper and with
acid-free and non-ferrous ink, made from acidic paper
(especially prints from the 19th and early 20th century).
Films: On celluloid, On cellulose triacetate, On polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) colour fi lm, On black and white fi lm, Optical
storage media (burnt): CD-R, CD-R with Gold refl ection layer,
CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD+R and DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, BD-R.
Optical storage media (compressed): CD, DVD, BD,
Diskette, Hard drives in use, Hard drives as archival
medium, Lomega REV removable disk, USB stick.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
80
BooksGood handling and storage are the best ways to avoid
damage. Books are complicated mechanical objects
and the way in which they are opened, closed and
manipulated during use determines how long they last.
How to extend the lifespan of your book:
Always open a book carefully and without forcing - the
materials it is made from may have become weak over time.
Some old books may not open much beyond 90°. Placing
books face down on a fl at surface will break the binding.
The paper may be weak or damaged so turn the pages
carefully to avoid tearing. Be aware that dirt and oil
from your skin can damage and stain paper. Gloves are
sometimes recommended for handling bindings, particularly
textile bindings or those with metal clasps. However,
since they reduce your sensitivity to delicate papers, it
is better to use clean, dry hands for turning pages.
Take care when removing and replacing books from
shelves. Headbands are particularly prone to damage and
can be accidentally pulled off when removing a book.
Borrowing a book (also known as temporarily owning)A copy of a library book George Washington borrowed was
returned on 20 May 2010 to a New York library - over two
centuries late. The former president borrowed The Law of
Nations by Emer de Vattel on 5 October 1789, according to the
records of the New York Society Library, and had never returned
it. Staff discovered it was missing when they conducted an
inventory of books in the library’s 1789-1792 ledger earlier this
year. The former president’s overdue fi nes, it has been calculated,
would theoretically amount to $300,000. After staff at Mount
Vernon, Washington’s former home in Virginia, learned of the
situation, they got in touch with the library offering to replace
the book with another copy of the same edition. A ceremony
saw Mount Vernon staff present the book to the library.
BotoxBotulinum toxin, also known by one of its trade names, Botox,
decreases muscle movement by blocking nerve impulses.
The result is muscles that can no longer contract, and so
wrinkles relax and soften. Usually, it takes two to four days to
see cosmetic improvement, with effects generally lasting from
four to six months. Scientists have suggested that blocking
the body’s ability to move causes changes in cognition and
emotion. A study conducted by a University of Wisconsin-
Madison Psychology Ph.D. Candidate, David Havas, broke
new ground by linking the expression of emotion to the
ability to understand language. Normally, the brain would be
sending signals to the periphery to frown, and the extent of
the frown would be sent back to the brain. With Botox, that
loop is disrupted and the intensity of an emotion and our ability
to understand it when embodied in language is impaired.
CanningIn theory, canned food will last indefi nitely but, in practice, home-
canned food should be consumed within two years. The US
Department of Agriculture offi cially recommends you consume
canned contents within one year. Canning is a method of
preserving food in which it is processed and sealed in an airtight
container. Canned goods (and canning supplies) sell particularly
well in times of economic recession due to the tendency of
fi nancially-stressed individuals to engage in cocooning –>
1-2 months. In February 2009, the recession-laden United
States saw an 11.5% rise in sales of canning-related items.
CloningCloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create
exact copies of DNA fragments (molecular cloning), cells (cell
cloning) and organisms. The term also refers to the production of
multiple copies of a product, such as digital media or software.
Take a step towards immortality! Dr. Richard Seed, a leading
proponent of human cloning, believes it will help us discover how
to reverse DNA back to age 20, or whatever age we want to be.
If he is right, cloning is a step towards the fountain of youth.
CocooningCocooning is the name given to a trend that sees individuals
socializing less and retreating into the home. It was fi rst
identifi ed as a commercially signifi cant trend that would
lead to, amongst other things, stay-at-home electronic
shopping. The creation of the WWW, home entertainment
technology, advances in communication technology (cell
phones, PDAs, and Blackberries) that allow ‘work-at-
home’ options, and demographic changes have made
cocooning an increasingly attractive option. This is also
known as e-cocooning. In the book Haunted by Chuck
Palahniuk, cocooning is described as a modern social ill.
CuringCuring is a food preservation and fl avouring process, most
commonly used for meat and fi sh, achieved by the addition of
combined salt, sugar, nitrates or nitrite. Because salted meat
is, essentially, nonperishable and easily stored, it was widely
used as a food source on ships during the Age of Sail. When
at sea for a longer period than that in which perishable fruits
and vegetables could be stored, sailors developed a disease
called scurvy. Scurvy results in the formation of spots on the
skin, spongy gums and bleeding from the mucous membranes.
There were strange sensory and psychological effects too:
it disarmed the sensory inhibitors that keep taste, smell and
hearing under control, and which stop us from feeling too
much. The sound of a gunshot was enough to kill a man in
the last stages of scurvy, whilst the smell of blossoms from
the shore could cause him to cry out in agony. This over-
susceptibility of the senses primarily expressed itself as a
81
alternative to burial, cremation or traditional taxidermy.
Freeze-dry pet preservation creates a lasting memorial and,
more importantly, preserves your pet in a natural state. This
allows pet owners to see, touch and hold their pets and in
a sense, ‘never have to let go.’ Choosing the correct freeze-
dry company to preserve your pet will be one of the larger
decisions you will make in your life. www.perpetualpet.net
FreezerIce cream, a popular commodity in the 20th century, used
to be obtainable only by travelling to its source, where the
product was made fresh, and eating it on the spot. Now, it
is a common food item. Ice-on-demand not only adds to the
enjoyment of cold drinks, but is useful for fi rst-aid. Cold packs
can be kept frozen for picnics and in case of emergency.
Freezing Human Oocytes (Eggs)Some game-changing fertility technology promises to let
your baby-bearing clock tick well past the witching hour.
Egg-harvesting, freezing and storage companies cannot
put an infant in your crib, but they can promise to keep
your eggs safe until pregnancy becomes an option. That
is 20 eggs, put aside and ready for use when the time is
right. Fertility scientists recommend women freeze their
eggs before the age of 35, and not past 40. There is no
limit to the length of time that eggs can be stored.
FridgeRefrigerators allow the modern family to keep food fresh
for considerably longer than was possible before. This,
along with the modern supermarket, provides the majority
of families (even those without a sizeable garden in which to
grow vegetables and raise animals!) with a vastly more varied
diet and better health resulting from improved nutrition.
Get super famousUnderstand that there is not just one path to fame. In fact,
there are as many paths to fame as there are famous people.
When you say ‘famous’ perhaps you mean that when people
come to your town, they’ll see you and say, ‘I heard of you,
you’re a really good dancer,’ and perhaps they won’t mean
it in a bad way. Just think how great it would be to come
back to your town, many years later, and to fi nd people still
talking about how great you were at a certain skill. Maybe
this article will help you get to the point of small-town fame.
HerbariumIn botany, a herbarium is a systematically arranged
collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens
may be whole plants or plant parts, usually in dried form
and mounted on a sheet. Freeze-drying—40 centuries
tendency to cry at the slightest disappointment, and a hopeless
and passionate yearning for home. Captain Cook is widely
credited as having conquered scurvy with sauerkraut.
FacsimileA facsimile (from Latin ‘fac simile’, ‘made alike’) is a copy or
reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or any
other item of historical value, which is as true to the original
source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction
by attempting to replicate the source accurately in terms
of scale, colour, condition, and other material qualities. For
books and manuscripts, this entails a complete copy of all
pages; hence an incomplete copy is a ‘partial facsimile’. When
creating facsimiles, great importance is given to the use of
materials resistant to ageing, so that the value and durability
of an edition are, ideally, virtually unlimited. For conservation
reasons, even acknowledged researchers are no longer
granted unlimited access to the original masterpieces of
medieval book painting. Perfect facsimile editions, however,
have made these outstanding examples of ancient art
accessible to scholars, collectors and bibliophiles alike.
Forever Young (Song by Bob Dylan)‘ (…) And may your song always be sung
/ May you stay forever young.’
Forget-me-notMyosotis is a genus of fl owering plants in the family
Boraginaceae, popularly known as Forget-me-nots.
According to German legend, God had named all the
plants when a tiny, unnamed one cried out, ‘Forget me
not, 0 Lord!’ God replied, ‘That shall be your name.’
In 15th-century Germany, it was widely believed that
wearers of the fl ower would not be forgotten by their lovers.
A popular medieval legend tells of a knight and his lady
walking alongside a river. He bent to pick a posy of fl owers
but, because of the weight of his armour, fell into the river.
As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one,
shouting, ‘Forget me not!’ This fl ower has often been worn
by ladies as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love.
Freeze-dryingFreeze-drying works by freezing a material, reducing the
surrounding pressure and then adding enough heat to allow
the frozen water in the material to sublime directly from the
solid to the gas phase. Freeze-drying is used to preserve
food, as well as for the conservation of water-damaged
books and the preservation of a much-loved pet for eternity.
Perpetual Pet know that the loss of a dearly loved pet is a
very diffi cult experience. Through the use of new techniques
in freeze dry technology, we can offer a ‘Loving and Lasting’
82
is also used for fl oral preservation. Wedding bouquet
preservation has become very popular with brides who
want to hold on to the fl owers from their special day.
HibernationGroundhogs go into a state of profound hibernation. By greatly
reducing their metabolic rate, their body temperature drops to
only 4°C. Before entering hibernation, they must eat a large
amount of food, storing energy in suffi cient fat deposits to survive
the winter. Groundhogs binge and purposefully put on weight in
the summer, reaching their maximum mass in late August. They
become lethargic and prepare for hibernation in October. By
February, hibernating groundhogs have lost as much as half their
body weight. For some species, hibernation may last several days,
for others, weeks, also taking into account ambient temperature,
time of year, and the quality of the fur on the animal’s body.
Holy GrailThe Holy Grail is a sacred object fi guring in literature and certain
Christian traditions. Most often identifi ed with the dish, plate
or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, it is said to possess
miraculous powers. Some versions of the story refer to the
Grail as a stone, which provides its keeper with eternal life:
‘There never was a human so ill but that, if he one day sees that
stone, he cannot die within the week that follows. And in looks
he will not fade. His appearance will stay the same, be it maid or
man, as on the day he saw the stone, the same as when the best
years of his life began, and though he should see the stone for
two hundred years, it will never change, save that his hair might
perhaps turn grey. Such power does the stone give a man that
fl esh and bones are at once made young again. The stone is also
called the Grail.’ – Le Conte du Graal, written around 1188.
ImmortalityAlex Chiu (born 1971), developer of a ‘Magnetic Immortality
Device.’ He purports that his magnetic rings, if worn
correctly every night, will allow anyone to live forever.
Immortal BooksA manual on how to write immortal books: Woodrow
Wilson’s How Books Become Immortal, 1891
McDonald’s BurgerMyth would have it that a McDonald’s hamburger
can resist decomposition for 12 years.
MicroformMicroforms are any form, whether fi lm or paper, that contains
microreproductions of documents for transmission, storage,
reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly
reduced about 25 times from the original document size.
Advantages of microform:
It enables libraries to greatly expand access to collections without
putting rare, fragile, or valuable items at risk of theft or damage.
Highly compact, it requires up to 95% less storage space. A stable
archival form: when properly processed and stored, microfi lm has
a life expectancy of 500 years. In tropical climates, however, and
high humidity, fungus eats the gelatin used to bind the silver halide.
Analog (an actual image of the data), it is easy to handle and view.
With low intrinsic value, it does not attract thieves. Few heavily
used microform collections have suffered any losses due to theft.
Disadvantages of microform:
Reading microfi lms on a machine for prolonged
periods may cause headache and/or eyestrain.
MummyMummies of humans and animals have been found throughout
the world. These have been preserved, deliberately or otherwise,
by a variety of processes, including freezing (Otzi the Iceman, the
Ice Maiden), submersion in acid (Tollund Man), ‘salting’ (Salt Man),
and >40 centuries dessication (Tarim mummies). There are more
than 1000 mummies in dry Xinjiang China, and over one million
animal mummies have been found in Egypt, many of which are
cats. Presently, the oldest discovered naturally mummifi ed human
corpse was a decapitated head found in 1936 and dated at 6000
years old. The most famous Egyptian mummies are those of Seti
I and Rameses II, both from the 13th century BC, although the
earliest known Egyptian mummy, nicknamed ‘Ginger’ for its hair
colour, dates back to approximately 3300 BC. Preparing a body
for the afterlife in ancient Egypt was a very long and complicated
process. The Egyptians believed that the preservation of the body
in death was fundamental to the continued existence of the soul.
PasteurizationPasteurization is the process of heating food, usually in liquid
form, to a specifi c temperature for a defi nite length of time,
and then cooling it immediately. This slows microbial growth.
The process was named after its creator, French chemist
and microbiologist, Louis Pasteur. Pasteurization is typically
associated with milk; this application was fi rst proposed in
1886. Ordinary pasteurized milk needs constant refrigeration
and should, unopened, have a shelf life of 10-16 days.
PerpetualEverlasting, never-ending, eternal, permanent, unending,
endless, without end, lasting, long-lasting, constant, abiding,
enduring, perennial, timeless, ageless, deathless, undying,
immortal; unfailing, unchanging, never-changing, changeless,
unfading; rare sempiternal, perdurable, constant, permanent,
uninterrupted, continuous, unremitting, unceasing, persistent,
83
unbroken, interminable, incessant, ceaseless, endless,
without respite, relentless, unrelenting, persistent, continual,
continuous, non-stop, never-ending, recurrent, repeated,
unremitting, sustained, chronic, around / round-the- clock ...
PhotographyNicephore Niepce made the fi rst permanent photograph from
nature with a camera obscura in 1826. Photography seemed
able to capture more detail and information than traditional
mediums, such as painting and sculpting. A reputation for
authenticity means photography is often used as a medium of
documentation. Taking pictures for private use is popular, to fi ll
the family album and make memories last longer. If the image
is printed using traditional photographic technology, it will show
noticeable fading or discolouration after fi fty to one hundred years
- longer if it’s stored in the dark. When properly stored, dyebased
inkjet and dye diffusion thermal transfer prints have a level of
stability comparable to that of traditional photographic prints.
ReenactmentHistorical reenactment is a recreational and educational activity
in which participants attempt to recreate aspects of a historical
event or period. The focus could be as narrow as a specifi c
moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett’s
Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or considerably broader, as
is the case with Regency reenactment. Historical reenactment is
primarily based on research, although there are varying degrees
of attention to authenticity. Activities related to ‘reenactment’
have a long history, which goes back to the ancient world.
ResveratrolIn 2003, two separate research studies reported in
the journal Nature that resveratrol signifi cantly extends
the lifespan of test subjects. In 2006, Italian scientists
were able to increase the lifespan of a vertebrate,
Nothobranchius furzeri (Turquoise killfi sh), by 56%.
Ship conservationShip conservation is a time-consuming and costly undertaking.
Vasa, a Swedish warship which sank after sailing less than a
nautical mile (ca. 2 km) into her maiden voyage on 10 August
1628, was salvaged in 1961. Although Vasa was in surprisingly
good condition after 333 years at the bottom of the sea, it would
have quickly deteriorated if the hull had dried out. The large
bulk of Vasa (over 900 cubic metres of oak timber) constituted,
therefore, an unprecedented conservation problem. Polyethylene
glycol (PEG) eventually prove the answer, and Vasa was sprayed
with it for 17 years, followed by 9 years of slow drying. Unlikely
as it seems, credit for the good condition in which Vasa emerged
from the water goes to the heavy pollution of the Stockholm
strom. A highly toxic and hostile environment meant the tough
microorganisms that break down wood had diffi culty surviving.
This, along with the fact that Vasa had been newly built when
she sank, contributed to her successful conservation.
Smell preservationPerfume: The Story of a Murderer, originally published in German
as Das Parfum, is a 1985 story by Patrick Suskind. The novel
explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional
meaning that scents can carry. Above all, this is a story of identity,
communication and the morality, or otherwise, of the human
spirit. The story focuses on a perfume apprentice in 18th-century
France who, born without any body odour, begins to stalk and
murder virgins in a search for the ‘perfect scent’. He dedicates
his life to its preservation, wrapping dead bodies in wax-coated
linen sheets to extract and preserve the scent of them.
SmokingSmoking is the process of fl avouring, cooking or preserving
food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smouldering
plant materials (most often wood). Meat and fi sh are the most
commonly smoked foods, though cheese, vegetables and
ingredients used to make beverages, such as whisky and
Lapsang Souchong tea, are also smoked. Smoke alone is
insuffi cient for the long-term preservation of food: it gives only the
vulnerable exterior surfaces an extra layer of protection, failing
to penetrate far into meat or fi sh. In the past, when smoking was
a useful preservation tool, it was used in combination with other
techniques, such as salt-curing or drying. Today, smoking is carried
out almost exclusively for its fl avour. Artifi cial smoke fl avouring
can be purchased in liquid form to add a chargrilled edge to
food, but does not have any preservative qualities. Traditionally
smoked meats can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
Sperm bankSperm is stored in small vials or straws that hold between 0.4
and 1.0 ml, and cryogenically preserved in liquid nitrogen tanks.
Whilst it’s been proposed that there should be an upper limit
on how long frozen sperm can be stored, a baby has been
conceived in the UK using sperm frozen for 21 years. One of
the most controversial sperm banks, known as ‘The Repository
for Germinal Choice’, was set up by American millionaire Robert
Klark Graham in an underground bunker on his ranch near
San Diego in the late 1970s. His dream was to save humanity
by using the sperm of brilliant minds. He changed the face of
modern sperm banking, not just with the innovation of the donor
catalogue but, also, by allowing clients to actively choose donors.
SunscreenContrary to common advice that sunscreen should be
reapplied every 2-3 hours, research has shown that the best
protection is achieved by application 15-30 minutes before sun
exposure, followed by one reapplication 15-30 minutes after
exposure begins. Further reapplication is only necessary after
84
activities such as swimming, sweating or rubbing/wiping.
With the rise of pale-faced vampires like Robert Pattinson, the
age of the sun bed is defi nitely over. No one wants to look like
they had time to lie in the sun for weeks. Our health will benefi t:
the less the body is exposed to sunlight, the slower skin ages
and wrinkles >2 decades, and age spots can be prevented.
TaxidermyFrom the Greek for ‘arrangement of skin’. Taxidermy is
the art of preparing, stuffi ng, and mounting the skins
of animals to lifelike effect. Only the outer hide of the
animal typically remains, attached to a plastic form or
some other type of artifi cial mounting. Europe’s oldest
stuffed animal is Albrecht von Wallenstein’s favourite
horse, which died during the battle of Lutzen in 1632.
Tetra PakIn 1943, Erik Wallenber, Harry Jarund and Erik Torudd had
an idea for a completely new form of milk packaging. They
developed a novel tetrahedron format, together with a new
way of coating paper with plastics and a special sealing
technique, all designed to safely contain liquids. Tetra Pak
was founded in 1951. The name derives from the original
tetrahedron shape that resulted from its manufacturing
technique: a cardboard tube, already containing the product, is
twisted, branched off by 90 degrees, welded shut and cut off.
Today, Tetra Pak is the world’s leading food processing and
packaging solutions company. By combining its standard
aseptic processes with ultra-high-temperature processing
(UHT), it is able to package liquid food that can be stored
under room temperature conditions for up to a year. Because
Tetra Pak Iprotects what is good it is no longer necessary
to eat your breakfast in the dark in order to prevent the
destruction of precious vitamins by dangerous daylight.
Time travellingBlack holes are the product of the collapse of a massive star
- one that has such extreme gravitational force that it keeps
light particles from leaving its surface, making it practically
invisible. The gravitational pull of a black hole stretches and
warps space-time around it to an incredibly deep, conshaped
hole. It spins at a rate close to the speed of light, and when is
rotating a singularity forms in the shape of a ring. In principle,
it would be possible to dive into such a space and, through
the ring, to emerge in another place and time. Two of the most
respected scientifi c minds, American theoretical physicist
Michio Kaku and England’s leading physicist, Stephen
Hawkins, suggest that time travelling could, on this basis,
become part of science reality and not just a sci-fi cliche.
VampireGet bitten by a vampire!
Viagra‘This is the age of taking action. And getting the answers
you want. So you can get on your way.’ www.viagra.com
Voyager Golden RecordThe Voyager Golden Record is a data plaque containing visual
and audio information sent to outer space by NASA onboard
space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. These 30 cm gold-plated
copper disks were sent to space in 1977, and are still travelling
there today. The idea behind the records came from American
astronomer Carl Sagan who, with a team commissioned by
NASA, carefully selected visual and audio material designed
to explain the human race and life on Earth to extraterrestrials.
The contents of the record include 116 images and a variety
of natural sounds, such as those made by surf, wind, and
thunder; the songs of birds and whales. To this, they added
music from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in
fi fty-fi ve languages, and printed messages from President
Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.
‘Here is our message: We are trying to survive our time so
we may live into yours. We hope some day, having solved the
problems we face, to join a community of Galactic Civilizations.
This record represents our hope and our determination and our
goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.’ –Jimmy Carter.
Wine storageWine has been around for thousands of years. From ancient
Romans to modern Americans, this lavish drink is enjoyed
worldwide. Nowadays, most of us simply buy our wine from
the local grocery store. We don’t know, or care, how to
store it to properly to ensure it lasts as long as possible.
Here are some tips:
Keep it in the dark. Store corked wine bottles on their sides.
Keep the temperature constant. For extended ageing of wine
(over one year), refrigeration is a must in most parts of the
world; even a below-ground cellar is not cool enough. The wine
storage temperature should not go over 24°C, and should never
fl uctuate more than 1.6°C a day and 2.7°C a year. Don’t move
the wine. Keep humidity at around 70%. Store for an appropriate
amount of time; not all wines will improve over the years. Red
wines can be stored and aged for anywhere between 2-10
years to become fully mature, although this depends on their
balance of sugar, acid and tannins. Most white wines should
be consumed after 2-3 years of storage, though certain White
Burgundies (Chardonnays) can be aged for over 20 years.
85
86
we forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget.
“
”
– Joan Didion
87
88
Th is book was created by Sarah Gorman in the Fall of 2011 during her time as a student at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design. It was made under the instruction of Kristin Hughes for the course, Advanced Typography: Communication Design III. It was printed with a Canon 9000 II on French Paper.
Images and text were provided by Kristin Hughes. Additional images are courtesy of Rutger’s University and Oxford Neurology Labratory. Additional text was written by Sarah Gorman, Stephen Willats, Meredith Wilson, and Joan Didion.
89
90
91
92
