Monday, October 27, 2008

At What Temperature Do Microchips Burn?

Anyone who is familiar with this blog knows that my profession is law librarian. Today, I was just packing away volumes of a law journal for disposal. They are redundant because all issues are now available on line. I have reservations about doing this. Some might say it is because I love books, I love the feel of books. Their weight in my hands tells of weighty matters. If that were all, I could be justly dismissed as a Luddite. I worry though about the fragility of electronic media and its possible vulnerability to some future repressive regime or great natural disaster. How easy would it be for someone with access and malice to erase our heritage? Farenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper kindles. At what temperature do microchips burn?