Bush's Memex Machine 

The purpose of the Memex was to extend human memory by providing the means to organize information associatively. Bush felt that the mind worked by association, creating an intricate web of trails interconnecting the memories and data stored within the mind. Therefore, he felt that the optimal design for mechanically organizing information should incorporate association. His conceptual design for the Memex provided the means for a user to tie various pieces of information together by forging trails between them. Any item could be linked by many trails. The Memex would also allow users to annotate any piece of information, enter their own information, and link it to the existing web of information. Although the Memex was never built, Bush visualized it as an extension of existing technology.

The concepts underlying Bush's memex inspired succeeding visionaries, such as Douglas Englebart and Ted Nelson.