I thought that the CHM had really impressive exhibits. I think when I arrived, I was just expecting that the museum would cover all the main stories of a literal computer’s history; instead, I was faced with all kinds of computing devices, both dedicated to work and play. But this was all done with good taste, as each era’s exhibit really transported you into that time. Because of this, you could feel the gravity of the innovations each era came up with. It’s easy for me to see all these old computers and think they are fine enough, but when you take a step back and consider what the technology looked like at the time, it’s shocking how much more interesting it becomes.
Something I learned from this museum that I don’t believe we had talked about in class was that the creation of the ENIAC had actually come to be because the creator wanted to create an electronic computer that could predict the weather. He, of course, shifted gears as funding was easier to find in working for the Army, but still, it was fascinating to learn!
Lastly, my favorite object that I found at the CHM was the Pong prototype made by Atari back in 1972. The specific one they had on display there was the actual unit placed in Andy Capp’s bar in Sunnyvale. And it was said that it still worked as of 2002. My first introduction to a smartphone was playing Pong on my mother’s old BlackBerry phone. I remember being fascinated with the game and, of course, the smartphone device. It felt really full circle to be studying interaction design and seeing an original prototype of the game.