Re: disposition of largest private DEC collection in USA

From: Keith Cayemberg (keith.cayemberg_at_arcor.de)
Date: 01/25/05 

Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:12:05 +0100

John Smith wrote:
> patrick jankowiak wrote:
>
>>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?
>
>
>
> You'd probably have more luck with Allen, Wozniak, and Ellison. Maybe even
> Ross Perot.
>
>
If I remember correctly, Paul Allen used to (still?) run his own private
PDP-10, his favorite system. So he appears to have a history of
investing in computer (DEC) history preservation.

Cheers!

K.C.

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