Comments on: On the Launch of the Computer History Museum

By: Kevin Hamilton

Kevin Hamilton — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:59:29 +0000

Thanks for this write-up, I’ve been curious to hear more about the museum’s reconfiguration. I spent a thrilling few hours there just a few years ago, where one linear history of computing was helpfully – if unintentionally – present via the remnants of purple Silicon Graphics branding that lingered in the space. The machines seemed to be sitting in purple cubicles formerly occupied by workers, insisting upon parallel accounts of economic rise and fall. I too have been recently energized by books like The Unfinished Revolution that tell the complex story of Licklider and others who moved through institutions and grants to develop our precarious infrastructures. It occurred to me at the time – especially given how little Licklider even appears in the book that tells his story – that a spatial history of these technologies would serve the story well. It’s within the realm of possibility to develop augmented experiences of museum collections such as this one – via print or digital media – that would tell the story according where in the world each developed – which could naturally lead to the persons involved without enforcing a History Channel hero plot. Would be fun to work on a project like that.

By: nancy Hechinger

nancy Hechinger — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:10:34 +0000

This post reveals a bit of the problem you will have… but also an important challenge to all those who want to make exhibits of ideas and process…in effect, the invisible, the stories and the memories.. The objects have real meaning for people who already know what they are… but for a total naif, they would carry no meaning ( similar to Calli’s problem). The movie Social Network is a powerful ‘exhibit’ b/c it can show process, personality, failure, ideas happening, effect,e tc. in a truly narrative exhibit. then you have this: “The task being asked of it, to propose a full interpretation a technology which transformed human culture and material life in less than 50 years, is awesome in its scope and ambition.” added to the challenge is the fact that you can’t actually ‘see’ the stuff it did anymore.. I can look at a 15th century painting, rea a 17th century book, but I can’t look at a software product that I made in 1990! Looking at non-mechanical instruments/ machines/computers…doesn’t tell you how they work. (Like the heart does, but the brain doesn’t) The ephemeral nature of this history, the lack of physical bread crumbs, so to speak, makes it hard to create an object base experience…lots to say on this…in one sentence, tell me: what is your main question for your thesis? or objective?

By: nancy Hechinger

nancy Hechinger — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00:09 +0000

The task being asked of it, to propose a full interpretation a technology which transformed human culture and material life in less than 50 years, is awesome in its scope and ambition.