We take it for granted that computers hold answers to our questions, our information requirements, our needs over the past twenty five years we have learned much about language, about databases, and about how people interact with computers; researchers have made great strides in the construction of human computer interfaces which (relatively) seamlessly integrate modalities, for example, speech and written language, natural language and menu systems, and so on. The next generation of interfaces and browsers, in order to be considered successful, must do more: they must individualize frameworks of meaning in order to provide relevant timely responses to information requests. I want to make several points, perhaps circuitously, but directed as examining some basic tenets regarding our faith in machines. I direct your attention to several problems inherent in representation(s) required to place information into machines for easy (individualized) access, followed up by some larger questions about the inherent capabilities of machines (versus humans).
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