#-important documents

Item Number: 8888

Item: The █████

Item History: Item 8888 does not exist. The info-negative cognitoplex of item 8888 is often referred to colloquially as the █████. Current Office protocol states that this is acceptable in moderation - however, staff should be regularly reminded that the █████ does not exist. Until such time as better terminology can be created for non-existing objects (and indeed the underlying semiotics necessary for that terminology), the use of the word “item” has been deemed acceptable.

It is currently theorized that the █████’s impact on the noosphere is the result of the human inability to perceive a true lack of existence, referred to as a “cognitive dissonance protection response.” The █████ does not emit or reflect light, and does not appear on any form of sonar, radar, or any other form of electronic equipment. Photos or video of the location the █████ resides in are subject to the viewer’s cognitive dissonance protection response - that is, the photo will appear to display the █████ to any sentient entity viewing it, despite not in actuality showing an existing object.

Touching the █████ is not recommended for any personnel not already trained in Surrealistics, no experience with non-spaces or non-Euclidean systems, or with a C-hazard rating lower than 2. Personnel should be reminded that anything they “feel” when attempting to touch the █████ is a the result of a cognitive dissonance protection response, because the █████ does not exist.

Personnel affiliated with the Yellow Circle are understood to see something “else” at the █████. With state director permission, they may view or touch the █████, but under no circumstances should they enter it or share their perceptions with other non-Circle staff, as descriptions of the █████ may contradict the official Office position that the █████ does not exist.

The aforementioned cognitive dissonance protection response is currently undergoing study. It is currently unknown why all (100%) of humans or near-humans surveyed about the █████ (except those aligned with Circle belief systems) will describe the same shape and details about the item. Given that it is impossible to know details about an object that does not exist, speculation as to the █████’s origin is considered irresponsible.

While I appreciate this trope, it isn't entirely realistic. Sure, some things would be forgotten, but a lot of things would be remembered. If the towering monuments of Disney World survived the apocalypse, so would countless reams of promotional materials for the theme parks and the Disney brand as a whole, from picture books to catalogs, probably even some reviews of the rides.

I don't think most people realize just how anomalously ubiquitous writing is in the industrial era. For most of human history, writing and literacy were rare; a book or ledger was a specialized tool, used only where necessary. Today, writing is trivial. It's cheap and accessible, so it's everywhere. Between packaging, spam mail, and the occasional newspaper, the average American household throws away more text without reading it than most premodern people had a chance to look at.

And it's not just the raw volume of text. In centuries long past, few scribes wasted their time writing down common knowledge. Anyone who didn't know could ask their parents or neighbors; people who couldn't do that weren't worth spending ink on.

But now, ink is cheap and industrial printers are even cheaper. Every box of pasta includes instructions for cooking it, just in case that box is bought by someone who's never cooked pasta before. Decks of cards come with "rules cards," listing rules for games once passed down by oral tradition alone. Picture books explain the reasons for annual holidays to children who will live through many more before they ever need to explain those traditions to someone else.

Do you have any idea how unusual all of that is? How many historians would sacrifice major organs for a source clearly explaining ancient recipes or games or beliefs? The ephemeral parts of culture, behaviors and norms which leave no archaeological traces. Lost forever because no one thought it was worth recording.

But today is different. Writing is everywhere. Most of it is on fragile materials, thin sheets of paper or plastic which will tear or fade or rot. Some random newspaper page has one-in-a-billion odds of surviving all of that and being discovered by a future civilization. But every day, tens of millions of newspapers are printed in the USA alone, each composed of many pages. Odds are, a lot of documents will survive, especially in arid climates.

Revolutionary War Pension Files Seals ✒️🪙📜

Official American 19th century records have fascinating visual features and many remarkable examples of those can be found in the Revolutionary War pension files at the National Archives. 

During the conservation stabilization treatment of these records, the conservators come across watermarks, ribbons, wood engraving illustrations, historical repairs, and of course various seals and wafers.

Guest Post by

Paper Conservator (Document Conservation Laboratory, RXC)

Ewa Paul (National Archives)