[dorkbotsea-blabber] Smithsonian taken in by hoax

[Steve Greenfield]

See my comments below the quoted text.

> Opening October 22 - Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the 
> American Future
> 
> MUSEUM OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY HISTORY
> 1913 Hewitt Avenue Map Link
> Everett, Washington 
> Downtown, across from the Everett Events Center
> 
> Open hours: Wednesday-Saturday 1:00-4:00 p.m.
> 
> http://www.cmiregistration.com/user/splash.jxp?org=249

Anyone else see the hoax about the supposed 1954 mockup of a "home"
computer, complete with huge display panel? It started as a
Photoshopped image for Fark.com, and people started posting it as
real around the internet. 

Well, we went to the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, "Yesterday's
Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future" when it was in Gig
Harbor, WA earlier this year. Imagine my shock at seeing that very
picture as a very real part of the display! The picture even gets
mentioned in the Seattle Times article about the display when it
was in Gig Harbor. Details below.

Page on Snopes.com about it:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp

It's coming to Everett, WA. If you go, please report back to us on
whether or not the picture is still part of the display. It wasn't
very large, maybe 8x10?

What I sent to Snopes:

Regarding the 1954 "Home Computer of the Future" mockup that
wasn't, you might find this interesting.

The Smithsonian currently has an exhibit traveling around the
country from museum to museum. We found out it was scheduled to be
near us in Jan/Feb early this year.
http://www.humanities.org/exhibits/yesterdaystomorrows.php

Well, we went to see it when it was at the Gig Harbor Historical
Museum in Gig Harbor, WA. What do I see, but that very same
picture, with placard that indicates they think it's real.

I took the curator aside and quietly told him about the hoax. He
just looked angry.

To be fair, I was there with about 5 of my fellow members of a
Klingon fan club, the IKV T'Mar, and we were all in full Klingon
costume. So I can see how he might not take us seriously.

The display is about to open in the MUSEUM OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY
HISTORY in Everett, WA. I'm waiting to hear back from friends if
the picture is still in there.

It even got mentioned in the Seattle Times story:
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002154786_nwwsmithsonian20.html>

Just shy of halfway down the page:
"A photo from a 1954 Popular Mechanics story shows what scientists
thought a 2004 computer might look like. It resembles the control
panel in a nuclear plant, inexplicably with a steering wheel,
apparently their version of a mouse."

Steve Greenfield

PS My wife and I in our outfits:
<http://ikvtmar.polyphoto.com/miscimages/ChonBey_BeTaj_2002_Outfits.jpg>