I think what interested me most about Literary Machinery, was not Ted Nelson’s utmost appreciation for himself and his work.

With his attitude you think project Xanadu was being created to end world poverty.

But the fact that his ideas for a world network where all information could be stored and shared was the same Tim Berners-Lee had for his World Wide Web.

It’s not hard to know which one was the successful venture…

I wonder if Nelson cries alone at night cursing Berners-Lee, as they both coincidentally had the same idea at the same time, just one was developed and introduced into society faster than the other.

I’m infatuated with this coincidence, and how many similar technologies are developed around the same time. As many different groups or individuals obviously see a need for the development of a certain technology. But how it all comes down to fate. For a developer to be in the right place at the right time for a new technology to enter society and alter the way we live our lives forever.

In all honestly, I prefer Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web sharing network over Nelson’s Project Xanadu. Simply because anything that reminds me of Olivia Newton-John rollerskating around in spandex, really just doesn’t tickle my fancy.

Hardluck Nelson…