Skip to content
David Goodman
Subscribe

Planning for ten thousand years

How do you plan to communicate with people 10,000 years from now?

Published by David Goodman in Science Fiction Share

It’s a real problem for people building long-term nuclear storage facilities, as this fascinating episode of the 99% Invisible podcast discusses.

The options discussed range from radioactivity-detecting colour changing cats to ‘uncanny architecture’ that create a sense of foreboding. It shows just how difficult it is to choose symbols whose meaning won’t shift over millenia. This whole topic absolutely fascinates me.

Also, if you’re not already listening to 99% Invisible, you really should be.

Edit: Via the comments to that article, here’s the actual report, including the fascinating detail about the progressively more complex levels of text designed to encourage future generations to maintain and pass on the message of danger.

Become a member for much, much more

  • Access to exclusive short fiction
    Read short SF and espionage fiction only available to members
  • Weekly, fortnightly and monthly posts
    Behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, craft, publishing, events and essays
  • Subscriber benefits, calls and meetups
    Bookplates, signed first editions, quarterly Zooms and more
  • Full archive access with more on the way
    Access everything, with regular new subscriber benefits and content
Personal information