poly: Wish list item

I would like to have a (computerized) encyclopedia of the ephemera (EE)
that make up much of our daily lives. It would have an entry for Hula
Hoops, and record the "Speak" posters of Ollie North, with a paragraph
of information, pictures, dates, and references to longer articles.

When I'm reading anything on the screen, but especially older material,
every word and short phrase would be automatically checked for an entry
in the ephemera encyclopedia. Hits would underline the phrase for
further clicking.

If my granddaughter, in 2050, is reading an article written in 1998,
and it makes a passing reference to the "Bill and Monica show", the EE
will alert her that the reference is to an ongoing scandal, rather than
simply a random forgotten TV show.

An EE would be a great boon to understanding stuff written a century
ago. Sherlock Holmes made frequent use of reply-paid telegrams.
In another century, the meaning might be lost to the casual reader.

Rich Schroeppel rcs@cs.arizona.edu
Received on Wed Dec 9 15:33:24 1998