25 May
2010
25 May
'10
6:03 a.m.
On (21:04 24/05/10), Tony Duell wrote:
<<SNIP>>
All I can say is it was like that when I voluteered at
BP. With a couple
of twists. Firstly, there were no spare parts (not even common things
like fuses) kept in stock. And secondly there was no budget to go and
buy such parts. So if you wanted a part you took it from the nearest
machine (!). Secondly, the policy, as docmented in some of the
explanitory texts, was that when a machine was donated it was plugged in
and turend on to see if it worked. I think you know my views on that.
It's one thing for a non-knowledgable e-bya seller to turn on an old
machine to he can sell it as working (if it does) and get a higher price.
But a muesum should take rather more care than that!
Did you offer to help raise funds for missing parts? Did you offer to
improve their documented policy and process?
Seems to me that you didn't like what you saw, assumed *somebody else* was
in charge and that they had "got it all wrong".
Do you know what's better than pointing out problems? Offering solutions.
You seem to make the assumption that there were malicious Powers That Be
conspiring against you and your firmly held ideals. I'd be happy to wager
that everyone was involved in a learning process. That there were no big
pots of money being poorly allocated, and spent on executive lunches when
things like fuses were desperately needed.
I have to say that this is all conjecture on my part. But I've all too often
seen people gripe about perceived shortcomings whilst making absolutely zero
effort to be part of the solution. As I say, I could be wrong, but I cannot
imagine any of the volunteers I've met being ungrateful of offers of advice
and help. And that Bletchley Park and TNMOC is still there is nothing short
of amazing, and I for one would much rather people swapped fuses between
machines than the whole lot was dispersed as the buildings were flattened to
extend the surrounding housing estates which are keen to swallow up the
land.
Cheers,
Andrew
--
Andrew Back
a at smokebelch.org