I watched a short promotional piece on TV yesterday which was thinly disguised as an interview. The spruiker for the product, which was a system for ensuring that personal photos remained secure and intact, was particularly excited about the longevity gained through purchasing it. Not only would your photos be passed on for generations, but "for millennia."

Digitalisation and mobile devices have meant that the photo, once a cherished item worthy of a place in an album, or framed and perched on a mantelpiece, has been totally commodified. Its value has declined in proportion to its multiplication and ubiquity, from somewhere like a goldbrick at the end of the 19th century, to a piece of toast in the present era. White bread toast, that is.

The other thing that struck me was the certainly that humans would be around for another millennia, or two. In previous blogs I have been upbeat about the planet, arguing that it is the sheer volume and availability of information that makes the state of the world seem more parlous than ever. But lately I have been having second thoughts - we do have a 24/7 news cycle, but I do think matters are serious and could become grave.

We like to think that our leaders are rational actors and I still hold out that hope. If we can navigate the next 50 years safely, then maybe there is a lot of time beyond. Its all over in a couple of billion years anyway, but that a lot of millennia. Imagine all the photos in storage when the sun becomes a red giant.