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.