For some of the searches we perform on the web we often feel that (i) there must exist a person in our wider social circle with direct relevant knowledge, (ii) who, upon request, would provide us with much more accurate and tailored information. Yet, how many of us know (and can recall) the islands visited by each of their friends, so as to know who to ask for a good place to stay in Folegandros? Or, what is a good source for micro-roasted coffee beans in Heraklion?


This talk is motivated by two observations. The first is that to solve the problem above, it is not necessary for each of us to externalize their brain content in natural language. It suffices instead that we each "publish a table of contents" for the part of our brain we wish to share. The second observation is that each of us can build such a table in a light-weight and privacy preserving manner, by leveraging existing web search technology. A concrete proposal for such a table-building mechanism is the main subject of the talk.


Note: the talk does not require any prior knowledge of web-related algorithms, semantic web technologies, etc. Instead, the fist half of the talk attempts a historical overview of information transfer methods and the role played in them by indirection (including the role of Gutenberg in the Cypriot issue).