I was on a panel with Janine Cirincione, who was hired by Microsoft to run the art section of Microsoft Network, and the concensus was that we desperately need to develop networks that get programmers and creators talking to each other and working together. The model of an "opera" seemed to appeal to everyone. According to Janine Microsoft knows (cares?) next to nothing about the concept we have of "art", which is why the term they like is "creativity", as does the MIT Media Lab. Microsoft's gives us SoftImage while what we need are intuitive tools. I would guess there is the same gap in need of bridging in terms of Museums and getting museum workers and software programmers talking to each other on a level beyond the hissing and eyeball-rolling stage. What's needed may not be something that is evident to the public (like a CD-ROM or kiosk) but a foundation that will eventually spawn new techniques for curators etc. But that's sort of like asking for funding for building maintenance, isn't it? ___________________________________________ ROBBIN MURPHY, creative director, artnetweb [log in to unmask] http://artnetweb.com/artnetweb/ 426 Broome Street, NYC 10013 212 925-1885