A-stounding. When reading “As We May Think” I began the piece having a difficult time keeping up. Truthfully, it reminded me of the current DC mega-event Final Crisis where every other moment of the first three issues has made me think, “TO WIKIPEDIA!”
Hopefully Final Crisis will be as filled with revelations and jaw dropping moments as this piece was. Off the top of my head I related what Vannevar was predicting over 50 years ago to at least five different modern devices of media. For starters, we have the jump drive. While he was describing something most people would attribute as a floppy, that little device has gone the way of the Dodo in recent years. All things circling about his “Memex” concept, the man foresaw modern interactions with computers when the only computer around was a giant room of devices that mimicked what we now call a calculator and even THAT device, I believe, was at least five years down the road.
He went on to describe minimizing windows, (btw the man theorized internet explorer) utilizing the simulated-page-turning feature popular on Macintosh’s iProducts and low and behold stated that information sharing will be handled first by way of telephone lines (hola, Monsieur Dialup) and later passed by leaps and bounds as soon as the technology developed further (and a good day to you Senor DSL.) The creepy psychic quarter machine from Big -meet Vannevar Bush.
Really, the whole piece got me to thinking, “If I really put my mind to it, if I focused on the problems and limitations of today could I see 50-60 years into the future like this? Could I provide the grounds for the technology of two generations from now? Foresee the needs of the people and at least form a basis of what they would need and somehow theorize how they would approach the issues??”
The answers are as follows: No, definitely not, and, for the record, I’m not even sure what I’m having for breakfast this morning -probably a Full Throttle. Perhaps when I’m 40 I’ll be able to, in no way approach, but sniff, slightly, the level of intuition this man possessed. Giving it a go I foresee blogs that write themselves and have subconciously driven directives enabling the blocking and or misleading of individuals who you do not wish to view their contents. Or, perhaps, blogs that adapt themselves to seem open, but where once there was a two page diatribe bashing your former flame there now, and only to them, appears: “It was good times, I hope you’re stronger than I am. Hugs and kisses.” And as soon as they log off, “Death to the bitch!”
That’s the world I want to live in.
And the beautiful thing is you wouldn’t even know it had happened. You’d just log in and read your own blog like anyone else in the world, “Oh wow, I couldn’t have said that better myself… good thing my subconcious uploaded my emotions through my cerebral uplink and then set up safeguards for my lady friend.”
That’s a part of the future in my mind. The speed things will need to move at is faster than the speed of thought. Emotions will control the innovations and before you even yawn, a cup of coffee will materialize. Before you finish page one of that comic book your favorites will be referenced, re-referenced, and suddenly the trade paperback of “The Ultimates,” circa 2006, will be in your hand instead of that copy of “Mary Jane 2099 Loves Spiderman 2099.” And somewhere, the editor of the comics on IGN’s cerebral waystation (websites are so 21st century) will be flamed maliciously for ever making such a recommendation in the first place.
It’ll be the speed of thought, only faster. If Vannevar Bush ever gets reincarnated, it’ll probably still be a bit slow by comparison. And honestly, he probably already thought of this -as well as past it.
