[vcf-midatlantic] Update - new museum space

[Evan Koblentz]

Everyone,

Here are some updates on our new museum space.

We're still working on final details of the lease. We are on course to 
move from our current museum (in building 9032-C) to the new space (in 
building 9010-A) in the first half of 2016. Obviously the goal is to get 
the new space up and running in time for VCF East in mid-April.

I took some pictures after Jeff B., Tony (+son), Steve A., and I set up 
the new space for Festivus yesterday.

The file at http://snarc.net/alcove.jpg shows an alcove in one corner of 
the room. It's a food area during Festivus, however for the museum it 
will be a hands-on learning laboratory. No, we can't keep the fridge in 
there year-round. :)

The file at http://snarc.net/theater.jpg shows 16 chairs facing a short 
wall. We'll put the portable screen and/or the screen from David G. on a 
table so it's high up.

The file at http://snarc.net/inner.jpg shows the wall along the hallway. 
That's Steve A. at the far door. The near door is the middle of three, 
so it is fine to block it. (We will put a "do not open" sign on the 
other side.) Third door is off-camera to the right. Either the middle 
door or the off-camera one will became a double doorway in the near 
future. We do not yet know which one.

The file at http://snarc.net/overall.jpg shows the whole room from our 
"Festivus Theatre" area looking out. We will put two or three more 
tables in the middle for Festivus.

For the museum, there will be a faux wall down the middle which stops 
about 10 feet from each end. The side by the doors will have a welcome 
desk and mainframes. The end by Festivus Theatre will be minicomputers. 
The side by the windows will be microcomputers. The short wall between 
the alcove and the doors will be an exhibit of "history of the present".

Rather than just having boring straight aisles, the exhibits will be 
arranged so as to make people weave and wind. That gives a sense that 
you're exploring vs. simply walking through. There will be more of this 
as you move from mainframes to minis to micros, due to equipment size -- 
it's difficult to arrange mainframes any way other than in rows; it's 
easy with microcomputers.

The full layout in its latest (fourth) version has room for 26 
microcomputers that can be up-and-running (on tables) and dozens more 
that can be static displays on shelves above the tables.

However, the layout is still being prepared so I can't share that. Soon...