January 9th Blog #1

One “ah-ha” was found in the readings by Fidler, and has to do with the first computers. Although I had always heard that the first computers were developed by and for the military, I had never really learned the details of the invention. I found it incredible how massively huge this machine was and how little it actually did. Although at the time this must have been an amazing device, today it seems funny; because if I saw a machine as Fidler describes, I would not label it a computer. The reading also widened my view of what a ‘computer’ actually is. Whenever I hear ‘computer’ I automatically think of a personal computer, not realizing that computers these days are tiny, and they are everywhere from cars to washing machines.
Another “ah-ha” that I got from Fidler was about the origins of the internet. The fact that “no government or commercial entity owns the Net or directly profits from its operation. It has no president, chief executive officer, or central headquarters.” was really interesting, and realized that in fact the net, is something that it just there, or simply exists. I also never knew that the early stages of the internet were referred to as the ARPANET. I again found that it was mostly used for military purposes. It would be interesting to further research many of today’s technologies, and find how much actually stems from the military.
When comparing Vannevar’s idea of the “memex” with today’s personal computer and internet, many similarities and differences can be found. First of all, the physical set up of the memex sounds much like today’s personal computer. When using a computer you are usually at some sort of a desk, with a keyboard in front of you, and a screen. Today’s computer does not have “sets of buttons and levers” besides the keyboard itself and maybe a mouse. They are both similar in that they both can “store all books, records, and communications, and may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility.” The internet, and computers are where we store many things; many people use computers as their daily calendars, and also resources for going about their daily lives. Hospitals are run by computers which store all their patient’s records and information.
The memex seems to be a combination of today’s personal computer and the internet. A difference is that much of Vannevar’s idea consists of using microfilm, which obviously is not how computers work today. What was interesting, is that his idea of ‘trails’ sounds a lot like today’s internet ‘links.’ One link, can lead to another, which can lead to another and in turn creates a web of endless information, and help people to find any type of information they are looking for. Although there are many differences, the basic principles of Vannevar’s memex are very similar to that of today’s personal computer and the internet.
Seeing how quickly technology has always been changing, and things are always getting more portable, I see the internet in 2045 as being everywhere. People will pull devices out of their pocket and be able to look up anything, and the world wouldn’t function as easily without the internet. Every car will have and internet connection inside it for easy transportation purposes. Many things such as television and the radio will be fully converged with the internet and will run simultaneously. In general, in the year 2045, I see the internet being much more portable, smaller, and widely dispersed.