pieces of metal and plastic

Dear Friends, There is no desire from my part to start another flame war (but a discussion, yes) but in answer to the many that have expressed (here or privately) their total disinterest for the *meaning* the *history* and the *culture* behind our collections may I ask them to consider what their machines would mean without somebody behind (or rather in front) of them. Machines are just pieces of metal and plastic. They mean something because they are related to the minds, fingers, emotions, life, behaviours and destinies of the people behind them. YOU love so much that piece of hadware for what it meant to you (or to somebody else you are related with), to your life, to your history of for it meant to the history of mankind. So I am asking *you*, lover of the hardware to reconsider your thoughts and ask yourself what would your collection mean without all of the above. I, for one, will be glad to learn that you had second toughts about this. In either cases it could be useful to read here your motivations.