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Do You Want to Remember EVERYTHING? (Memex)Created by Jeff VanDrimmelen (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) on January 26, 2007
"Memex" is a device that records everything to do... literally EVERYTHNG. Video, audio, temperature, weather, what programs you are using on your computer... EVERYTHING. It is a virtual memory of types. My Introduction to Memex I first heard about this intriguing device about six months ago in a lecture given by John Oberlin (Associate Chancellor of Information Technology at UNC) specifically for our staff. Today my 'real' memory was jogged by an article published on our University's research site. Here is a picture of the device as it stands right now.  Potential and Pitfalls When I first heard about this amazing device I was intrigued, but also a little scared. To be able to go back and search through EVERYTHING that has happened in life could really be a useful tool. I did however, ask about the ramifications of having EVERYTHING you said to everyone else recorded. I know there are some things in my life I would rather not have remembered. We are already often challenged with managing our "online identities." Many people can not get jobs because of some of the silly things we did back in college that show up in search results or on social networking sites. A variety of websites have popped up like claimID that provide tools for managing the positive things about us, and hopefully moving the negative things further down on the Google search results. Conclusion I must say I am still intrigued about the whole "memex" idea... but a little wary. What do you think? There are obvious amazing uses for education. For one, teachers won't have to be trained to record themselves and post it online. Each student could do that for themselves. What other possibilities do you forsee? -----------------------------
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John Oberlin was interviewed in October of last year about Memex and other topics. You can listen to the interview here.
Thanks for note Matt. I will check that out.
Really interesting post Jeff. Forget about applications for education, I want one to play with! Seriously, I think you've raised some significant questions which I'm still musing on. I also wonder where this leads us in terms of having another experience that is tied to our computers rather than the world around us. I'm also musing on how instant replay has changed professional sports. What would be the impact of instant replay on our lives?
Yeah, I would love to play with one too. I'm sure it won't be too long. I love your comparison to instant replay in professional sports. It has changed everything. But often it leaves people with a bad feeling in their mouths. Can you imagine using replay in an argument with your spouse. That could be disastrous! Sometimes it's good we forget. I think I'm going to stick to educational uses. My personal life can't handle something like this. :-)