On Aug. 24, Bob Rogers  wrote what I found was an eloquently articulated rant
against devoting ungainly sums of money to
 
> those tiny Mac screens entombed in kiosks so popular with exhibit
designers.
They are only usable, indeed only viewable, by one or two people at a
time. Couldn't there at least be "repeater" monitors?  They also attract
people (kids, especially)  _away_ from the rest of the exhibit.  Even
if the software is goodx  it's frustrating to have to wait, feel time
pressure to use it, etc "
 
He went on to complain that the software available in the galleries and used
under pressure due to surrounding crowds and ambient conditions
 
>> is never (?) available at
the museum shop, unlike the printed catalog of the same exhibit."
[We know this is largely due to copyright issues that have yet to be ironed
out.]
 
Well, these are really important points, spoken by someone who seems like a
true apostate to the multimedia "cause" but is nonetheless deeply committed
to the kinds of learning, read: FEELING, experiences a little bit of (often
inexpensive) appropriate technology can provide.  Bob mentions that
 
>>The chance to put together a barrel-like container
at the Smithsonian, use a foot-powered lathe at Connor Prairie, use a
cross-cut saw at the Minnesota Forrest History Center, and other
experiences are meaningful and memorable in a deep way, and have brought
me and my family closer to times and people long gone."
 
While we can hope that simulations and animations on a computer could do
something similar, what Bob clearly points up to me is the need for a Sense
of Proportion.  In our zeal to be the first generation to implement
interactive multimedia programs across the board in American museums, we have
to remember that new technologies are not ALWAYS the answer.  In our rational
moments we know they are not a panacea; but they are SEDUCTIVE.  And
TIME-CONSUMING!  So, it can easily end up being all we want to do.  I guess I
may just be speaking to myself, but I feel that Bob's posting was a necessary
tonic to our zeal to implement multimedia, even as we ask all the legitimate
questions about how to construct meaning within a new hyperlinked
techno-narrative framework.