AI Summary: Bob Horn, a pioneer in information mapping, hypertext, and visual language, presented about his 1989 book ‘Mapping Hypertext’.
His main points included:
- Created information mapping methodology used by 300,000-400,000 writers
- Developed structured writing approach with 40 categories for organizing information
- Pioneered visual language integration with text
- Introduced concept of structured abstracts
- Focused on making complex information more accessible and scannable
- Emphasized importance of standalone diagrams and visual scaffolding
- Currently working on “scaffoldings” – large diagrams with 4-500 visual and verbal elements
Bob Horn, Dene Grigar, Frode Hegland, Jamie Blustein, Brandel Zachernuk, Jim Strahorn, Ted Fordyce, Jimmy 6DOF, Muniroth Ly, Danila Medvedev, Mark Anderson, Abhirami Kumar, Rob Swigart, Chris Gebhardt, John Barber, Peter Wasilko, Fabien Benetou, Claus Atzenbeck
Bob Horn’s notes after the event are available at: https://futuretextlab.info/2025/01/22/bob-horn-notes-jan-2025/
The Gigamapping paper referred to is available at: https://systemsorienteddesign.net/what-is-gigamapping/
AI: Summary
The meeting focused on Bob Horn’s pioneering work in information mapping and hypertext, particularly his 1989 book “Mapping Hypertext”. The discussion explored how his early ideas about structuring and visualizing information remain relevant for modern XR environments. Key themes included information visualization, structured writing, standalone diagrams, and the challenges of organizing knowledge in three-dimensional space. The conversation frequently returned to questions about how to effectively structure and present information in XR environments, building on Horn’s foundational work while addressing new technological possibilities and challenges.
AI: Speaker Summary
Bob Horn:
Presented his work on information mapping and structured writing, explaining how he developed a system of 40 categories for organizing information. Emphasized the importance of visual language and integration of text with visual elements. Described current work on “scaffoldings” and standalone diagrams. Showed strong interest in how information can be structured for better understanding and communication.
Dene Grigar:
Moderated the session and provided context about the relationship between Horn’s work and current XR research. Emphasized the importance of pre-web hypertext ideas for current development. Mentioned teaching Inform and discussed the importance of understanding historical context in digital technologies.
Frode Hegland:
Focused on the challenges of structuring information and notes, particularly in relation to academic writing. Discussed Visual-Meta and the importance of metadata in different contexts. Emphasized the need for better ways to structure information in XR environments.
Brandel Zachernuk:
Discussed the governance of web hypertext through W3C and showed particular interest in how Horn’s work on murals could be translated into virtual spaces. Shared experiences with creating virtual galleries of information.
Jamie Blustein:
Discussed academic writing conventions and information shape theory. Shared personal experience about being told to make academic writing less accessible. Director of HAIKU lab (Hypertext Augmenting Intelligent Knowledge Use).
Fabien Benetou:
Focused on practical implementations in XR, particularly regarding structuring and sharing information. Expressed interest in getting source files rather than just final products to better understand and work with information structures.
Mark Anderson:
Contributed insights about Tinderbox and document structuring. Made connections between Horn’s work and Engelbart’s viewspecs. Discussed the challenges of transforming personal notes into communicable information.
Danila Medvedev:
Discussed NeyroKod platform and theoretical frameworks for improving human thinking. Made connections to historical development of writing and visual systems. Offered perspective on combining AI with human thinking processes.
Abhirami Kumar:
PhD student studying intersections of print and digital experimental narratives. Asked thoughtful questions about how extra-illustrated books might manifest in XR environments.
Klaus Atzenbeck:
Discussed spatial hypertext and the importance of proximity in information organization. Raised questions about dissolving traditional node-link structures in favor of more fluid spatial arrangements.
AI: Topics Discussed
WebXR:
- Brandel Zachernuk mentioned working on web standards for spatial web
- Discussion of embedding 3D models and metadata in XR spaces
- References to glTF format and XR fragments
Symposium:
Brief mention by Fabien Benetou regarding demo of extracting images from research papers as manipulable illustrations.
The Book (Mapping Hypertext):
- Published in 1989
- Created using MacDraw
- Contains visual representations of hyperlinks
- Includes structured abstracts
- Presents 40 categories for information organization
- Discusses challenges of scaling up hypertext
- Available on Internet Archive
Other Topics:
- Information mapping methodology
- Structured writing and academic communication
- Visual language and diagram integration
- Spatial hypertext concepts
- Information architecture
- AI’s role in structuring information
- Historical development of hypertext
- Preservation and archiving of digital content
AI: Concepts Introduced
- Information Mapping: Bob Horn introduced his system of 40 categories for organizing stable information
- Structured Abstracts: Horn described his development of structured abstracts for academic papers
- Visual Language: Integration of visual and verbal elements where each does what it does best
- Scaffoldings: Horn’s current work on large diagrams with integrated visual and verbal elements
- Information Shape: Mentioned by Jamie Blustein, referencing Andrew Dillon’s concept
- Standalone Diagrams: Horn’s concept of diagrams that can be understood independently but link to broader contexts
- Spatial Hypertext: Discussed by Klaus Atzenbeck regarding proximity-based information organization
AI: People Mentioned
Ted Nelson – mentioned by Jamie Blustein regarding signed book copy
Doug Engelbart – mentioned by Dene Grigar and others regarding pioneering work in hypertext, mouse invention, and video conferencing
Nancy Kaplan – mentioned by Dene Grigar as introducing her to Michael Joyce’s work
Michael Joyce – mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding Afternoon, A story
Mark Bernstein – mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding Storyspace software
Andrew Dillon – mentioned by Jamie Blustein regarding Information Shape concept
Bill Benson – mentioned by Danila Medvedev regarding cognitive ranks theory
David Hayes – mentioned by Danila Medvedev regarding cognitive ranks theory
Luis Alberto Machado – mentioned by Danila Medvedev regarding intelligence development
Stephen Toulmin – mentioned by Bob Horn regarding argumentation mapping
Peter Senge – mentioned by Danila Medvedev regarding learning organizations
AI: Product or Company Names Mentioned
MacDraw – mentioned by Bob Horn as tool used to create book
Microsoft Word – mentioned by Bob Horn for current work
AT&T – mentioned by Bob Horn as early adopter of information mapping
NASA – mentioned by Bob Horn regarding work on structured abstracts
ChatGPT – mentioned in context of AI structuring information
Storyspace – mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding early hypertext tools
HyperCard – mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding pre-web hypertext
Tinderbox – discussed by Mark Anderson for document structuring
NeyroKod – mentioned by Danila Medvedev as spatial hypertext platform
Miro – mentioned regarding collaborative visual mapping
Internet Archive – mentioned regarding availability of Horn’s books
AI: Other
The meeting demonstrated strong interest in bridging historical hypertext concepts with modern XR implementations. There was particular emphasis on preserving and building upon pre-web ideas while embracing new technological possibilities.
Chat Log URLs:
https://futuretextlab.info/2024/12/16/bob-horn-20-jan-2025/
https://archive.org/details/mappinghypertext0000horn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Horn
https://systemsorienteddesign.net/what-is-gigamapping/
https://systemsorienteddesign.net/designing-complexity/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMr33zFj3YA
https://web.cs.dal.ca/~jamie/hypertext/defn.html
https://dougengelbart.org/about/viewspecs.html
https://danilamedvedev.com/tpost/mod5evb721-language-20
https://zachernuk.neocities.org/2022/09/19/nirex-mural/
https://thefutureoftext.org/2022/09/19/vr/
https://ganelson.github.io/inform-website/
https://tvtropes.org
https://cometskateboards.com/
Chat Log Summary:
The chat was highly active and complementary to the verbal discussion, featuring:
- Sharing of relevant resources and links
- Side discussions about academic writing conventions
- Technical discussions about information structuring tools
- Exchange of contact information for further collaboration
- Discussion of various software tools and approaches
- Sharing of personal experiences with information organization
- Questions and clarifications about concepts mentioned in the presentation
Why is the topic of the future of spaces in XR important?
The topic is crucial because:
- It represents a fundamental shift from 2D to 3D information organization
- Challenges traditional document and information structures
- Offers new possibilities for knowledge representation and interaction
- Requires rethinking how we structure and present information
- Bridges historical hypertext concepts with emerging technologies
- Addresses the need for more intuitive and natural ways to interact with information
- Impacts how we will author, read, and understand content in spatial computing environments
- Presents opportunities to improve how we organize and access complex information
- Requires consideration of both individual and collaborative information spaces
- Has implications for education, research, and knowledge work in general
The discussion highlighted how Bob Horn’s early work on information mapping and visual language provides valuable insights for developing effective XR spaces, while also revealing new challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed in three-dimensional, interactive environments.
Further Materials
Bob Horn has shared the following extended information with us (click for full PDFs):


2 comments