Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [March 10, 2023]
Stephen Wolfram answers general questions from his viewers about science and technology as part of an unscripted livestream series, also available on YouTube here: https://wolfr.am/youtube-sw-qa Questions include: Suppose I wanted to store digital data in a way that would be accessible to archeologists 10,000 years in the future. How could I achieve this? The best I can come up with is the awkward thin aluminum or titanium punch cards. Obviously, there would also be sheets of metal with plain writing on them including very clear and detailed explanations of how to build a card reader. - I wonder how vinyl would hold up? - Could Earth ever get a second moon? What kind of effects could this have on Earth? - What should we do today to help survivors reboot civilization after a cataclysmic event? - I always liked the idea of putting all of Wikipedia and other literature in glass and sending it on a 1,000-year orbit for future generations. - Is the fact that the Moon exactly covers the Sun during an eclipse just a coincidence? - Detecting the signatures of technology of other civilizations will be very difficult/impossible if they don't want them to be seen easily. Stealth/camouflage is a survival tactic in the wild. - The topic of consciousness should be explored further.