Memex
Vannevar Bush's visionary concept for a device to store, link, and retrieve personal knowledge.
Also known as: Memory Extender
Category: Concepts
Tags: history, pkm, vision, linking, foundations
Explanation
The Memex (memory extender) is a hypothetical device described by Vannevar Bush in his influential 1945 essay "As We May Think." Though never built, it profoundly influenced the development of hypertext, the World Wide Web, and personal knowledge management.
**Bush's Vision**:
Bush imagined a desk-sized device using microfilm to store and retrieve vast amounts of personal documents, books, records, and communications. Users could:
- Store all their books, records, and communications
- Retrieve any item rapidly through indexing
- Create "trails" of linked items representing thought processes
- Share these trails with others
**Revolutionary Concepts**:
- **Associative indexing**: Linking items based on conceptual relationships, mirroring how the mind works
- **Trail blazing**: Creating personal paths through information
- **Knowledge augmentation**: Extending human memory and cognition
- **Personal information management**: Individual control over one's knowledge
**Legacy and Influence**:
The Memex inspired:
- Ted Nelson's hypertext and Xanadu project
- Douglas Engelbart's work on human-computer interaction
- Tim Berners-Lee's World Wide Web
- Modern PKM tools and second brain concepts
**Relevance Today**:
Every personal knowledge management system—from Obsidian to Notion—embodies aspects of Bush's vision. When you link notes, create MOCs, or build a second brain, you're realizing the Memex dream with modern technology.
Bush's key insight remains relevant: our tools for managing information should mirror how we naturally think—through association and connection, not just hierarchical filing.
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