Re: disposition of largest private DEC collection in USA

From: patrick jankowiak (eccm_at_swbell.net)
Date: 01/25/05 

Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 02:09:08 GMT

Morten Reistad wrote:

> In article <41F31CAE.6000803@swbell.net>,
> patrick jankowiak <eccm@swbell.net> wrote:
>
>>Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>I have wanted to start a computer museum here at the University
>>>for a long time. I figured if I could get commitments from a
>>>few corporations for operating funds I could probably convince
>>>the University to give me the necessary space. But I really
>>>don't know how to go about finding corporate sponsers. :-(
>>>My idea is to have a real hands on facility where people can
>>>come in and actually play with the equipment. I would also
>>>make as much of it as I could available on the INTERNET with
>>>guest accounts. But, I'm probably just dreaming again.
>
>
> Corporate sponsors are just as shallow. We need to come up
> with a workable museum first.
>
>
>>I wish we could do this. There's a hell of a datacenter here just waiting to be unzipped. It's what we wanted.. (makes me
>>want to listen to "all we ever wanted" by Bauhaus) Man I am trying to keep a good mindset but this step is
>> getting me down. It has to be done though.
>>
>>OPCOM
>
>
> A computer museum will need large amounts of space; as well as
> access to largish amounts of energy when someone decides to run
> the machines. Much can be mocked up for the standard visitor, using
> emulators to show software on the correct terminals. But machines
> must be kept intact. We also have the issue of documentation.
>
> Such space fast becomes the major problem. It cannot be in or very
> near major cities, because land is too expensive there. And the scale
> of this is big enough for a full theme park.
>
> So why not do this?
>
> Make a theme park around technology development and preservation.
> Remember that the audience is a premium one for many locations.
> The nerds or wannabees that visit such places have above average
> income, are not very inclined to boozing and gambling, and tend
> to leave the facilities without damage.
>
> It will have to be located somewhere outside the mainstream, and
> must be the magnet for people itself. Just like Disney World.
>
> -- mrr
>
>

Sweet.. Need $ and $.. That would be very nice,
have everything from pre-vacuum tube stuff on up.
A home for analog computers too, yeah.. I could see
it on 100 acres. Mostly indoors of course as geeks
don't like the hot weather much..

The place could become a location of pilgrimages where
acolytes could chant in octal and wizards could perform
5-way merges on relational databases in an afternoon
while across the park, boy electricians made huge
sparks fly by selecting the right capacitors..

Microphones could be placed on the HDA's of grumbling
RA81's and during this activity, connected to
amplified subwoofers under the spinning platter-shaped
floor in the next room - a "hard disk ride"
"Ride the RA-81 Platter like a dust speck!!
Watch out for the heads!!"
Space mountain's got nothing on this one!

Rides wouln't be the real attraction though, just a
minor diversion. The interactive exhibits of all kinds,
that's the key. The real VAXclusters and the 11/780
with doors open to show off the cards. A LINUX Beowulf
cluster, paper tape, DECtape, 9-track tape, 8-track tape.
And the blinkenlights stuff in a room where the lights
dim evey several minutes or so. When the lights dim,
AM radios tuned to the music of each machine come on,
machines programmed to play music via the RFI. I
know some remember doing that on pdp8's and other
stately machines.

On the other stuff, ever programmed an analog computer?
Talk about an experience. There's lots of classic
technology pieces out there, tons of test equipment
with real CRT's, and machines like plasma generators
from depostion processes, ever notice how you can measure
plasma density by measuring the attenuation of a
microwave beam through the plasma chamber?

The progress of everything high tech:
computers
RF
audio
Germanium transistors (if anyone recalls those)
plain old electricity
tesla coil (very very large)
open-frame dynamos
what else?

Might cost what $100M to start?

The only geek with enough $ to start something like that,
and enough daring to pull it off is Mr. Gates.

It's wonderful and would probably make tons of
moolah.. Who's going to call Bill?

Ok so I was known for wild posts.. but that's the best
thing I've heard of yet, a geek theme park. I'd pay to go.

It's not going to happen before June though. That's the
timeframe we are looking at about now, so I'm back to
the subject at hand.

Opcom

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