Here’s a really cool concept: write a message and have it emailed to you in 20 years. That’s the idea behind the Forbes email time capsule. You have until November 30 before the capsule is “buried.” Read this article at Forbes.com for more info on the technical details.

Naturally, the biggest roadblock is that peoples’ email addresses change. (The article gives some advice on what type of email address you should use.) The second-biggest problem in my mind is the security of this database. After all, it will be stored in three places for the purposes of data redundancy. Although it does sound appealing, I probably won’t want to use this as a system of backup for my top-secret ideas for that A.I. program I’ve been working on… ;-)

Ah, time capsules… this brings back some fond memories. I’ve always been fascinated by time capsules, time travel, and etcetera. My brother, I, and two friends of ours buried a time capsule in our garden about four or five years ago. I can easily remember the time period because it was at the time when state quarters were the latest thing. So we buried some state quarters along with a sentance-long piece of paper that said in summary, “congratulations for finding this.”

Unfortunately, the map telling exactly where in the garden the time capsule is, as well as how deep it was buried, was misplaced. I do remember the general area of the garden in which the capsule is located, as well as the fact that it was about two or three feet down. I suppose that general information will suffice. Now I just need to decide when to dig it up. :-)