Today in cataloguing recent acquisitions: A handy guide to computer terms (from The User's Guide, 1984)

Happy birthday to the bouncing ball!

In cataloging a collection (I'd say recent acquisition, but it came into the museum in 1996 🫠), I came across an witheringly devastating burn. "You may never have heard of his theory, but you certainly missed nothing." mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

“This should be a trigger warning— it’s a syllabus” 😂😂😂 @profnoctis.bsky.social at #PAXEast talks about his class Mythos to Logos, which uses Final Fantasy games to teach religious studies.

I’m at a very fun panel about the MIT Mystery Hunt at #PAXEast. Apparently advice given before the hunt includes “please shower,” which is especially important for the longer hunts… 😂

There’s some Market Basket product placement at #PaxEast 😂

And now, from early modern whales, I’m off to #PAXEast to work my my next exhibition project— computer games! If you’re interested in game history, game preservation, or how do you exhibit a game in a museum, anyway? send me a DM. I’d love to chat!

After months of posting about Whales! Whales! Whales! the exhibit is finally up! mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.

I don’t think that it was curatorially necessary for me to be around for the mounting of the narwhal tusk, but it sure did make me happy!

I hope people are queuing up some clever, potent counter- programming, guerrilla tours, and pirate guides for all of these obsequious, whitewashed semiquincentennial exhibitions and events

(through gritted teeth) well done, princeton

Ah, the RCA CT-100! Expensive and not very good. A winning combination!

Still remember @flori-p.bsky.social talking about RCA and the whole color tv process at her old job!

This was a fun thing to see in the reference queue. What gets me is the 'sent from my iphone' at the end. Our reference assistant is top notch and definitely not a grub. Be in touch if you want to license any of the MIT Museum's images for your next publication. mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

What I’ve come to understand about generative AI is that it is ultimately a tool for the redistribution of mediocrity.

Are you heading to Boston for #RSA2025 and find yourself with some time to kill? We have no shortage of museums, but for something a little off the beaten track, you can visit these two delightful early modern whales, currently on display in "Moving Objects" at the MIT Museum in Cambridge.

“Utopia Ltd” poster, 1969. From the tremendously good MIT Office of Design Services.

Hello beautiful. William Ware, Sketch of a capital, circa 1870. mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

happy international women's day to trans women in particular

Same, Charlie. Same.

I just love seeing what's going through the digitization pipeline, mostly for the sheer randomness of it all. Wedgewood plates! Brochures! Protests of the 2023 and the 1970 variety! Ship plans! and so much more!

Three decades after legislation pushed for the return of Native American remains to Indigenous communities, many of the nation’s top museums and universities still have thousands of human remains in their collections. Check on institutions near you with our database (just updated):

Our short-term fellowship applications are due by this Sat., 1 Mar. Apply today to compete for fellowships that support research in a variety of fields. Most fellowships carry a stipend of $3,000 for 4-weeks of research at the MHS. Learn more: www.masshist.org/research/fel...

Everything is coming up whales for me.

Look at that beautiful coloring!

Today, we at Google have a new product: what if you could could ask an app a question? Oh, we do that already? Well, what if we were a little bit worse at it? What if we also sometimes gave you egregiously wrong information? And what if it cost a billion dollars? Still not interested? It's mandatory

I don’t really follow the sportsballs, but I *always* root for Philly because the city is so joyous when it wins!

I'm processing records of photographs taken at the MIT Radiation Laboratory during WWII, and this photo was titled "Dr. G. Goldman and his equipment. And I can't help but wonder... is the dude in the adult-sized crib part of the equipment?!?

It's not a demolition site it's a mass grave. It's not a demolition site it's a crime scene. It's not a demolition site its a homeland. It's not a demolition site it's Palestine. It's not a demolition site it's a genocide.

Maybe if we tell them there’s a student encampment inside the White House democrats will spring to action.

How I want all of my emails to find me.

I love this so much.

When I was still dissertating and a very heavy user of Google Books (and very occasional user of The Site Formerly Known as Bird), I'd post the accidental Google scan hands I came across. This one (from Thomas Beale's The natural history of the sperm whale) is the first one I've seen in a long time.

this is the thing, they could pass a law saying the Earth is fucking flat (and if there were a way to make a buck on it, i'm sure they would.) but whatever happens in that court of the damned or thereafter, remember this- our joy is fucking real. their laws arent. and they will never take our joy!

This is good. If you have a Dem governor who hasn't issued a statement like this, ask them why not?

ADL before: Never Again ADL now: Maybe Be Less Paranoid?

I went down a Danish chair rabbit hole and came across.... this. Just.... why? 😂 www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg...

Good armadillo is good.

Maybe next year I'll be a giant glass of coca cola or a can of Karo corn syrup..... (MIT Museum, GCP-00067067 mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...)

Does anyone know of museums/archives/libraries that are actively collecting game playthroughs as part of the preservation of computer games / video games? @philsalv.bsky.social, does the Video Game History Foundation do this? The Strong? @ubersaurus.bsky.social, do you know anyone?

Lyke, "let us drayne the riveres drye and create a massyve computinge networke to figure out comma use yn sentences" ys so much harder than just teachinge people the art of usinge commas. A.I. for writinge ys lyke burninge down the hous to cooke dinner.

How about ynstead of pouringe a ton of moneye ynto A.I. we just funde public educacioun and use the bookes we alreadye have that it ys being trained upon?

OK BlueSky-- I am making the exhibition-based switch over from early modern whales to computer games. It's time for me to read (and play) promiscuously for a bit! Game historians and gamers, please send me your recommendations for the best things you've read (or played) recently!

A variety of snowflake forms, from Cornelis Gijsbertsz Zorgdrager's Alte und neue Grönländische Fischerei und Wallfischfang (1723) Sheet from the MIT Museum, AF-ND-0738 mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

How do I become a member so I can hang out in this lounge for the Museum of Modern Art? I.M. Pei, "Members Lounge for the Museum of Modern Art" (1940) mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

What a specimen!

A nice review from the @bostonglobe.com on the MIT Museum's latest exhibit, Moving Objects. As one of the team who touched almost 1.5 million objects while moving them, it's nice to not only see the work on display, but also to have such a lovely review of it! www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/17/a...

Today at work I picked up a donation of material from co-creator of Zork, Dave Lebling. He gave us his old Dungeons and Dragons books. 🐉🧌🪨🗿