A document is not necessarily a simulation of paper. In the most general sense, a document is a package of ideas created by human minds and addressed to human minds, intended for the furtherance of those ideas and those minds. Human ideas manifest as text, connections, diagrams and more: thus how to store them and present them is a crucial issue for civilization.—Ted Nelson

"Our goal should be nothing less than REPRESENTING THE TRUE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF HUMAN THOUGHT. But it should be thought of as something more: enabling the mind to weigh, pursue, synthesize and evaluate ideas for a better tomorrow. Or any at all."

Computer Lib / Dream Machines is a sprawling collage of ideas, the key point (also demonstrated in its format) is that tools for creatively combining information were and are a both crucial and overlooked issue.

"We must once again become a community of common access to a shared heritage."

– Ted Nelson, Dream Machines

Content medium and perception

• "conceptual unified system can be created from the artful, non-obvious combination of loose elements originally having different intended purposes."
• Sensing a whole system from disperate parts
• Fantic - "conveying ideas and impressions, especially with showmanship and presentational techniques, organizing constructs, and fundamental structures underlying presentational systems"

"Knowledge, understanding and freedom can all be advanced by the promotion and deployment of computer display consoles (with the right programs behind them"

– Ted Nelson, Dream Machines, p.58

Thinkertoys

• "Collateration, then, is the creation of such multiple and viewable links BETWEEN ANY TWO DATA STRUCTURES"

"If the computer is a universal control system, let's give kids universes to control."

– Ted Nelson, Dream Machines

Dream machines

• Take presentation systems seriously, as they are adopted they become a reality
• A sense that those considering the problem of how to structure information for computers were "adrift in a sea of ignorance" but nevertheless had to create a system that "everyone could climb aboard"
• "Our goal should be nothing less than REPRESENTING THE TRUE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF HUMAN THOUGHT. But it should be thought of as something more: enabling the mind to weigh, pursue, synthesize and evaluate ideas for a better tomorrow. Or any at all."