The Ultimate Personal Technology: Paper.

This article presents the author's experience on the importance of paper as a storage device. At an annual Demo conference, tablemates and I grappled with a topic on the storage of digital photos. I was using the 5.25-inch floppy disk and I have got lots of files into it. But the only drive I own that will read them is in an ancient, closeted machine that may not even boot. Even in the digital world, good old analog paper gets around all problems. Print out a photo or document and short of flame or water, it is likely to be around for a long time. And as anybody who is flipped through photo albums can attest, a photo is essentially self-documenting. At a break, I noticed another Demo attendee pulling out her paper datebook. This professional had been a Palm fashion victim before she chucked her handheld for paper's directness. Old, reliable, low tech paper beat high-tech electronics again. I have personally returned to paper for things like receipts from Web purchases. Once upon a time, I have saved them as files, but overly clever sites kept conspiring with browser to save the pages incorrectly. And even when the file was okay, it was not always on the machine I happened to have with me so that it could serve as a proof in case of a snafu at a rental car lot or hotel.