The earliest known dust jacket,  Photograph: PR

[Thanks to Emily for pointing both of these out to me]

The Guardian is running a story on the oldest dust jacket known which was recently ‘discovered’ in the stack at the Bodleian Library.

Unlike today’s dust jackets, wrappers of the early 19th century were used to enfold the book completely, like a parcel. Traces of sealing wax where the paper was secured can still be seen on the Bodleian’s discovery, along with pointed creases at the edges where the paper had been folded, showing the shape of the book it had enclosed.

In other slow news, have you heard? – 145 year old missing library book returned 

Wired magazine has a very good piece this month on what many are calling the American Stonehenge, (though it’s not the only site to receive this moniker). 90 miles east of Atlanta lies a mysterious and controversial monument known as the Georgia Guidestones.

photo via Flickr – Sir Mildred Pierce

In a field north of a small town called Elberton, four 16-foot tall granite slabs stand aligned to the cardinal directions.  They are centered around a central pillar with a fifth piece of granite resting on top.  The full monument is almost 20 feet tall and weighs over 100 tons.  Constructing the monument was no easy feat, even for the experienced granite workers of Elbert County, which calls itself “The Granite Capital of the World.”

In the central column, a hole is drilled that aligns with the North Star (for now, anway).  It also contains a slot that allows viewers to see the Sun’s position as it sets on the equinoxes and solstices.  An opening in the capstone create a beam of sunlight that shines onto the central pillar at noon and indicates the day of the year.

The Guidestones were erected in 1980 with the direction of a man operating (and funding the pricey project) under the pseudonym R. C. Christian.  While their purpose isn’t exactly clear, a tablet set into the ground nearby proclaims,

Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason.

The Guidestones are covered in inscriptions written in 8 major languages that describe the tenets of their imagined Age of Reason.  They seem to be a prescription for a utopia, albeit, one with limited access – the first tenet reads,

MAINTAIN HUMANITY UNDER 500,000,000
IN PERPETUAL BALANCE WITH NATURE

These tenets (some are calling them commandments) line up pretty closely with what many conspiracy theorists, especially those with a religious bent, imagine to be the plot of either the Antichrist or the New World Order.  Searching online about the Guidestones turns up more conspiracy theory pages than fansites:

The message of the American Stonehenge also foreshadowed the current drive for Sustainable Development. Any time you hear the phrase “Sustainable Development” used, you should substitute the term “socialism” to be able to understand what is intended…Certainly the group that commissioned the Georgia Guidestones is one of many similar groups working together toward a New World Order, a new world economic system, and a new world spirituality. Behind those groups, however, are dark spiritual forces.

The Guidestones were vandalized last winter and, though nobody has yet marshaled the resources to actually do it, calls for their destruction are not uncommon.  Thus far, Elbert County appreciates the controversy’s effect as a tourist draw and probably appreciates the way it highlights their granite industry.

As for the Guidestones’ likelihood to survive, it is interesting to note that the surrounding mystery has been both a help and a hindrance.  By instilling wonder and encouraging curiosity, the secretive creators have generated a good deal of interest in the monument.  They’ve also, however, allowed some blanks to be filled by people offended by the little that is discernible about their agenda.

In an article published in the April 24 issue of Sciences, researchers describe how they applied a computational process called “comparative entropy” to a corpus of ancient Indus Valley Script texts.  The results of the analysis show a kind of patterning they argue is only found in glottographic, or speech-based, writing systems.  The complex Indus Valley civilization flourished from 2,600 to 1,900 B.C. and left hundreds of engravings on seals and tablets — writings which have yet to be deciphered.

Members of the AAAS can read the Science article online here.  Otherwise this Asia Times Online article has a summary that describes historical attempts at identifying the script that would rival the storied Rosetta Stone.

La Machine à Ecrire le Temps (translates to The Machine that Writes the Time).  A gorgeous piece presented at Baselworld 2009.  Our first versions of the Clock prototype worked with analog time that was converted through via a digital adder to time outputs, but it never occurred to me to write it out on paper…  Reminds me of the so very cool Difference Engine printer.  [via Engaget, and sent to me by Chris Baldwin, Thanks]

Over the weekend I heard a story on NPR that referred to Guinness having a 9,000 year lease on its brewery that started back in the 1700’s.  I made a mental note to look it up when I got home.  No sooner did I get online than I saw a note from Paul Saffo who had already done it:

Arthur Guinness started brewing ales initially in Leixlip, then at the St. James’s Gate Brewery, Dublin, Irelandfrom 1759. He signed (up to) a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the unused brewery.

And indeed, here is the reference on the Guinness site:
http://www.diageo.com/en-row/ourbrands/ourglobalbrands/guinness/

And I found this reference in the time line on their product site with an image of the actual signed lease:
http://www2.guinness.com//en-US/Pages/thestory.aspx#y1759

Thanks Paul!

The Long Now Foundation’s monthly Seminars About Long-term Thinking

presents Paul Romer on “A Theory of History, with an Application”

Monday, May 18, 02009 at 7:30 pm at the Cowell Theater

Long Now Members can reserve a seat HERE

You can purchase tickets for $10 HERE

We recommend purchasing or reserving your seats in advance as our Seminars can sell out. There is room for 100 walk-ups (60 seats) for the free simulcast in the Lobby; this is a separate line, so get there early!

About this Seminar:
Paul Romer is best known as the lead developer of New Growth Theory, which shows how societies can speed up the discovery and implementation of new technologies; essentially, ideas about how objects interact. However, to address the big problems we’ll face this century; insecurity, harm to the environment, and global poverty, new technologies will not be enough.

His current focus is on mechanisms that can speed up the discovery and implementation of new rules – ideas about how people interact. For his work on the economics of ideas, Paul was named one of America’s 25 most influential people by TIME magazine.

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It has been half a year since the financial meltdown began in earnest, and everyone from Senators, to CEOs, to suffering homeowners is suffering from crisis fatigue. We face myriad perils ahead as we navigate our way out of this vast mess, but the greatest peril of all comes from our frightening adaptability. What still seemed shocking in January is quickly becoming the New Normal.

And with the New Normal comes a dangerous resignation to the facts of the current crisis, and an even more dangerous return to the reckless, shortsighted habits that led us into the meltdown. Investors looking for a quick kill in a fibrillating stock market, or speculating on precious metals in hopes it will be the next big thing. Insolvent homeowners passively hoping for a miracle, and bankers unwilling to modify loans because doing so might make their short-term numbers look bad. And worst of all, politicians falling back on tired old partisan habits, furiously pointing fingers at anyone who dares to cross doctrinal lines in search of common solutions.

As Walt Kelly’s swamp philosopher, Pogo observed on the second Earth Day 38 years ago today, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The enemy is our belief in the quick fix for problems that have grown over decades. The enemy is old behaviors, old animosities, old rivalries, and false certainties that blind us to the need for new solutions to the challenges we face.

The myth is that Pogo observed in the next frame that we are “surrounded by insurmountable opportunity.” Perhaps Walt never actually drew that frame, but even if Pogo didn’t say it, he should have, for we are surrounded by opportunity that is insurmountable only if we allow the New Normal to cloud our vision. We got into this mess because we created a society that sacrificed the long-term good for the many on the altar of short-term profits for the few. If we can just shake off the illusion of the quick fix, we may discover that more than the current financial crisis can be surmounted for the benefit of ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.

(Copyright restrictions prohibit the display of Walt Kelly’s famous image of Pogo uttering, “We have met the enemy and he is us” on this page, but you can see it here)

 The Washington Post is carrying an interesting story on the recently completed cow genome: “Cow’s DNA Sequence Reveals Mankind’s Influence Over Last 10,000 Years.” Most interesting is what was learned by looking closely at such a domesticated beast.  The scientists were able to clearly see where selective breeding has radically changed the animal that we now recognize as a cow.  And did I mention that the name of the cow is Dominette, how great is that?

Hidden in her [the cow below named L1 Dominette 01449] roughly 22,000 genes are hints of how natural selection sculpted the bovine body and personality over the last 60 million years, and how man greatly enhanced the job over the last 10,000.

This undated handout photo provided by the Agriculture Department shows a Hereford cow, named L1 Dominette 01449, with her calf on the rangeland of the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, Montana. (AP Photo/Michael MacNeil, Agriculture Department)

[editors note:  Kirk Citron proposed this idea of Long News to Alexander Rose, Stewart Brand, and Kevin Kelly a while ago.  While we have not found funding for it, Kirk has valiantly stepped up to be the editor of the program himself to try it out and see if it has legs.  Thanks!]

Each weekday, The New York Times prints around 125 news stories. That’s just one newspaper; add in all other newspapers, plus television, radio, and the internet, and it’s clear thousands upon thousands of news stories are generated every day.

But how many of these stories will make a difference next year? A decade from now? A century? Ten thousand years?

That’s the idea behind The Long News: to try to identify news stories whose significance seems likely to grow, rather than diminish, over time.

We will link to articles about trends, discoveries, and events that might have a long term impact on humanity — or at least, for several decades. We will try to spot stories which appear likely to shape the future, and that a future historian might some day look back upon as important.

To begin, we are launching The Long News as a category within the Long Views blog, for occasional publication as we find new stories which seem relevant. We are kicking off today with four links; and we invite you to submit additional stories here.

1. The transhumanist movement claims we may be able to guide human evolution; this article suggests we may have less control than we think: Modern life’s pressures may be hastening human evolution

2.  Given the resources each new American consumes, this story (found by Stuart Candy) is troubling: Baby boomlet: US births in 2007 break 1950s record

3. A glimpse at the future of medicine — a possible new path to a cure for cancer: Experts use nanotech to deliver anti-cancer genes

4. In the future, science may no longer need scientists: Self-directed robot scientist makes discovery

The Sunday New York Times had a nice piece on Stewart Brand. Excerpt:

Green living: I didn’t choose the [tug]boat because it’s green, but it is. It doesn’t take much to heat 450 square feet. Cooling is no issue on the water. We have solar panels and a demand water heater and use biodiesel fuel when we cruise.

Worst thing about the 1960s: Let’s see. I made the mistake of being married during the sexual revolution. Nice marriage; inopportune timing.

Controversial stand: That technology can be green. The book I just finished, “Whole Earth Discipline,” has chapters on why nuclear is green, cities are green, genetic engineering is green. The romantic nature-is-perfect approach is just horse exhaust.