The Memex (from Memory expansion) is a hypothesized machine for interacting with information, first described by Vannevar Bush in 1945.
It was envisioned to store all of humanity’s knowledge, easily and quickly accessible. It would be able to bring up material that is relevant to a user in a specific context, interleaved with their own thoughts and comments.
The information could be linked together to create new insights, facilitating creative thought and expression. As such, it resembles the ideal vision of human-computer interaction.
Its closest relative in our current world might be the internet and knowledge management tools. The Meme could be thought of as a personal algorithm, adapted to your work and interests. Sort of like a private Google, imagined long before the internet became reality.