My Top 5 Arweave Archives
By Sophie, community manager at Arweave
Thanks to the super slick Arweave web extension, it’s now easier than ever to archive web pages and store them on the Arweave — forever! As more web pages are continuing to be archived each day, for me personally, the element of discovering what others have chosen to permanently store is really exciting. With more content being archived on a daily basis, I’m looking forward to the endless possibilities of what I might find on the weave in years to come. But for now, here are some of my top pick of web pages stored on Arweave right now:
Here’s Why Facebook Removing That Vietnam War Photo Is So Important
I chose this article because I feel it exemplifies how volatile our freedom of speech is becoming in the digital sphere. Facebook — and other big conglomerates — are increasingly controlling how we view the world through the media we consume. Whether it’s their news-feed filtering algorithms or moderators dictating what they deem to be appropriate or not, one thing’s for sure: it’s denying us the right to form our own opinions based on reliable, trustworthy information.
On the weave: http://arweave.net/RTvlIxbvDOpo7kPisnhnfz0BtgOZE4QlScBSRLEkky4
Lifetimes of cryptographic hash functions
It took bit of digging around for me to understand exactly what a cryptographic hash function does. Simply: it’s just a mathematical equation that enables many forms of encryption, which is used for anything from payments made on e-commerce websites to blockchain networks like Arweave. I chose this archive because it’s a cool visual representation that shows the lifetime of cryptographic hash functions — and come on, who doesn’t like a colourful table?!
On the weave: http://arweave.net/DlJwVF1cD1zIJFLg_N9MLctNF77imI2lcmviQrXkPt8
The Gulag Archipelago
This publication by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (and 200 fellow prisoners) is a first-account portrayal of Soviet repression and the horrors of Soviet slavery camps. The Soviet economy depended on the output and productivity of the forced labor camps, yet it brutalised and murdered millions of its own citizens, amongst other wildly inhumane practises. Described as a voice for the nation of those who suffered, The Gulag Archipelago is a piece documenting a significant part of history that must be preserved in order to maintain accountability.
On the weave: http://arweave.net/n21OratK-uwxE4_-4F-0VDAiD7bytZ-8085F5EMTdqk
How social media users have discussed sexual harassment since #MeToo went viral
On October 15th 2017, the #MeToo movement gained popularity over reported misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Since then, the #MeToo hashtag has been used over 19 million times from the likes of celebrities, politicians and members of the public. I chose this article because the #MeToo movement challenges sexual harassment in the workplace and beyond, ultimately displaying the power of social networks in empowering a previously-silenced majority.
On the weave: http://arweave.net/snTl7LjYvSXbOBp2qkDqk0_FwjvmUvOBFvUG5GVWkhk
It takes three times more energy to mine Bitcoin than gold
Until I started to read more about bitcoin mining, I wasn’t aware of how much energy it consumes. Nor did I expect to hear how much environmental damage it’s causing — once I explored it further it seemed so obvious, nevertheless, the statistics were still super surprising to me. In November 2017, the power consumed by the entire bitcoin network was estimated to be higher than that of the Republic of Ireland. Even a simple Google search is said to generate as much CO2 as boiling half the water for a cup of coffee (7g)! I feel this article is important because amongst our daily digital consumption, the majority of us don’t consider that just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there (and damaging planet earth!).
*Note, luckily the Arweave consensus is ‘Proof of Access’ meaning that storage space is optimal over processing power, therefore more environmentally friendly*
On the weave: http://arweave.net/bgBnxHFcuOW_46aPsa6YfSPIYD1hRdAXK4ExQPlnL7w
And there you have it, my top 5 Arweave archives. Get in touch and tell us what you’re archiving, you might even make my next top picks! Sophie 🤖[Arweave community manager]
