On 2011-08-20 11:15:46 -0400, Robert Coe said:

SNIP


That's true. They're older than my grandchildren, but mostly younger than my
kids. But neither of my kids has touched a film camera for as long as I can
remember, and my grandchildren have never even seen one. All are digital
camera users of varying degrees of avidity.



And that same generation probably downloads all or most of its audio.
The vinyl-lovers will argue the CD was a step down but certainly iTunes
and similar download services, for all their convenience, are an audio
PLUNGE down from the CD. The iPod generation (all of us use it but some
remember stereo systems) does not appreciate, probably cannot even hear
the difference between an MP3 or AAC download and a CD, let alone an
SACD. We are losing high fidelity and in photography we are losing the
high fidelity of film.

But there ARE kids using film. And there ARE kids not only listening to
high fidelity, but rediscovering vinyl. And it is not just fidelity
that is being lost, but the archives. I can pull out my father's
negatives from the 1950s. They will print now as well as then. Can you
pull out a piece of digital media even from the 1980s and still read
it, even if it were not already corrupted? And don't invoke the story
of "all we have to do is periodicially archive to the next generation
of storage device," because we all know that doesn't happen, at least
not on much of a scale.

--
Michael