More than anything, the readings this week got me thinking about the lack of cooperation between the developers of electronic media. Not only do competing companies put out hardware/software that are in no way compatible with the products of other companies, but some media (even produced by the same company) cannot be used in different parts of the world (i.e. EU and US CDs and DVDs). Perhaps, given the overwhelming rate at which our culture is being represented digitally, it would be worthwhile for some sort of international standard by which ALL makers of digital media must adhere. Of course, given the way copyright laws are these days and the stigma against users making copies of digital media they’ve purchased, this seems impossible for the forseeable future. It’s a bit discouraging when one realizes that an archive may have to make the choice to preserve every reincarnation of hardware/software in order to display digital media for the short time span between upgrades or simply forgo digital media alltogether.