Memex

After reading about the Memex I was surprised to see how closely Bush managed to predict what we now know today as the World Wide Web. Although there are differences between the two, this underlying concept of connected information through links and navigational trails to form a network became reality.

I read a commentary blog by Michael Fraase called "The Lost Manuscripts: Commentary on Bush's memex" and in it he offered some good points. However, this blog was published in 2006 and thus is quite outdated for our time. Fraase mentions that one of the largest struggles of a hypermedia-based communication was the high costs of mass storage. Although yes the costs of a brand new Macintosh laptop is going to take some money out of your wallet, it clearly did not prove as such a large obstacle because communication has become almost entirely hypermedia based in the last 8 years. Now that it has become so embedded into our culture, there's a larger social cost for not purchasing a computer or smartphone. Furthermore, because of how quickly innovations in technology come about, it's easy to purchase an outdated model, perfectly useful and cheap.

What was interesting in Fraase's blog is that he foresees developments into our future much as Bush did for him. He talked about how he thinks we will soon be wired into a network connecting with other networks around the globe. Overseas communication was still costly and difficult back in 2006. However, we have since found a way to connect the World Wide Web across the globe and now there is free and speedy communication through it.

http://www.farces.com/the-lost-manuscripts-commentary-on-bushs-memex/