1.5 Multimedia Today
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1.4 Legacy of the Multimedia Pioneers
The multimedia revolution was born in Bush’s recognition that something was bound
to come of the dramatic technical innovations of the twentieth century. Microfilm,
magnetic storage, vacuum tubes, and transistors would lead to new tools that would
transform our understanding of the world. His Memex promised to both empower and
change us, altering what we could do, and how we think.
Bush also understood that the tools that shape understanding could, in turn, be
shaped by understanding. His enduring legacy is the inspiration he provided to others to
actively design new technologies to meet human needs and interests.
The machine that would eventually make Bush’s vision possible ...