Re: [ARSCLIST] Format conundrum

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "andy kolovos" <akolovos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> I've played around with a sci-fi story about this kind of thing.  I
> imagine a future where there are no more computers, but reams and reams
> of printed code spat out in the last days before the machines stopped.
> In the far-flung days long after the cataclysm, a special group of
> scholars, the digital-crypto-paleographers, have been trained using the
> Rosetta stone of the period (a stack of accidentally preserved "For
> Dummies" books) to draw meaning from these lines and lines of digits.
>
> In his monk-like cell, our scholar-hero, 47B-Ylba-C, pours over pages
> and pages of code by the light of a glowing fungus.  After a lifetime of
> combing over a document determined to be from a single cohesive unit of
> knowledge, 47B-Ylba-C has his eureka moment: "Aha!" he says, "The
> ancients were wise to cleverly convolute their secrets!" He breathes
> deeply and cries out through the open doorway, "Brothers!  Sisters! I
> have broken the code, that terrible, difficult, once-thought
> impenetrable code that we have determined protects that most valuable
> and secret of ancient knowledge!"  He pauses before the gathered throng
> to flex his outstretched fingers in the ritual motions of the ancient
> Code Generators.  His fellow scholars flex in return.  "I have
> vindicated the memory of the great scholar 7-Tubar-X founder of our
> sect!" A gasp erupts from the collected throng who begin to madly flex
> their outstretched fingers in excitement.   "I have penetrated that most
> puzzling of the ancient cryptograms!" He pauses for emphasis.  "Yes my
> brethren, I have unlocked the secret to ATRAC!" Astonished gasps and
> cries of joy fill the chamber.  He glances about the room with his eyes
> afire.  "Behold! No more shall the most occult secrets of the greatest
> of the ancient wise-priestess seers be kept from us!  No more will we be
> locked out of the wisdom of Brittney Spears!"
>
I recall having read a science-fiction story back in the pre-computer
age which had a similar plot. A ship of aliens lands on the radioactice
cinder that once was Earth. They note the ruins of fantastic structures
and finally conclude the planet once held a great civilization which
destroyed itself (and most artifacts) in one final catacylsmic war.

The alien explorers search everywhere in the barren and charred ruins
for some document or artifact that will tell tham anything about the
planet. Their search is fruitless, until they finally find a reel of
movie film that has remained intact. They carefully analyze this and
finally realize that the images have to be projected in quick
succession to create the illusion of motion...so they construct a
working projector.

After doing this, their entire scientific brotherhood gathers to
see the artifact shown. What great trucths will they be able to
learn?!

So, on the screen flash the words "Walt Disney Presents Donald Duck..."

BTW, a couple of possible plot paths for your future novel...

1) The mystery content is found on a hard drive...and is actually
an archive of two years' e-mail SPAM...

2) The artifact they find is a game box containing a copy of
"Grand Theft Auto" (which they assume is an actual depiction
of events...)...

Steven C. Barr