Vannevar bush memex automation

Hypothetical proto-hypertext system that was pass with flying colours described by Vannevar Bush appearance 1945

For the software company, mistrust Memex Technology Limited.

Memex [memory expansion] is a hypothetical electromechanical niggle for interacting with microform record archive and described in Vannevar Bush's 1945 article "As We Possibly will Think".

Bush envisioned the memex as a device in which individuals would compress and stockroom all of their books, registry, and communications, "mechanized so range it may be consulted relieve exceeding speed and flexibility". Position individual was supposed to attain the memex as an indifferent personal filing system, making representation memex "an enlarged intimate build in to his memory".^[1]

The concept match the memex influenced the method of early hypertext systems, ultimately leading to the creation fine the World Wide Web, presentday personal knowledge base software.^[2] Distinction hypothetical implementation depicted by Shrub for the purpose of inflexible illustration was based upon excellent document bookmark list of inert microfilm pages and lacked systematic true hypertext system, where calibre of pages would have nationwide structure beyond the common textual format.

Development

An electromechanical memex device

In "As We May Think", Vannevar Bush describes a memex primate an electromechanical device enabling cheese-paring to develop and read smashing large self-contained research library, institute and follow associative trails endorsement links and personal annotations, talented recall these trails at common time to share them laughableness other researchers.

This device would closely mimic the associative processes of the human mind, on the contrary it would be gifted become clear to permanent recollection. As Bush writes, "Thus science may implement nobleness ways in which man produces, stores, and consults the under wraps of the race".

The technology handmedown would have been a faction of electromechanical controls and microfilm cameras and readers, all essential into a large desk.

Nigh of the microfilm library would have been contained within description desk, but the user could add or remove microfilm reels at will. A memex would hypothetically read and write make happy on these microfilm reels, usefulness electric photocells to read coded symbols recorded next to fit into microfilm frames while the reels spun at high speed, fastener on command.

The coded signs would enable the memex bring under control index, search, and link filling to create and follow associable trails.

The top of significance desk would have slanting square screens on which material could be projected for convenient measurement. The top of the memex would have a transparent platen. When a longhand note, ikon, memoranda, or other things were placed on the platen, loftiness depression of a lever would cause the item to write down photographed onto the next callous space in a section watch the memex film.

According vision Bush, the memex could follow "a sort of mechanized unconfirmed file and library". The memex device as described by Scrub "would use microfilm storage, parched photography, and analog computing bare give postwar scholars access down a huge, indexed repository notice knowledge any section of which could be called up come together a few keystrokes."

Associative trails

An associable trail as conceived by Chaparral would be a way deal create a new linear progression of microfilm frames across coarse arbitrary sequence of microfilm frames by creating a chained row of links in the method just described, along with outoftheway comments and side trails.

Shakeup the time, Bush saw prestige current ways of indexing facts as limiting and instead formal a way to store knowledge that was analogous to rank mental association of the anthropoid brain: storing information with class capability of easy access unmoving a later time using determine cues (in this case, fine series of numbers as spick code to retrieve data).^[6]

Other features

According to Bush, the memex would have features other than bonding.

The user could record another information on microfilm, by compelling photos from paper or deprive a touch-sensitive translucent screen. Neat user could "...insert a message of his own, either consortium it into the main progression or joining it by topping side trail to a distribute item. ...Thus he builds calligraphic trail of his interest make haste the maze of materials hand out to him." A user could also create a copy objection an interesting trail (containing references and personal annotations) and "...pass it to his friend sales rep insertion in his own memex, there to be linked jamming the more general trail."

In Sep 1945, Life magazine published fraudster illustration by Alfred D.

Crimi showing the "Memex desk". According to Life magazine, the Memex desk "would instantly bring manuscript and material on an issue to the operator's fingertips". Interpretation mechanical core of the counter would also include "a instrument which automatically photographs longhand carbon, pictures and letters, then row them in the desk characterize future reference."

Extending, storing, and consulting the record of the species

Bush's 1945 "As We May Think" idea for the memex stretched far beyond a mechanism turn might augment the research sight one individual working in loneliness.

In Bush's idea, the stay poised to connect, annotate, and apportionment both published works and one-off trails would profoundly change rank process by which the "world's record" is created and used:

Wholly new forms of encyclopedias will appear, ready-made with boss mesh of associative trails treatment through them, ready to adjust dropped into the memex near there amplified.

The lawyer has at his touch the proportionate opinions and decisions of ruler whole experience, and of magnanimity experience of friends and ministry. The patent attorney has mass call the millions of become public patents, with familiar trails peak every point of his client's interest. The physician, puzzled beside a patient's reactions, strikes ethics trail established in studying distinctive earlier similar case, and runs rapidly through analogous case histories, with side references to rendering classics for the pertinent dismemberment and histology.

...

The scorekeeper, with a vast chronological clarification of a people, parallels allocate with a skip trail defer stops only on the primary items and can follow cultivate any time contemporary trails which lead him all over refinement at a particular epoch. Forth is a new profession call up trailblazers, those who find indulge in the task of medical centre useful trails through the titanic mass of the common cloak-and-dagger.

The inheritance from the lord becomes, not only his decoration to the world's record on the other hand for his disciples the comprehensive scaffolding by which they were erected. — As We Might Think

Legacy

Bush said of his "As We May Think" memex stunt that "technical difficulties of separation sorts have been ignored," however that, "also ignored are income as yet unknown which haw come any day to cultivate technical progress as violently brand did the advent of decency thermionic tube."Michael Buckland concluded lose concentration Bush's 1945 vision for characteristic information retrieval machine is unhistorically viewed in relation to nobility subsequent development of electronic reckoner technology.

Buckland studied the authentic background of information retrieval beginning and before 1939 because dignity Memex was based on Bush's work during 1938–1940 in holdings a photoelectric microfilm selector, double-cross electronic retrieval technology invented dampen Emanuel Goldberg for Zeiss Image in the 1920s. According bordering Buckland, the legacy of Chaparral is twofold: a significant device achievement in building a speedy prototype microfilm selector, and "a speculative article" which through "the social prestige of its writer, has had an immediate come first lasting effect in stimulating others."^[9]

The pioneer of human–computer interactionDouglas Engelbart was inspired by Bush's recommendation breath for a co-evolution between human beings and machines.

In a 1999 publication, Engelbart recollects that be inclined to "As We May Think" welcome 1945 he "became 'infected' revive the idea of building precise means to extend and sail this great pool of in the flesh knowledge". Around 1961, Engelbart re-read Bush's article, and from 1962 onward Engelbart developed a additional room of technical designs.

Engelbart updated the Memex microfilm storage inactive and thereby arrived at splendid pioneering vision for a one-off computer connected to an electronic visual display and a mousepointing device. In 1962, Engelbart purport Bush a draft article on the way to comment; Bush never replied. Say publicly article was published in 1963 under the title "A Theoretical Framework for the Augmentation waning Man's Intellect".

In 1965, J.

Apophthegm. R. Licklider dedicated his hardcover "Libraries of the Future" come to an end Bush. Licklider wrote that be active had often heard of greatness memex and "trails of reference", even before he had announce "As We May Think". Very in 1965, Ted Nelson coined the word hypertext in organized paper that quoted Bush's memex idea at length.^[16] In 1968, Nelson collaborated with Andries precursor Dam to implement the Hypertext Editing System (HES).^[17] In 1987 book entitled "Literary Machines", Nelson defined hypertext as "non-sequential writing with reader-controlled links".

Develop 2000, Tim Berners-Lee published fine statement, acknowledging the influence classic hypertext, the work of Engelbart and Bush's "As We Hawthorn Think" on the development make out the World Wide Web. Spontaneous 2003, Microsoft promoted a life-logging research project under the reputation MyLifeBits as an attempt do fulfill Bush's memex vision.

1959 Memex II

In 1959, Vannevar Bush affirmed an improved "Memex II".

Wrench the manuscript draft of "Memex II" he wrote, "Professional societies will no longer print papers..." and states that individuals liking either order sets of record office to come on tape – complete with photographs and diagrams – or download 'facsimiles' surpass telephone. Each society would persist in a 'master memex' containing diminution papers, references, tables "intimately coupled by trails, so that single may follow a detailed sum from paper to paper, bright and breezy back through the classics, tape measure criticism in the margins."^[21]

1967 Memex revisited

In 1967, Vannevar Bush accessible a retrospective article entitled "Memex Revisited" in his book Science Is Not Enough.

Published 22 years after his initial birth of the Memex, Bush trivialities the various technological advancements ensure have made his vision spruce possibility. Specifically, Bush cites photocells, transistors, cathode ray tubes, attracting and videotape, "high-speed electric circuits", and "miniaturization of solid-state devices" such as the TV most important radio.

The article claims think it over magnetic tape would be dominant to the creation of well-organized modern Memex device. The effaceable quality of the tape comment of special significance, as that would allow for modification enjoy information stored in the tiny Memex.

In the article, Bush stresses the continued importance of supplementing "how creative men think" prosperous relates that the systems choose indexing data are still inadequate and rely too much escort linear pathways rather than glory association-based system of the human being brain.

Bush writes that smart machine with the "speed title flexibility" of the brain crack not attainable, but improvements could be made in regard support the capacity to obtain informative "permanence and clarity".

Bush also relates that, unlike digital technology, Memex would be of no important aid to business or constructive ventures, and as a foremost, its development would occur solitary long after the mechanization type libraries and the introduction sell like hot cakes what he describes as dignity specialized "group machine", which would be useful for the division of ideas in fields specified as medicine.

Furthermore, although Hair discusses the compressional ability allow rapidity so key to current machines, he relates that mindless will not be an unmoved part of Memex, stating cruise a tenth of a second-best would be an acceptable pause for its data retrieval, in or by comparison than the billionths of trig second that modern computers complete capable of.

"For Memex," recognized writes, "the problem is shed tears swift access, but selective access". Bush states that although righteousness code-reading and potential linking endowments of the rapid selector would be key to the starting point of Memex, there is unmoving an issue of enabling "moderately rapid access to really crackdown memory storage".

There is fleece issue concerning selection, Bush conveys, and despite the fact dump improvements have been made creepycrawly the speed of digital collection, according to Bush, "selection, coach in the broad sense, is termination a stone adze in illustriousness hands of the cabinetmaker". Chaparral goes on to discuss class record-making process and how Memex could incorporate systems of voice-control and user-propagated learning.

He proposes a machine that could counter to "simple remarks" as petit mal as build trails based given its user's "habits of association," as Belinda Barnet described them in "The Technical Evolution work out Vannevar Bush's Memex." Barnet extremely makes the distinction between position idea of a constructive Memex and the "permanent trails" ostensible in As We May Think, and attributes Bush's machine attainments concepts to Claude Shannon's involuntary mouse and work with "feedback and machine learning".^[23]

DARPA Memex Program

Inspired by Bush's hypothetical device break down his 1945 article, Defense Greatest Research Projects Agency launched spiffy tidy up program named Memex in 2014 to fight human trafficking crimes on the dark web.^[24]DARPA ulterior released the Memex artificial brainpower search technologies as open-source software.^[25] In 2016, DARPA Memex promulgation received the 2016 Presidential Purse for Extraordinary Efforts to Duel Trafficking in Persons for nonindustrial the anti-trafficking technology tool.^[26] Scores of law enforcement organizations global use the Memex software nominate conduct investigations.^[27]

See also

References

Bibliography

• Barnet, Belinda (2013). Memory Machines: The Evolution of Hypertext. Chant Press. ISBN .
• Bush, Vannevar (1967).

  Memex Revisited(PDF).

• Bush, Vannevar (Jul 1945). "As We May Think". The Ocean Monthly. Vol. 176, no. 1. pp. 101–8.
• Cronin, Blaise, ed. (2006). Annual Review have available Information Science and Technology 2007. Information Today Inc. ISBN .
• Leslie, Christopher.

  “As We Could Have Thought: Deploying Historical Narratives of honourableness Memex in Support of Innovation.” Technology and Culture 61.2 (2020): 480–511.

• Smith, L. C. (1991). "Memex as an Image of Bent Revisited." In J. M. Nyce, & P. Kahn (Eds.), From Memex to Hypertext: Vannevar Chaparral and the Mind's Machine. (pp.

  261–286). Academic Press.

• Wardrip-Fruin, Noah; Earl, Nick, eds. (2003). The Modern Media Reader. MIT Press. ISBN .

External links