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I live in Seattle and hadn't heard of this! Excited to check it out. I'm still mourning the loss of our Living Computers Museum, maybe this can fill that hole

by dag11 5y ago

I live in Seattle and hadn't heard of this! Excited to check it out. I'm still mourning the loss of our Living Computers Museum, maybe this can fill that hole in my life at least a little bit.

Aloha 5y ago
It is 100% worth the visit, just seeing the panel switch operate, is magical.
icelancer 5y ago
> Living Computers Museum No kidding :( Fortunately, there's a chance it'll reopen in the future. They've softened their language since the first announcement in 2020.
- Espressosaurus 5y ago
  Is there? I thought all the staff had been laid off and most of the spare parts sold off/junked.
  - peatmoss 5y ago
    Oh man, I hope it isn't true that the equipment was sold off and / or junked. I have held out hope that the staff could be hired back. The LCM was a true gem. My first time there, I was continually freaking out "OMG, I'm touching an actual working [X for a dozen or so values of X]." Subsequent visits, I'd just hang out on the second floor, huffing the Old Computer Smells. Very therapeutic. I have to wonder what Paul would think about all his cool legacy projects being shuttered like this. Add the Cinerama to the list of things that I used to go to all the time, and miss bitterly.
walrus01 5y ago
It is really unfortunate that Allen did not set up a trust fund or financial resources that could have allowed the computer museum to fund its ongoing operating budget independently after his death. It is my understanding that it was 100% dependent on periodic injections of funding authorized by Allen himself, and this was cut off after his sister took control of the finances. Same for Cinerama. Is the situation for the airplane museum based in Everett still similar? I haven't heard anything about it in several years.
- dag11 5y ago
  I'm not sure which museum in Everett you're referring to. Up north in Everett there's the Boeing Factory with their associated corporate Future of Flight museum, which is fairly small. Factory tour is extremely cool though, I've done it at dozen times with visiting friends (pre-covid) and it was always neat. And then south of Seattle at the Boeing Air Field is the Museum of Flight. I don't believe it's associated with Allen? Museum of Flight is alive and well, and I highly recommend anyone visiting Seattle swing by and spend a few hours there!
  - walrus01 5y ago
    I was thinking of this, which was Allen's pet project: https://flyingheritage.org/ https://flyingheritage.org/ https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=flying+heritate+museum+paul+allen https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=flying+... It says " MUSEUM CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE "
redisman 5y ago
I’m so glad I got to go with my brother when he was in town. A real walk down memory (and far beyond) lane.
allenu 5y ago
Oh no, I didn’t hear that the LCM shut down. That’s a real downer. I went there a few times, including one time when they had a vintage computing fair.

by dag11 5y ago

I live in Seattle and hadn't heard of this! Excited to check it out. I'm still mourning the loss of our Living Computers Museum, maybe this can fill that hole in my life at least a little bit.

Aloha 5y ago

It is 100% worth the visit, just seeing the panel switch operate, is magical.

icelancer 5y ago

> Living Computers Museum No kidding :( Fortunately, there's a chance it'll reopen in the future. They've softened their language since the first announcement in 2020.

Espressosaurus 5y ago
Is there? I thought all the staff had been laid off and most of the spare parts sold off/junked.
- peatmoss 5y ago
  Oh man, I hope it isn't true that the equipment was sold off and / or junked. I have held out hope that the staff could be hired back. The LCM was a true gem. My first time there, I was continually freaking out "OMG, I'm touching an actual working [X for a dozen or so values of X]." Subsequent visits, I'd just hang out on the second floor, huffing the Old Computer Smells. Very therapeutic. I have to wonder what Paul would think about all his cool legacy projects being shuttered like this. Add the Cinerama to the list of things that I used to go to all the time, and miss bitterly.

walrus01 5y ago

It is really unfortunate that Allen did not set up a trust fund or financial resources that could have allowed the computer museum to fund its ongoing operating budget independently after his death. It is my understanding that it was 100% dependent on periodic injections of funding authorized by Allen himself, and this was cut off after his sister took control of the finances. Same for Cinerama. Is the situation for the airplane museum based in Everett still similar? I haven't heard anything about it in several years.

dag11 5y ago
I'm not sure which museum in Everett you're referring to. Up north in Everett there's the Boeing Factory with their associated corporate Future of Flight museum, which is fairly small. Factory tour is extremely cool though, I've done it at dozen times with visiting friends (pre-covid) and it was always neat. And then south of Seattle at the Boeing Air Field is the Museum of Flight. I don't believe it's associated with Allen? Museum of Flight is alive and well, and I highly recommend anyone visiting Seattle swing by and spend a few hours there!
- walrus01 5y ago
  I was thinking of this, which was Allen's pet project: https://flyingheritage.org/ https://flyingheritage.org/ https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=flying+heritate+museum+paul+allen https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=flying+... It says " MUSEUM CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE "

redisman 5y ago

I’m so glad I got to go with my brother when he was in town. A real walk down memory (and far beyond) lane.

allenu 5y ago

Oh no, I didn’t hear that the LCM shut down. That’s a real downer. I went there a few times, including one time when they had a vintage computing fair.