Quote: “Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, “memex” will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory” (7).
In the article “As We May Think” by Vannevar Bush, I was surprised by how he thought technology should be for the future considering this article was written right after World War II. He explains that we should handle association in a more organized way similar to today’s computer but instead he calls his organized device a Memex. Bush thinks that we cannot access information because there is no organization and sufficient was to view them. He says that this device can store all of today’s useful information and records created by scientist and other important figures. Just a couple of decades later we now have a device to access any information we need. We can now pull up any information at the tip of our fingertips through a mobile phone. I remember using an encyclopedia as a kid to find any information I needed to write essays in elementary school but now technology has evolved so much that we can access this information instantly.