18 May
2014
18 May
'14
1:43 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: 18 May 2014 19:46
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Purpose of a museum (was Re: Buying something from a museum)
artefact _is_
I disagree strongly with your statement,
"There is far too much about
the human aspect of a [sic] artefact, and that is not science."
Technology i a human behavior, and preserving the artifact (US
spelling) but not its cultural context is telling only a small part of
the story. That is my concern with much that is written as "computer
history": it is purely about the construction and functioning of an
artifact but fails to convey that contextual component. Such
"internalist" histories are not without value, but we do a disservice
to the future if we stop there. Equally incomplete
In general I agree with you. The cultural aspect of a technological important, but that be as it may, IMHO it is not
science.
So yes, if you want to have museum which records the cultural aspect of a
partical technology (say 'computers'), that's fine. But don't call it a
science
musuem. I guess my main complaint is not the such
museums exist (they
cetainly shoudl do!), but that museums that actually describe the science
-- the
'how it works', the physical principles
behiund it, etc are very few and
far
between.
so you
Finally, a museum of technology may be a very
different beast than a
classic, archival museum that puts things in cases and writes little
signs
The problem is that IMHO the London Science Musuem is a parody of such
musuems. It puts artefacts in glass cases, gives nthe arty-farty lightign can't see them properly, and has totally
inadequate descriptions of them.
There are very few wrking models now (when I was younger there were many,
not necessarily historic artefacts, but often models specifically made to
illustrate how said artefact worked ans was used). It really is a total
disapointment for me.
I still remember my school trip to the London Science Museum, in the early
70's. I loved all those models. I have not been since, have those models all
gone? That really would be a disappointment.
Regards
Rob