Blog
Museum Computer Network hosts THATCamp, an Unconference in Atlanta
The Museum Computer Network is seeking "anyone with energy and an interest in museum studies, social sciences, humanities and/or technology" to attned a THATCamp event in Atlanta on Saturday, November 19th, 2011. This event will invite participants to focus on the way that computers, media, new technology and mobile platforms continue to change how museums emerge, evolve and operate. http://mcn2011.thatcamp.org/
on Apr 27, 2011 Driving an interactive exhibit with Kinect Interface
Here's an exhibit about the Sun (at the Centrum Hewelianum in Gdansk) using a video 3D projection screen and Kinect system that allows visitors to interact through gestures - it is a great example, highlighting the potential of Kinect to facilitate innovative interactive exhibitions.
Article: http://hackaday.com/2011/04/20/interactive-sun-exhibit-uses-3d-projection-screen-and-kinect/
on Apr 22, 2011 Smithsonian event highlights some interesting new trends in museums
A group of presenters shared info on new trends including touchscreen technology, citizen curators, and augmented reality in an Ignite presentation format (i.e. Short presentations with auto-advancing slides).
http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/04/ignite-smithsonian.html
on Apr 20, 2011 Open Source for Museums: The Experiment Continues - Session at AAM
In May we will be at the American Association of Museums Conference in Houston, Texas. Along with an exhibit booth, we will be participating in a session entitled, Open Source for Museums: The Experiment Continues. This is a follow up to a session we were involved in last year. Here's the description for the session:
Join the project leads of Pachyderm, Omeka, CollectionSpace and Open Exhibits for an introduction to open source and a frank discussion of thepromises and potential pitfalls of open source software in the museum world. Learn about the origin and forms of the open source software movement and about the history of its application in the museums.
The session will be held on Wednesday, May 25th at 9:00AM
on Apr 12, 2011 Open Exhibits Modules and Templates - for Flash and Kinect (video)
Open Exhibits has just passed 4,000 software downloads! If you're not a programmer, or you haven't downloaded the code, yet - we thought we'd give you an idea of what you may be missing.
This video demonstrates several of the free multitouch software modules already posted on the Open Exhibits site. These modules are designed to simplify Flash and ActionScript exhibit development, and many are compatible with the Microsoft Kinect (using MT-Kinect). The source code for every module shown in the video can be downloaded today on the Open Exhibits Software page.
We demonstrated the software on the TRu Touch 21.5" multitouch monitor from Touch Revolution and 3M M2256PW 22" display.
Open Exhibits modules require OE Core (free for museums, non-profits, and educational use). The software modules can be used commercially with a GestureWorks license.
We'll continue to post videos as we release new software. If you have any comments or feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
on Apr 8, 2011 
){kind=link}