I chose to read an article discussing the Bush's original idea of the memex. The article discusses that while Bush's ideas were good, today's microfilm technology has still not advanced enough for his vision to be fully realized. However, the author says that Bush's "vision remains intact and very much alive in hypermedia." The author specifically references Mac computers when saying that the basis of Bush's ideas are there but that the media has changed saying that "electronic storage and display implements are used rather than the microfilm technology." But, overall the author is very optimistic about the future because he suggested that the biggest obstacle to the widespread use of hypermedia is the high cost of mass storage and that society is getting better and better in that aspect of technology. I agree somewhat with this commentary because I do believe that the basics of the Bush's ideas are in play today, just not to the extent that he predicted, which is what the author suggests. For example, Bush predicted people would be sending microfilms back and forth. While that hasn't happened yet, we still use things like email is a very similar concept. However, I disagree with the author's level of optimism on our mass storage prospects in the future. I don't think we are that close to the type of unlimited storage that Bush talked about in his articles.
http://www.farces.com/the-lost-manuscripts-commentary-on-bushs-memex/
Very interesting reflection. I have to agree with the idea that Bush's predictions are reflected in our society today, but not to the extent to which he predicted. As you also said, Bush's ideas are not exactly accurate as far as their specificity/extent goes(i.e. sending microfilms back and forth), but they are still reflective in their function. E-mails and text messages are a substitute for Bush's microfilms in that they allow for easily exchanging large amounts of information. The linking of similar information on the other hand, is an idea coined by Bush and we do in fact see that in the form of hyperlinks. It's going to be interesting to see how closely we reflect Bush's predictions in the near future.
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