"The real problem" says computer designer Hillis, "is not technological. We have the technical understanding to solve problems such as digital degradation. What we don't have yet in our digital culture is the habit of long-term thinking that supports preservation .... In the early 2000s people will realize that we're not at the end of something-we're at the beginning. There really will be a year 3000 and 4000 and so on. Once that idea is more widely accepted, the engineers who are thinking about the next digital medium will naturally think about how it lasts .... "
樂觀的 Danny Hillis 認為未來的工程師、面對下一代數位媒介能夠自然地思考如何保存的問題。Steward Brand 認為專業人士，圖書館專業工作者、檔案管理專家，得要走出來認真思考這個問題。
後來他們便成立了 The Long Now Foundation。（請參考「眼前腳下的長長久久：萬年鐘」，以及「MCN第一天：長久設計、東亞考古與竇加」）
