CAMBRIDGE CATALYST Issue 06 Web

GAMING SPECIAL

Today, much has changed, not least the size of the collection, which is growing larger all the time thanks to the almost daily donations that arrive at the centre. “It was based around my collection originally – which I thought was huge, and for a private collection it probably was, stupidly so,” says Jason. “But actually, that got dwarfed by what the general public gave, and industry gave, and the military gave.” “There’s an interesting thing about this stuff,” he continues. “When somebody comes in with their computer, they’re donating a little bit of their history, but the machine’s not necessarily it. People say things like, ‘Oh, this is a Mac that I did my dissertation on, it’s lovely to think it’s going to be in the museum – you will look after it won’t you?’, like they’ve just given their child! It’s so personal, the term ‘personal computer’ is far more personal than anybody ever thought it would be.” He adds: “People are handing over a part of their life, so that makes it really nice for us when people hand over a bit of their life – a bit of their own history.”

IMAGES A few examples of the computers at CCH, including an Apple IIe and a Rocc Teleputer

THE INFORMATION AGE But while many of us feel a personal attachment towards our computers, if any industry values newness, it’s computing. In a market where today’s high-tech wonders are tomorrow’s scrap material and the latest, new and shiny model is always just around the corner, why bother to preserve? “Because nothing has changed who we are and the way we live the way that computers have,” says Jason simply. “Just look at it all, everything has changed: there isn’t a walk of life that isn’t affected by it. Our lives are completely intertwined with technology: we are a part of it as much as it’s a part of us.” A part of CCH’s mission, explains Jason, is chronicling the story of the

Information Age; examining the social and cultural impact of the developments in personal computing. There’s a generation of ‘digital natives’ growing up now who have little knowledge of a time pre-internet and pre-personal computing; and considering how far- reaching the effects of this technology have been on our world, those at the When somebody comes in with their computer, they’re donating a little bit of their history, but the machine’s not necessarily it"

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ISSUE 06

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