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As We May Think (1945)

theatlantic.com

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Re: As We May Think (1945)

#11

Post by CamperBob »

kragen wrote: post #10
ben1040 wrote: post #7

I first read this 15 years ago in high school, when a teacher of mine saw the web first take hold and felt it important enough to photocopy this piece and spend several days in class discussing it. However, we had really only discussed the concept of hypertext and how it fit with Bush's designs -- so much of the other concepts in the piece seem dependent upon technology which was still "far off" when I first read it…

It still blows my mind when Google Voice takes a voicemail and the transcript appears on an app on my smartphone. Are you sure Google Voice transcribes all voicemail manually? There are call centers in third-world countries where people transcribe USA voicemails, you know.

The fact that he doesn't know or care makes the magic all the more compelling.

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#12

Post by kirse »

ben1040 wrote: post #7

I first read this 15 years ago in high school, when a teacher of mine saw the web first take hold and felt it important enough to photocopy this piece and spend several days in class discussing it. However, we had really only discussed the concept of hypertext and how it fit with Bush's designs -- so much of the other concepts in the piece seem dependent upon technology which was still "far off" when I first read it…

This stuff is all amazing and I hope I never take it for granted.

Don't get me wrong, but usually people say they don't want to "take it for granted" about something that has a high level of intrinsic value.

For example: other people, our relationships, running water, principles for living, etc...

Streaming movies and reading on our $700 iPads generally falls into the category of "useless consumerist things we could do without"

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#13

Post by MaysonL »

dlg wrote: post #5

This article was hugely important. A radar operator named Doug Engelbart read this on the trip home from WWII. He realized that the computer was the tool that would make this possible. He went on and created everything from the mouse to lots of modern interactive computing. Many of you may have seen his "mother of all demos". If not, watch http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8734787622017763097... That demo, in…

Pick up a copy of Nelson's book: "Computer Lib/Dream Machines" for some more fun history of the pre-PC era.

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#14

Post by JeremyBanks »

kragen wrote: post #10
ben1040 wrote: post #7

I first read this 15 years ago in high school, when a teacher of mine saw the web first take hold and felt it important enough to photocopy this piece and spend several days in class discussing it. However, we had really only discussed the concept of hypertext and how it fit with Bush's designs -- so much of the other concepts in the piece seem dependent upon technology which was still "far off" when I first read it…

It still blows my mind when Google Voice takes a voicemail and the transcript appears on an app on my smartphone. Are you sure Google Voice transcribes all voicemail manually? There are call centers in third-world countries where people transcribe USA voicemails, you know.

It's automatic: http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&...

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#15

Post by jacquesm »

kirse wrote: post #12
ben1040 wrote: post #7

I first read this 15 years ago in high school, when a teacher of mine saw the web first take hold and felt it important enough to photocopy this piece and spend several days in class discussing it. However, we had really only discussed the concept of hypertext and how it fit with Bush's designs -- so much of the other concepts in the piece seem dependent upon technology which was still "far off" when I first read it…

This stuff is all amazing and I hope I never take it for granted. Don't get me wrong, but usually people say they don't want to "take it for granted" about something that has a high level of intrinsic value. For example: other people, our relationships, running water, principles for living, etc... Streaming movies and reading on our $700 iPads generally falls into the category of "useless consumerist things we could…

The Ipad is a consumption device, unless you've found a professional niche to employ it you probably could do without it. But for me the magic is when I'm in some foreign country sitting in a hole in the wall cafetaria and my mom calls me and doesn't even realize I'm not even on the same continent.

There is plenty of magic in all this new stuff, you just have to think for a second what life was like in the 80's (2 MHz computers and bigger stereos) to appreciate the benefits of all this stuff.

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#16

Post by jacquesm »

blasdel wrote: post #9

When people write papers about New Media and The Web, they often cite Vannevar Bush's 1945 article in The Atlantic, “As We May Think”. We had a 65th anniversary panel about the paper at Hypertext 2010, at which I was the designated heretic. My position is that Bush’s paper is essentially a popular science article. It gets some things right, some wrong. It’s cavalier about its sources – especially the very important w…

That's interesting stuff that I didn't have a clue about, thank you.

How do you know Bush was aware of Goldbergs work ?

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#17

Post by Create »

ben1040 wrote: post #7

I first read this 15 years ago in high school, when a teacher of mine saw the web first take hold and felt it important enough to photocopy this piece and spend several days in class discussing it. However, we had really only discussed the concept of hypertext and how it fit with Bush's designs -- so much of the other concepts in the piece seem dependent upon technology which was still "far off" when I first read it…

This is just PR, literally. In a magazine. Just as TimBL, and the other claimants of hypertext/network/technology pieces in the comments below.

The story is not unlike the one about going to the Moon. Verne wrote about it. Physicists judged it too, to be easy (just fill in F=ma so that you escape Earth with enough thrust -- only need to build a rocket large enough). Engineering/Engineers are the last thing being given credit to. Who actually fulfilled the dream.

But my personal favourite is the Belgian.

For ADD-ers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwRN5m64I7Y

A nice story: http://www.archive.org/details/paulotlet

in text: http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/forgotten_forefather_paul...

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#19

Post by Create »

dlg wrote: post #5

This article was hugely important. A radar operator named Doug Engelbart read this on the trip home from WWII. He realized that the computer was the tool that would make this possible. He went on and created everything from the mouse to lots of modern interactive computing. Many of you may have seen his "mother of all demos". If not, watch http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8734787622017763097... That demo, in…

I find it very hard to believe, that he independently invented the mouse (ten years later?), given both spent their youths in the military as radar operators doing tracking.

http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/millennium/fp6000/fp6000_datar.htm...

Is Markoff the one, who trashes his MB Air along with the old Times, just because it is so slim (in accordance to the PR message)? Believe him if you want to...

Re: As We May Think (1945)

#20

Post by zandorg »

MaysonL wrote: post #13
dlg wrote: post #5

This article was hugely important. A radar operator named Doug Engelbart read this on the trip home from WWII. He realized that the computer was the tool that would make this possible. He went on and created everything from the mouse to lots of modern interactive computing. Many of you may have seen his "mother of all demos". If not, watch http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8734787622017763097... That demo, in…

Pick up a copy of Nelson's book: "Computer Lib/Dream Machines" for some more fun history of the pre-PC era.

I have signed copies of all Nelson's works but Future of Information. Not boasting, but I love collecting books. The Home Computer Revolution (inscribed "We haven't got to the future yet") is a stunning book, it predicts so many things in 1977.
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