03 Readings – Bush’s Memex

In 1945, Vannevar Bush asked “what are the scientists to do next?”.

So, this is a pretty impressive example of speculative thinking. We talk about how forecasting is impossible, and it’s counter-productive to be caught up in preparing for a world we know nothing about, but Bush’s speculations on the future of data storage and retrieval is incredible.

“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.”

It’s easy to see how Bush’s ideas influenced future technologists and computer scientists, and it’s a great example of how speculative thinking can provide inspiration. A “memex” also sounds like something out of Assassin’s Creed. So that’s cool*.

Also of interest is Bush’s description of Leibnitz’s “calculating machine”, a sound idea restricted by the economics and resources of the time. He uses the analogy of a Pharaoh building an automobile – it would have taxed the kingdom’s resources, and broken down on its first trip. This brought me back to our most recent Unlecture, where the tutors described the fall of “12 Seconds TV”, only for Vine to take off years later. It seems that no matter how original or brilliant your concept is, the period in which it’s built or created is all-important. This is the right time for Vine – most of us carry around a camera all day in our pocket, which makes for frequent, easy filmmaking, while our laptops and phones are fast and powerful enough to stream these videos instantly.

It seems like there’s a little bit of luck in this, which makes you wonder how many fantastic pieces of design fiction are out there, limited only by their creator’s lack of resources or an unfortunate timeframe.

*Probably not that cool, in retrospect.