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Week 2 Workshop reading

Week 2

1. What are the central problems are both both Bush and Berners-Lee trying to solve?

The central problem is that at that time information and data were organized and stored inefficiency. It is difficult to further consult and access the information. Both authors believed that using technology would make the information more accessible and connection effectively. Thus, people could access to huge, indexed related knowledge easily. In order to solve this Bush envisioned the concept of memex which leading to the creation of World Wide Web by Berners-Lee.

2. What type of indexing does Bush propose? How is it different to other methods existing at the time (and even now)? What model is it based on?

Bush focus on associative indexing. At that time, data was recorded and put into storage, it is filed alphabetically or numerically only. However, human mind works in a different way. It works according to association. Therefore, associative indexing is based on the operation of storing and connection information in human brains. Bush also noticed that using selection by association is better than by just indexing so he accomplished it. It is convenient to associative indexing which select two items that users required and tying together immediately and automatically. 

3.  What are some of the key principles and values built into the infrastructure of the Internet? 

 It based on the idea of human memory process which linking knowledge together and finding the relevant information. Hypertext is the foundation concept defining the structure of Internet. It makes connections between different information and documents. Readers can access to another related texts, images or video by clicking the hyperlink. Bush envisioned the memex which is a proto-hypertext system and inspiration of hypertext and the Internet. Based on the concept of memex, Barners-Lee made it come true by invented World Wide Web which using hypertext to link and access information or documents via hyperlinks. 

Bonus:

Some people have criticised people who too closely link the Memex with the web. What are some of the key differences between the memex and the web?

      Memex and the web is different but we can say memex is the blueprint of the web as the concept of memex did invented the web after that.

A memex is an electromechanical device that allows individuals to  store and read a large self-contained research, also add their own associative trails of links and notes. As we can see, memex is a sort of mechanized private file and library for individual use. People can only use that device to read and connected the data that pre-stored in the device. Thus, the data inside memex is limited and not able to use by many people. However, the internet is network of newtworks. People can store, access and share unlimited information via different kinds of computers or platforms. Unlike the web, memex is more individuation.