Digital Archives

The AI Boom Is Burning History: Why We Must Scan Rare Books Before They Vanish

AI companies are destroying rare physical books to train their models, and scanning is often the only way to save the text—but the process itself destroys the artifact. The window to rescue these irreplaceable pieces of cultural history is closing fast, and every AI user is implicated.

The ‘Never Seen Before’ Super Mario Bros. Cartridges Are a Lie. Here’s the Truth.

When 97 ‘unreleased’ Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt cartridges were found in a Wisconsin warehouse, headlines screamed about a ‘never seen before’ discovery. But the real story isn’t the novelty—it’s how physical media captures the messy, unofficial variations that digital archives completely erase. Authenticity isn’t a checksum; it’s a paper trail.