Yahoo Announces Digital Time Capsule

Yahoo is soliciting digital submissions from around the world for what it's calling the world's largest time capsule.

Today Yahoo announced it has thrown open the doors to its Internet Time Capsule, and is soliciting digital materials from Yahoo users all over the world to be archived for revealed at Yahoo’s 25th anniversary in the year 2020.

But in the meantime, contributors might have their submissions projected onto the world-famous Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, from October 25 to 27, 2006, or beamed into space for the edification of…whoever—whatever!—might be out there to receive it.

"Wherever people use Yahoo—from Mexico, Germany or China to the U.S.—we want them to represent their culture and show us what’s important to them by participating in this historic Internet time capsule event," said Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang. "It will be fascinating to see what people submit as their part of this 2006 snapshot, which will be shared with generations to come."

Yahoo invites users to contribute their photos, stories, art, poems, movies, and thoughts to the electronic time capsule project. The time capsule will be featured on 20 localized Yahoo home pages—as well as Yahoo’s primary web site—and users can visit the time capsule site to upload text, images, audio, video, or other material free of charge. Topics include love, fun, sorry, faith, beauty, the past, the present, hope, and "you." Contributions are woven into a single piece of online digital art using software designed by Internet artist Jonathan Harris, and contributors can select from seven global charities which will receive a donation from Yahoo at the end of the project.

At the end of the time capsule project, the content will be saved in digital format and sealed up until Yahoo’s 25th anniversary in the year 2020; in addition, copies will be presented to the Smithsonian and the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico City.