Castronovaj

I am under the impression that Memex machine looks like Orville's time machine.  Both are from the same desire for omniscience in having all knowledge packaged adnd recallable before your finger tips.  A network of documents is created leaving behind an evolution of meaning.  It is a roadmap of how we got where we are. 

Today, we have digital tools such as the internet that allows memory to be stored and recalled in digital form drawing a clear connection between memory and invention.

The recent article "Distributing Memory:  Rhetorical Work in Digital Environments" attempts to to show that connection.  Derek Van Ittersum takes this to the next level by memorizing literate practices.  He analyzes the graduate students ability to integrate the use of One Note into their note taking and recording practices.  Some of these students are in the process of writing their thesis.  He looked at the One Note as a digital memory devices that also work as invention tools.  

The main question:  Is the labor required in learning the new practice worth the overall benefit.  This questions builds a interesting and complex relationship between literacy and memory.  

How should we quantify effort vs. effect in examining the usability of these tools?