Google Watch - Archive - A Memex Machine Emerges From The 1940s

A Memex Machine Emerges From The 1940s

Written By
Ben Charny
Ben Charny
Mar 1, 2006
1 minute read
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Here come Trexy.com, another new search feature to borrow from Dr. Vannevar Bush’s visionary1945 Atlantic Monthly article “As We May Think”. What Bush proposed, and Trexy says it’s bringing to life, is a “Memex” or memory extender machine to organize the public record.

The 2006 version involves the saving, and anonymous sharing, of a “search trail”. Loosely defined, this consists of a replica of an Internet search engine session. Privacy seekers can switch-off the sharing feature.

Inventor Nigel Hamilton, Trexy CEO: “Wouldn’t it be good if you could remember your personal search trails and also follow the search trails of others?”

Maybe. Since search trails reveal personal details, whether deliberately or not, the sharing feature is likely to scare some people off. The rest will have to judge for themselves if there’s value in it.

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