Tuesday, August 31, 2010

As We May Think...

I wasn't able to fully absorb this article during class last week, but after reading it more thoroughly....WOW! Bush's foresight is just plain spooky. I was not familiar with Bush until reading this article, so pardon my ignorance on his contributions.

With that said, I wonder if, and how much this article and his foresight, in general, drove the evolution of computers. I mean, he not only described personal computers, but also envisioned hypertext linking, and paths, and methods of information retrieval, exactly as they exist today!

Was he the first to discuss these issues? For example, his concerns of storing the world's information so that it can be easily indexed, sorted through, consumed, and shared...was he the first to consider this as important to advancements in science and other relevant areas? Was he the first to realize that combined knowledge could help in solving all kinds of issues? He mentioned the case of Mendel's concept of the laws of genetics being lost for an entire generation because his publication did not make their way into the right hands. I wonder how much other knowledge has been lost throughout the ages.

People like Bush who can think so far ahead of their time are just amazing to me (his article "As We May Think" was written in 1945). How was he able to conceive notions like hypertext linking before computers even existed? And what can we learn from people like Bush? How can we expand our minds in the ways that he did? I know this is a key objective of the EMAC program, but it is also a difficult tool to master. Perhaps it seems so elusive to me because it seems like everything has already been done...but new ideas and ways of doing things are being introduced all the time.

I would love to get a discussion going on this topic. I know I'm not the only one who is a bit stymied on this topic....(anyone who has experienced Dave Parry's "knowledge institution of the future" project knows what I'm talking about). I can't wait to hear from you all!

4 comments:

  1. Carol, I believe that several computer scientists cite Bush's influence on their own work and development. What do you think of the tools we have today for storing, accessing, and distributing knowledge - do they bring us closer to Bush's goal?

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  2. Carol,

    I think that it is fascinating how people can see trends in the technological development department and foresee what people will need and what the best way to organize that information will be. As I mentioned in my cyber-punk blog, I'm always surprised how past written works whether it be 1988 or 1945 pertain to the current day.

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  3. Carol - a great post and great comments from all...

    I too am fascinated/mystified/overwhelmed/entranced by the readings we've covered thus far in class. Like Carol, I'm happy to admit with relish how amazed I am when I stumble across the shadowy figures of history and read over what their lives were like in being so brilliant and ahead of their time. It never ceases to amaze me when a figure from any previous point in time created a work that we still discuss today. Alas- I am not there yet.

    Carol's questions are sure to generate some interesting discussions--
    Was Bush the first to realize that combined knowledge could help in solving all kinds of issues? How can we expand our minds in the ways that Bush did? Great questions with infinite answers...

    One thing I personally try to do to engage my mental strength and challenge the existing knowledge infiltrating me while at the same time expanding my perception is to always cross reference what I am learning and what I have learned. In this way I am continuing to evolve, grow, and develop a sense of objective enlightenment to a certain degree. It's been my experience that those with such vast knowledge and progressive intellect never really stopped when they reached their presumed capacity.

    I welcome your thoughts on how you might expand your mind like Bush?





    I know this is a key objective of the EMAC program, but it is also a difficult tool to master. Perhaps it seems so elusive to me because it seems like everything has already been done...but new ideas and ways of doing things are being introduced all the time.

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  4. Loved your comments! Hopefully you'll get this. I'm having a difficult time figuring out how to respond to people on here. Anyway, I love what you had to say about continuing to learn and expanding you mind, etc. It's a life long process and you can never learn too much.....I'm so glad I went back to school!!!!

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