As I researched the history of the Memex, I couldn't help but think of modern innovations that materialize the concept of the Memex. Although various concepts came to mind, the one that seems to stick out is the World Wide Web. The term is broad and, in the context of 2013, too much so. Essentially anything can be found, researched, archived, etc on the Internet, so how is the Memex - a tool that was designed for information, not for entertainment - similar? Bush's statement in his 1967 essay, "Memex Revisited" that, "It is a problem of how the great mass of material shall be handled so that the individual can draw from it what he needs - instantly, correctly, and with utter freedom. Compact storage of desired material and swift selective access to it are the two basic elements of the problem", essentially characterizes the Internet as the response to this problem he outlines on a larger scale. In other words, I see the Internet as the modern response to the Memex in that it includes the "compact storage and swift selective access" to any and all information, yet includes non-academic elements as well.
One interesting Google result that I came across was a blog post by someone who discusses the invention of a "Personal Memex" or a "comprehensive Personal Knowledge Management System". This person, Eric Blue, describes this machine as being having the following capabilities:
+ A centralized place to store interesting information
+ Ability to store "notes"
+ Personal diary
+ Comprehensive search capabilities
+ Ability to store meta-data
+ Ability to import, export, and share information
+ Integration with mind maps
I found this interesting for two, semi-conflicting reasons. First of all, I felt that his description of this "Personal Memex" very much aligned with my earlier thought that the Internet was a modern, larger-scale Memex. At the same time, however, this cancelled out the need for this Personal Memex, because in my mind, it already exists; the Internet. As I read further into his post, it sounded more and more like this Personal Memex would exist as a webpage on the Internet - sort of as a lower dimension to the Internet. I still feel, however, that this isn't necessary. With social media, Google Drive, and other already-existing webpages, is a Personal Memex site necessary? On one hand, it consolidates all this information into one space, but on the other, the process of consolidation may not be worth the award.
2 comments:
Elisa the findings you had on your Memex search were very interesting, specially the idea of the personal Memex. While doing my own search I found a project idea from Microsoft back in 2006 called the Digital Memories Software, which basically seemed to be a lot like the personal Memex. It does seem unnecessary to have all these new devices and software to do things we can already do pretty easily. but I guess ideas have to start somewhere, right?
I liked that you focused on the Personal Memex. Although we can use the Internet to do the things that would be done on the Personal Memex, there may still be a market for it. I say this meaning that if the Personal Memex was "more secure" than there might be an audience. I know one of my friends doesn't like using the Internet because she is afraid someone will, in a sense, track her down.
That being said, I agree that in the modern era, the Personal Memex is useless. I personally think that not enough people would get the Memex to make it a huge success.
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