I have a 6TB Nas with live copy, + Sugarsync-- a paid cloud company.

I think you have a good point about formats- sticking with really popular formats makes sense. All pictures are .jpg

I think that txt ans rtf are safe enough. I do wonder about epub and azw files...you raise a good point- my library is running off freeware software that will not last forever.

I have not worried about encryption of most of the files; the pictures and books are all legal and non-threatening- if somebody wants to look at a picture of a pinewood derby, more power to them. Heck, I am sure that google has sent me ads based on them. honestly, the biggest concern is not encryption, it is reading them later.

I encrypted some stuff for awhile, just to play, then truecrypt went belly up. I was able to recover files using older version, but it made me leary about encryption .

the whole point of this post was to uncover flaws-- I appreciate the insights, and am adjusting as I read.

If MDISC proves to be stable, that would delay format creep until discs/optical go out of style. I like the concept of something that can withstand STABLE. No delaminating CDRs, USB drives that flake out.