All articles tagged with #preservation
A Washington Post feature explains that the Declaration of Independence, kept under glass at the National Archives, is increasingly hard to read due to age, humidity and decades of handling. It bears stains, creases and a visible handprint as archivists fight to slow its decline, balancing visible display with conservation to keep the founding document legible while reminding readers that it—like the nation—has endured imperfections.
President Donald Trump used a late‑night Truth Social post to defend the White House ballroom as “desperately needed,” insisting it’s advancing on time and under budget and will be funded by private donors, even as the project’s price tag has ballooned from about $200 million to well over $400 million. Republicans briefly sought $1 billion in taxpayer funding, a move dropped after public backlash. Trump has touted the project during meetings and public remarks, even as a legal challenge by preservationists over aesthetic injury looms, which he says has no standing. The ballroom remains unfinished, and Trump’s obsession with it continues to be a recurring feature of his public appearances and posts.
OmniDrive is a firmware mod for certain Hitachi-LG MT1959-based Blu-ray drives that lets you read and legally back up personal discs from classic consoles like GameCube, Wii, and Xbox 360 using a PC, with compatible drives listed by the Disc Preservation Project. It also partially supports other systems (PS3-PS5, Xbox Series, Wii U) where discs are encrypted, and reads Dreamcast GD-ROMs only in the low-density area. The tool aims to aid preservation via emulation rather than online file sharing, but bypassing encryption can raise DMCA/legal concerns depending on jurisdiction.
Double Eleven has returned to its online shooter Blindfire, rebranding it as Blindfire: Lights Out, making it free to download and play on PC and consoles and keeping the servers online for years. The final update adds two new weapons, new achievements, skins, and an Audio Aim Assist accessibility feature designed for blind and partially sighted players, citing a belief that games are art and deserve preservation. While unlikely to regain mass popularity, the move ensures the game remains playable as a creative work rather than disappearing entirely.
Hamster’s CTO said in a Famitsu interview that Console Archives could someday support pre-Famicom Nintendo hardware like Color TV-Game, continuing the collaboration with Nintendo after Arcade Archives releases such as Vs. Super Mario Bros. and Sky Skipper; while not guaranteed, the idea would help preserve Nintendo’s earliest home-game history.
A growing debate surrounds an alleged new DRM on PlayStation consoles that requires online license verification every 30 days for newly purchased digital games. Recent tests (including a PS5 Pro) reportedly show the system displaying a license check and locking content if the CMOS battery is removed, though access can be restored by reconnecting to the internet. Sony has not commented, fueling concerns about future preservation if servers go offline. The issue remains unconfirmed as either a bug or intentional DRM, with updates and videos continuing to surface while the company awaits a statement.
In New South Wales, researchers uncover exceptionally preserved fossils embedded in ferricrete goethite, revealing a Miocene rainforest with fine details like feathers and insect organs and showing iron minerals can preserve soft tissues, potentially guiding future searches for iron-based fossil deposits worldwide.
Reddit users argue that 11 common vegetables—cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, onions, carrots, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, avocados, and celery—are best bought fresh because freezing often dulls texture and flavor for raw uses. The piece notes freezing caveats and occasional workarounds: cucumbers can be sugar-brined to retain some crispness, tomatoes freeze best for sauces, mushrooms become watery, lettuce freezes poorly, onions can become mushy, asparagus loses snap, Brussels sprouts may turn mushy when frozen, potatoes should be cooked or blanched before freezing, avocados don’t freeze well unless diced with lemon juice for guac or smoothies, and celery loses its crunch though it can be used in frozen mirepoix or prepped in blocks. Overall, freezing is useful mainly for cooked-down dishes or prepped bases, while fresh is preferred for peak flavor and texture.
Archaeologists uncovered an almost 2,000-year-old Roman anchor off the UK coast in the North Sea, unusually well-preserved thanks to sand layers and low oxygen. The anchor, found during a seabed survey using sonar, reveals ongoing Roman maritime activity and trade routes in northern European waters.
Publisher SNEG and Games Workshop announce Warhammer Classics, an initiative to re-release and preserve more than two dozen classic Warhammer PC titles from the 1990s onward. The lineup includes seven titles making their Steam debut and twelve returning to Steam, spanning real-time strategy, turn-based tactics, shooters and more, with updates to run on modern systems. All titles are now on Steam with limited-time discounts and bundles to celebrate the launch, ensuring these foundational Warhammer games remain accessible to new and nostalgic players alike.
Games Workshop and SNEG announce Warhammer Classics, reviving 28 vintage Warhammer and Warhammer 40K titles, with seven hitting Steam for the first time. The lineup includes Shadow of the Horned Rat, Dark Omen, Chaos Gate, and more, and emphasizes preservation over modern remasters. Steam access depends on Valve’s licensing, so ongoing availability isn’t guaranteed, but the project aims to reintroduce these classics to new players and preserve the legacy for future generations.
A 310-million-year-old shark egg case found in South Yorkshire preserves soft tissue, offering rare insight into early shark reproduction (egg-laying) and the Carboniferous ecosystem.
Trump privately floated painting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House with a mineral-silicate ‘magic paint,’ but preservation experts say granite won’t bond with this paint, priming could cause permanent damage, and staining may worsen. The plan is under review by the Commission of Fine Arts, while preservation groups have sued to halt work pending environmental and historic reviews, and alternatives such as cleaning, refinishing ironwork, better lighting, window film, and landscaping have been proposed.
Vox explains how Donald Trump’s planned DC remodeling—White House East Wing demolition, Rose Garden redesign, a 250‑foot arch near Arlington, Kennedy Center renovations, and other proposals—could bypass long‑standing design‑review processes, potentially reshape the city’s skyline, alter its symbolic landscape, and provoke preservationist backlash about the presidency’s influence on Washington’s built environment.
Preservation groups ask a D.C. court to halt Trump’s multimillion-dollar Capitol redesigns, including a 250-foot arch and Kennedy Center renovations, arguing they bypass design-review processes and violate the law. The case adds to lawsuits challenging the scope and symbolism of the projects, leaving Washington’s architectural future uncertain as legal and congressional input unfolds.