Personal Computer Museum
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The Personal Computer Museum is located in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Located in a former city building that is built from reclaimed bricks from the Brantford Opera House, the museum has been completely renovated.
The mandate of the museum is to preserve computer technology and more importantly, offer interactivity with these machines. Parents are welcome to bring children and show them computers that they may have used to understand where the technology that they use today, so freely, actually came from.
The museum offers a large selection of original software in its library as well as a huge archive of computer related magazines. A perfect research centre, the museum is open to students to study the origins of computers and the various technologies behind them.
Currently open to the public only one day a month, the museum welcomes private tours from schools or other groups and admission is absolutely free.
The museum was first opened to the public in September, 2005[1]. Its founder and curator, Syd Bolton, has been involved in the personal computer industry for years and dreamed of opening a museum while still in high school. The museum is run by Bolton and a group of dedicated volunteers.
[edit] Displays
- The downstairs showcases over forty-five machines that are interactive. The most popular machines include the Commodore 64, IMSAI 8080 and Apple IIe
- There is also a 1953 Admiral Black & White television downstairs where you can play a game of Pong
- The 'Tower of Power' is a 16-foot (4.9 m) high display that includes the original packaging for such machines as the Coleco Adam, Atari 2600, and Mattel Aquarius
- Upstairs contains a magazine library that has classics such as Byte Magazine and Compute!. The library is home to over 4,000 publications.
- Upstairs also has a display known as 'Modem Alley' where the history of the modem is displayed including the major milestones contributed by manufacturers such as Hayes Microcomputer ProductsSupra, Inc. and
- Both levels include hundreds of books on various topics in computer history
- A special section devoted to Canadian journalist and technology evangelist Jim Butterfield is on permanent display
Unlike most computer museums, this one is an actual place you can visit and provides opportunity for hands on research.
[edit] Computer recycling
The Personal Computer Museum engages in computer recycling. Local residents can bring computers to the museum almost every Monday evening for safe, proper recycling. Computers that are still viable for redistribution are given away to needy families through the computer giveaway program.[2]. The museum also has an annual 'Spring Cleanup' event with a special focus on recycling that brought in over 400 pieces of electronics in 2008.[3]
[edit] Notable events
- Between June 26 and June 29, 2009 Microsoft hired the museum to fill its 'Evolution: 30 Years of Gaming' display in Toronto[4]
- On September 13, 2008 the Personal Computer Museum held and established a new Guinness World Records attempt for the most players in a Tetris Tournament[5]
- On March 26, 2009 the museum received a 'Shining Stars Tourism Award' for the best marketing campaign for a facility with under 30,000 visitors annually [6]
- On June 13, 2009 the museum was host to Andy Walker, Sean Carruthers, and Matt Harris who shot an episode of LabRats.TV [7]
[edit] External links
