::: I added this note — hopefully the Archivist hasn’t noticed and it’s still up. - AW

The Society is careful with its Archive. When something is altered, it’s because someone, at some point in the past, meant it to be. I looked into this one. Seems like the 1931 Death Valley survey was cross-referenced to an older file containing correspondence from one H. Mercer in 1926. That file has been pulled for review, which means its time is, potentially, nearly up.

And that reminds me: I owe you an explanation of how a photograph like that ends up in your inbox in the first place.

The Society for Improbable Discoveries doesn't own what it keeps. It holds things in trust, and it lets them go when their time is up. How that time is measured is written into its Charter. I'd rather you read it there than take my word for it.

Have a closer look at the back of that photo. If the numbers look like a countdown, it's because they are.The files from some of the Expeditions commissioned by the Society are coming due. Dossiers aren’t released all at once, and they get released without announcement. I think that’s a mistake, but it’s the Society’s way to avoid publicity. That’s where I come in.

My emails to you will share as much as I can get away with, for as long as I can.

It’s important to note that some holdings are actual artifacts. Physical objects. Those go out to custodians, one or a very few of each, with their records attached. That part isn't mine to arrange, but you'll see them surface alongside the files, if you pay attention.

And sometimes a file doesn't resolve. Maybe the people who kept it left it half-finished, or wrote it in a way that doesn't always make sense. The Society tends to give up on these puzzles, but not me. I'll ask for your help from time to time, to get these files released.

All you need to know is: when the Society review concludes, the file opens. When it opens, you'll hear it from me first. If you know someone else who is good at puzzles and reads labels twice, tell them about the SID Report. The Archive is better with more eyes on it.

— A.W.