## MadBitcoins Goes to O'Reilly Bitcoin Conference and Internet Archive Tour (2015-01-28)
This episode details a visit to the Internet Archive, focusing on digital preservation, open-source technology, and sustainable infrastructure.
Main Topics:
* Digital Preservation: The Internet Archive's mission to solidify the "open world" by digitizing and preserving human culture, books, and media (over 20 petabytes).
* Technology & Sustainability: Discussion of sustainable data center practices, including reusing waste heat to reduce power costs.
* Open Source History: Review of the history of open-source technology, referencing early open-source computers and data centers.
* Bitcoin Integration: The Archive's efforts to accept Bitcoin payments, including a dedicated Bitcoin ATM.
Key Quotes:
* "Much of history is missing from current digital sources like Wikipedia." (Highlighting the Archive's necessity)
* "The Archive's mission... is to solidify the 'open world' by providing durable, public-service digital resources."
* "Proper airflow can significantly reduce power costs..." (Regarding data center efficiency)
People Mentioned:
* Aaron Schwartz
* Brewster Kale
Companies/Entities Mentioned:
* Internet Archive
* Sun
* Google
Bitcoin Price:
* Not mentioned.
Summary:
The episode chronicles a visit to the Internet Archive, emphasizing its critical role in preserving global knowledge. The Archive, which boasts a massive collection of over 20 petabytes of digitized content, aims to solidify the "open world" by ensuring that human culture and history are not lost from incomplete digital sources like Wikipedia.
The discussion covered the technical aspects of modern infrastructure, including sustainable data center practices that reuse waste heat to cut power costs. The Archive itself demonstrated its commitment to digital preservation, detailing advanced processes like professional digitization and creating tools to make media searchable.
Beyond preservation, the episode touched on the history of open-source technology and the Archive's integration with cryptocurrency, noting its Bitcoin ATM. Speakers like Aaron Schwartz and Brewster Kale stressed the urgency of the mission, which is funded by donors and libraries, ensuring that future generations have access to comprehensive, public-service digital resources.