(no subject)

[HILNET]

To Unicode.org

In connection with the discussion about hexadecimal characters, one might find of interest my solution to the problem. As background, I developed a code for the unique identification of all recorded knowledge and information and proposed a universal system at a conference in Tokyo in 1967. Since then, my colleagues and I have been waiting for technology to develop to the stage that would make a universal information access system an essential component of a Global Information Infrastructure.

The technology is now here in bandwidth, processing speed and power, and cost of storage. Our alphanumeric code in a structured format has been supplemented with a 64-bt unique identifier for machine interaction also in a structured format. The standard keyboard would be replaced by one with 20 additional special  function keys.  Sixteen of these keys would have 16 color coded dots representing the hexadecimal coding. When the input is shifted to the universal code, the first two keys entered would automatically represent a Unicode character. The first 16 bits of the 17th bit field would represent the hexadecimal characters. The remaining 64-bits would identify devices, subject terms and phrases, proper names, geographic segments, documents and items in the system. The system is designed to handle both public and private information. 

Howard J. Hilton, Ph.D.