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"The original URL for this prediction will no longer be available in 11 years." (2011)

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"The original URL for this prediction will no longer be available in 11 years." (2011)
✦AI Summary

This article discusses a 2011 bet regarding the longevity of web URLs, reflecting on the concept of 'link rot' and the importance of stable URI systems. The author examines whether a specific URL would remain accessible after eleven years, highlighting the evolution of web preservation strategies.

Why it matters

It addresses the fragility of digital history and the technical challenges of maintaining permanent access to online resources in an ephemeral internet landscape.

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will go to Bletchly Park Trust if Keith wins, or The Internet Archive if Haughey wins.

"Cool URIs don't change" wrote Tim Berners-Lee in 01999, but link rot is the entropy of the web. The probability of a web document surviving in its original location decreases greatly over time. I suspect that even a relatively short time period (eleven years) is too long for a resource to survive. I would love to be proven wrong.

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