Us vs. Museums

From: Merle K. Peirce <at258_at_osfn.org>
Date: Sun Mar 4 17:27:31 2001

Uhhh...
do you really have to ask...

Why can't you execute the paper work for a non-profit yourself? In RI,
it's $35.

M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum
Shady Lea, Rhode Island

"Casta est quam nemo rogavit."
           -Ovid

On Sun, 4 Mar 2001, Jeffrey S. Sharp wrote:

> I don't know everyone's perspective on this issue, and it would be good to hear
> some alternate viewpoints. Basically, I am against people giving classic
> computers in working condition to museums. Instead, I believe that they should
> donate or sell their machines to enthusiasts who will play with them and learn
> things.
>
> A while back, I ran across a person that had some hardware I wanted. He was
> torn between selling it to me and giving it to a museum. I didn't have a lot
> of money available to give him, and donation to a museum (a nonprofit) would
> get him an impressive tax deduction. I did some research about what it takes
> to start a nonprofit organization, but it looked too expensive (lawyers) and
> time-consuming to be a viable option for me. I sent the following argument to
> him:
>
> > While I would love to establish a collection of these machines,
> > I'm definitely not a 'collector' as the term has come to mean
> > today; I'm not in it to get something rare, to make money, or
> > to have some pretty decorations in my house. While it would
> > certainly be nice to have a pretty system, my priority is to
> > get something that I can learn with. I want to *run* these
> > machines. I want to *explore* these machines. I want to *hack*
> > on these machines, to see what unexpected things they can be
> > coerced into doing. I want to get as close as I can to the
> > *experience* of computing in these machines' era. If these
> > machines go to a museum, they're just pretty art, and they will
> > educate _no_one_. They will sit behind glass walls, no one
> > ever will touch them again, and no one will ever turn them on or
> > keep them in working order. They are effectively lost. That's
> > little better then scrapping them, and you _KNOW_ how you feel
> > about that!
>
> What do you think about this?
>
> (BTW, if anyone wants to use the quoted paragraph, they are free to)
>
> --
> Jeffrey S. Sharp
> jss_at_ou.edu
>
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Received on Sun Mar 04 2001 - 17:27:31 GMT