Geek is Good

Geek specs

Geek is Good – Special exhibition

Opening 15 May 2014

Tonight we are publicly launching plans for our next special exhibition, Geek is Good, at the Oxford Geek Night at the Jericho Tavern. At the event we have been gifted just 60 seconds to make a pitch for involvement in the exhibition, so here’s a bit more information about what we’re planning.

Geek is Good will take a reverse chronological look at a few of the devices, gadgets, instruments and widgets that may have been the must-have geek gadget of their day. Who made them? Who bought them? And what exactly did they do?

Today, the idea of nerdy-geekery is pretty cool, and that’s where we’ll start, but it hasn’t always been that way. We’ll chart a few areas of geeky interest, from early home computing in the 1980s, to ham radio, calculating machines, amateur astronomy and the sundials and astronomical compendia of the Renaissance and beyond.

There will also be an accompanying programme of public events and we are now interested in hearing from anybody who might want to collaborate on a relevant event, to be hosted at the Museum sometime between 15 May and late September. We’re also looking for potential lenders of material – 1970s calculators or giant classroom slide rules anyone? – as well as a possible project partner to develop an interactive game for the gallery.

If you’re interested or have any questions contact me at scott.billings@mhs.ox.ac.uk, follow us @MHSOxford and watch out for #geekisgood on Twitter.

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