Quarter classics (was: Big Iron Was:RE: Backwate - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

23 Jun 1998

...
  [Science museum]
>> Alas they've added some of those 'interactive' experiments. While a
good 
>> idea in theory, I'm not sure they should be combined with collections of 
>> historical scientific instruments, etc. The groups of people interested 
>> in the two displays would have virtually no intersection IMHO.
> Hmm. The Deutsches Museum is a 'hands-on'/'interactive') museum
> since the first years, and the combination of historic displays
> and learning works fine - at least for me. 
...
  I've got no problem with working exhibits, and
hands-on learning. But the 
 science museum already has far more stuff than it can display, so when 
 a lot of the space has recently been taken over with these interactive 
 experiments that have little to do with the historical stuff, it's a 
 pity. 
Thats maybe a difference, because the Deutsches Museum is
supposed to be a learning thing - tell science and technic
One special thing is that there are displays made in the
30s, 50s or 60s which are historical themself. I had some
fights in the past where these displays should be removed
and replaced by something 'modern'.

...
  While I am sure that such things are educationally
very valuable, if I 
 want to see which materials conduct electricity, I'll do it at home :-). 
 I want to see things that, in general, I don't have at home, and am not 
 likely to have at home. 
No. It's exactly about the 'simple' displays to tell the basic
story. I don't need a 'multi media experiance' on computers,
when nobody tells the story of a flip-flop or any dimple and/or/not
logic (Without these _simple_ displays at the Deutsches Museum
I never had understood the two-stroke engine or the exact system
of the 'controls' of an steam engine in locomotives).

Example: in the computer hall they have a display showing
a digital counter build of acryl boxes, driven by _water_
(As I said before - the computer display is marvelous until
Zuse engine - thereafter just junk). Thats the kind I'm
talking about - showing the basics.

...
  Last time I was there, they had some kind of virtual
reality system (a 
 game of some kind, I think). I didn't investigate further, as it cost 
 more money to see it. Note that this wasn't an exhibition on how virtual 
 reality machines work, or anything like that. And it was using the space 
 that had once held a GWR 'Castle' locomotive and a Class 55 Deltic. 
Sad, but if I had to decide between just displaying a clasic
engine or a hans on display, I favour the later - don't get
me wrong, I'm not talking about fun rides for entertainment.

The Deutsches Museum also owns an impressiv collection of
railway vehicle, and some real unique pices, but they are
only to show significant stages of technology, not just
historic - Thats reserved for railway mueseums (btw: you
have in GB a museum still without any comperable counterpart
in Germany - the Tramway Museum in Chrich!).

...
 >> Oh, back the heads off the drum and replace it
with a set of RAMs and 
>> counters :-). Keep the drum turning, and demonstrate the machine with 
>> more modern memory (at least for day-to-day operation). 
...
 > Exactly my idea of a display ... 
...
  Right... Well, even better, teach people how to start
and stop the drum 
 and keep the machine original, but I guess that wouldn't be practical. 
Nice - but dream - the drum was alredy not very reliable
when it was new. It would be a huge success if it could
run only once.

Gruss
H.

--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK