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Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) was an American inventor best known for his work at the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II. Wikipedia says,
"[Bush] emphasized the importance of scientific research to national security and economic well-being, and was chiefly responsible for the movement that led to the creation of the National Science Foundation." (Wikipedia: Vannevar Bush, 12.19.22 UTC 05:04)
The rest of this post is some quotes from Bush.
"Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and to coin one at random, memex will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his book, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory." (As We May Think, 1945)
"There is a new profession of trail blazers, who find delight in the task of establishing useful trails through the enormous mass of the common record. The inheritance from the master becomes, not only his additions to the world's record, but for his disciples the entire scaffolding by which they were erected." (As We May Think, 1945)