Memex Ontology: Examples Supplement
This supplement provides concrete instantiations of each element in the memex ontology.
Primitive Elements: Examples
Mnemegram
The fundamental unit of capture—the shadow of lived experience cast into information space.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| A journal entry | An individual’s inscription of their experience of a day, an event, a feeling |
| A photograph | Visual capture of a moment, a scene, a face |
| A recipe | Codified memory of how to prepare a dish, transmitted from experience |
| A task definition | A group’s inscription of work to be done, capturing intent and context |
| A meeting transcript | Record of a conversation, preserving what was said |
| A poem | Expressive inscription of inner experience, shaped by interpretation |
| An experiment log | Scientist’s record of procedure and outcome |
| A bookmark with annotation | Captured encounter with a resource, with added context |
| A voice memo | Audio inscription of thought in the moment |
| A sketch | Visual thinking externalized, capturing a nascent idea |
Referent
Persistent entities referenced across mnemegrams.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| ”Running” | A concept referenced in training logs, health reflections, race memories |
| ”The Hague” | A place referenced in travel journals, news captures, meeting notes |
| ”Coca-Cola” | An entity referenced in brand analyses, personal memories, cultural critiques |
| ”Maria” | A person referenced across correspondence, photographs, shared memories |
| ”Project Atlas” | An organizational entity referenced in task definitions, reports, retrospectives |
| ”Grief” | An abstract concept referenced in journal entries, therapeutic notes, poetry |
| ”2024-07-15” | A date referenced across multiple mnemegrams as temporal anchor |
| ”Kitchen renovation” | A project referenced in plans, receipts, photographs, reflections |
Assertion
Claims made about mnemegrams, referents, or relations.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| ”This photograph was taken in Paris” | Spatial context assertion |
| ”This entry was written on 2024-03-15” | Temporal context assertion |
| ”This task is blocked by Task #47” | Relational assertion |
| ”This recipe was adapted from grandmother’s original” | Provenance assertion |
| ”This meeting included Maria, John, and external counsel” | Participation assertion |
| ”This reflects my thinking before I changed my mind” | Epistemic status assertion |
| ”This is confidential” | Access control assertion |
| ”This relates to the concept of ‘sunk cost fallacy‘“ | Conceptual linking assertion |
Agent
That which interacts with the memex.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| An individual person | Creating personal mnemegrams, retrieving their own history |
| A team | Collaboratively inscribing shared work, building collective memory |
| An organization | Maintaining institutional knowledge across personnel changes |
| A family | Preserving intergenerational memory, shared stories |
| A community | Building collective witness, shared reference |
| An AI assistant | Generating synthetic mnemegrams, surfacing relevant content |
| A future self | Retrieving past inscriptions, building on prior thought |
| A researcher | Systematically capturing and connecting across domains |
Schema
Interpretive structures that render mnemegrams meaningful.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| A task schema | Fields: title, description, status, assignee, due date, blockers |
| A journal entry schema | Fields: date, mood, events, reflections, gratitudes |
| A recipe schema | Fields: ingredients, quantities, steps, timing, source, variations |
| A contact schema | Fields: name, relationship, contact info, history, context |
| A reading note schema | Fields: source, quotes, reactions, connections, questions |
| A meeting note schema | Fields: date, attendees, agenda, decisions, action items |
| A scientific observation schema | Fields: hypothesis, method, observation, interpretation, next steps |
| An unstructured schema | Free-form text with emergent structure |
Derived Structures: Examples
Relation
Connections between mnemegrams and referents.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| ”responds to” | This mnemegram is a response to that mnemegram |
| ”contradicts” | This assertion contradicts that earlier assertion |
| ”elaborates” | This entry elaborates on a previous sketch |
| ”blocks” | This task blocks that task |
| ”reminds me of” | Associative connection between two mnemegrams |
| ”is part of” | This mnemegram belongs to that collection |
| ”was present at” | This referent (person) was present at this event (mnemegram) |
| “derives from” | This generated mnemegram derives from those source mnemegrams |
Context
Sets of assertions that situate a mnemegram.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| Temporal context | ”Written at 3am during insomnia”; “Recorded immediately after the event” |
| Spatial context | ”Written in the hospital waiting room”; “Captured at the summit” |
| Emotional context | ”Written while grieving”; “Captured in a moment of elation” |
| Social context | ”Written for my therapist”; “Shared only with close family” |
| Project context | ”Part of Q3 planning”; “Related to the kitchen renovation” |
| Epistemic context | ”Speculative”; “High confidence”; “Contradicts my earlier view” |
Index
Structures enabling retrieval.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| Tag index | All mnemegrams tagged with “health”, “travel”, “project-atlas” |
| Temporal index | All mnemegrams from 2024, from last week, from “before the move” |
| Referent index | All mnemegrams referencing “Maria”, “The Hague”, “grief” |
| Full-text search index | All mnemegrams containing the phrase “I realized that” |
| Type index | All photographs, all tasks, all journal entries |
| Relation index | All mnemegrams that “respond to” a specific mnemegram |
Collection
Bounded sets of mnemegrams.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| ”Trip to Japan 2024” | All mnemegrams related to a specific journey |
| ”Thesis research” | All mnemegrams related to a research project |
| ”Conversations with Dad” | All mnemegrams capturing exchanges with a specific person |
| ”Recipe box” | All recipe mnemegrams |
| ”Project Atlas” | All mnemegrams related to a specific organizational initiative |
| ”Things I’ve changed my mind about” | Curated collection of epistemic shifts |
Provenance
Origin-tracking chains.
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| ”Adapted from grandmother’s recipe, which she learned from her mother” | Multi-generational provenance |
| ”Derived from meeting notes + follow-up email + my reflection” | Synthetic provenance |
| ”Original thought, not derived from any prior mnemegram” | Primary provenance |
| ”AI-generated summary of 47 source mnemegrams” | Generative provenance |
| ”Imported from Evernote, originally captured 2019-03-12” | Migration provenance |
Essential Properties: Examples
E1: Mnemegram Primitivity
The memex holds mnemegrams as fundamental content.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system that stores journal entries, photographs, tasks as distinct captured experiences | A file system that stores bytes without semantic structure |
| An archive of meeting notes that preserves the context of each meeting | A backup drive that preserves files without interpretive frame |
E2: Assertive Capacity
The memex supports assertions about mnemegrams.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system where you can tag, annotate, date, and link entries | A system where content exists but cannot be described or connected |
| A notebook where marginalia and cross-references are first-class | A stack of papers with no way to mark relationships |
E3: Referent Capacity
The memex represents persistent referents.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system where “Maria” is a recognized entity appearing across entries | A system where each mention of “Maria” is isolated text |
| A knowledge base where concepts like “grief” can be referenced and accumulated around | A document store with no entity recognition |
E4: Retrievability
Mnemegrams can be found and accessed.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system with search, browse, filter, and navigate capabilities | A write-only archive with no retrieval mechanism |
| A journal that can be queried by date, topic, mood | A sealed time capsule |
E5: Interpretability
Schemas render mnemegrams meaningful.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system where task mnemegrams are understood as tasks, recipes as recipes | A binary blob store with no type system |
| A collection where the structure of entries is legible and navigable | An encrypted archive with lost keys |
E6: Agency
Agents engage with the memex.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| A system actively used for inscription, retrieval, reflection | An abandoned archive no one accesses |
| A living knowledge base with ongoing contribution and consultation | A static dataset with no interaction |
Functional Capacities: Examples
F1: Inscription
Creating mnemegrams from experience.
| Example |
|---|
| Writing a journal entry after a difficult conversation |
| Photographing a whiteboard after a brainstorming session |
| Voice-recording a thought while walking |
| Creating a task card for work that needs to be done |
| Clipping a web article with personal annotation |
F2: Assertion
Making claims about mnemegrams, referents, and relations.
| Example |
|---|
| Tagging an entry with “health” and “turning-point” |
| Adding a note: “I no longer believe this” |
| Linking two entries as “contradicts” |
| Marking a mnemegram as “confidential” |
| Dating a photograph based on memory |
F3: Indexing
Creating structures that enable retrieval.
| Example |
|---|
| Building a tag taxonomy |
| Creating a timeline view |
| Generating a graph of referent connections |
| Maintaining a full-text search index |
| Organizing mnemegrams into navigable collections |
F4: Retrieval
Returning mnemegrams to agents on request.
| Example |
|---|
| Searching for all entries mentioning “Maria” |
| Browsing all photographs from 2023 |
| Finding all tasks blocked by a specific task |
| Querying “what was I thinking about this time last year?” |
| Locating the recipe for grandmother’s soup |
F4.1: Surfacing
System-initiated presentation of relevant mnemegrams.
| Example |
|---|
| ”On this day” memories appearing automatically |
| Relevant past entries suggested while writing a new entry |
| Forgotten tasks resurfaced based on context |
| Related mnemegrams offered when viewing a referent |
| Periodic review prompts for aging content |
F5: Relating
Establishing relations between mnemegrams and referents.
| Example |
|---|
| Linking a reflection to the event it reflects on |
| Connecting a book note to the book referent |
| Marking two entries as “in tension” |
| Creating a “responds to” chain across entries |
| Associating a photograph with the people in it |
F6: Versioning
Tracking states and changes across time.
| Example |
|---|
| Preserving edit history of a living document |
| Tracking when assertions were added or removed |
| Maintaining snapshots of a mnemegram at key moments |
| Recording when your view on a topic changed |
| Logging schema migrations |
F7: Generation
Producing new mnemegrams from existing content.
| Example |
|---|
| Writing a synthesis that draws on multiple prior entries |
| AI-generated summary of a collection |
| Creating a “best of” compilation from years of entries |
| Producing a report derived from project mnemegrams |
| Composing a letter that quotes and references past mnemegrams |
F8: Transmission
Making mnemegrams available beyond original context.
| Example |
|---|
| Sharing a collection with a collaborator |
| Publishing selected entries as a blog |
| Exporting a recipe collection for a family member |
| Bequeathing a memex to descendants |
| Sending a curated trail to a friend |
F9: Protection
Controlling access and maintaining integrity.
| Example |
|---|
| Encrypting sensitive mnemegrams |
| Setting access permissions on collections |
| Maintaining tamper-evident logs |
| Backing up against data loss |
| Restricting who can make assertions about shared mnemegrams |
Teleological Orientations: Examples
T1: To Persist
Making experience outlast the moment.
| Example |
|---|
| Keeping a journal so that daily experiences are not lost |
| Photographing events to preserve them against forgetting |
| Recording oral histories before elders pass |
| Archiving project documentation for future reference |
T2: To Accumulate
Enabling knowledge to compound over time.
| Example |
|---|
| Building a research corpus that grows more valuable with each addition |
| Developing expertise through accumulated reading notes |
| Organizational learning that persists across personnel changes |
| Personal growth visible through years of reflection |
T3: To Connect
Revealing relations between mnemegrams, referents, and moments.
| Example |
|---|
| Discovering that two apparently separate ideas are deeply related |
| Seeing patterns across years of entries |
| Recognizing recurring themes in life events |
| Building a web of knowledge from isolated facts |
T4: To Orient
Situating the present through knowledge of the past.
| Example |
|---|
| Reviewing past decisions before making a new one |
| Understanding current relationships through their history |
| Navigating a new situation using prior experience |
| Knowing where you are in a project by seeing where you’ve been |
T5: To Hold Accountable
Making action consequential across time.
| Example |
|---|
| Tracking promises made and kept (or broken) |
| Documenting decisions for future review |
| Maintaining evidence of what was said and done |
| Enabling future judgment of past action |
T6: To Transmit
Carrying memory across separation.
| Example |
|---|
| Passing family recipes to the next generation |
| Sharing research with distant collaborators |
| Preserving institutional knowledge across leadership transitions |
| Communicating with your future self through inscriptions |
T7: To Reflect
Making cognition visible to itself.
| Example |
|---|
| Reviewing old entries to see how your thinking has changed |
| Auditing your beliefs for consistency |
| Recognizing your own patterns and biases |
| Thinking about how you think |
T8: To Generate
Providing material for future creation.
| Example |
|---|
| Drawing on past notes to write a new essay |
| Using accumulated research to develop a theory |
| Remixing old ideas into new combinations |
| Finding inspiration in forgotten entries |
T9: To Commune
Enabling presence and intimacy across absence.
| Example |
|---|
| Feeling close to a deceased loved one through their preserved words |
| Building shared memory with a partner through collaborative inscription |
| Creating solidarity through shared witness |
| Maintaining relationship across distance through shared trails |
T10: To Identify
Sustaining continuity of self through persistent memory.
| Example |
|---|
| Knowing who you are by knowing what you’ve experienced |
| Maintaining organizational identity through institutional memory |
| Preserving cultural identity through collective memory |
| Recognizing yourself across time through persistent record |
T11: To Forget
Structured release, letting go, making space.
| Example |
|---|
| Deliberately archiving and releasing old projects |
| Ritual deletion of mnemegrams that no longer serve |
| Making explicit what can be let go |
| Creating space for new by releasing old |
Integrated Example: A Single Mnemegram in Full Context
The Mnemegram: A journal entry written on 2024-07-15 about a conversation with Maria about career change.
Schema Applied: Journal entry schema (date, mood, events, reflections, connections)
Referents:
- Maria (person)
- Career (concept)
- The café on Main Street (place)
- Fear of failure (concept)
Assertions:
- Temporal: “Written evening of 2024-07-15, same day as conversation”
- Spatial: “Conversation occurred at the café on Main Street”
- Emotional: “Written while feeling both anxious and hopeful”
- Relational: “Responds to entry from 2024-06-01 about feeling stuck”
- Epistemic: “Represents my thinking before I made the decision”
Relations:
- “responds to” → Entry from 2024-06-01
- “is followed by” → Entry from 2024-08-01 documenting the decision
- “references” → Maria, Career, Fear of failure
Provenance:
- Primary inscription (not derived from other mnemegrams)
- Created by agent (me)
- Not yet transmitted to others
Collections:
- “Career transition 2024”
- “Conversations with Maria”
- “Turning points”
Functional Capacities Engaged:
- F1 (Inscription): Created from lived experience
- F2 (Assertion): Tagged, dated, linked
- F5 (Relating): Connected to prior and subsequent entries
- F3 (Indexing): Findable via referents, date, tags
Teleological Orientations Served:
- T1 (To Persist): This moment preserved against forgetting
- T4 (To Orient): Future self can situate decisions in context
- T7 (To Reflect): Enables review of thinking before vs. after
- T10 (To Identify): Part of the thread that constitutes “who I am”
Examples supplement to “An Ontology of Memex”