Earlier quoted context omitted.
Estate liquidation.
I can't imagine they ran out of money, so I speculate that the executors simply did not want to maintain it.
It's not their job to maintain it unless that was specified somehow in advance.
Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
81–90 of 268 posts
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#82It’s so incredibly stupid to sell off each piece of the museum - 50K for a DEC-10? Does the Allen estate really need the cash? Jody Allen is simply bent on destroying her brother’s legacy. It was extremely cool and educational to visit the museum as an EE undergraduate, to visually see and use parts of the history of computing. It’s a massive loss to loose this collection. Some of the items we will never get back or…
Could perhaps UW (for instance) EE or CS alumni arrange to bid and give the collection to the department at UW across town?
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bill Gates seems like a prime option.
info@gatesfoundation.org Email and ask
The email address responded with an automated message saying they are no longer checking the inbox. It directed me to submit my query at their contact for instead: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/contact/write-to-us
I submitted this message, feel free to copy the same text and submit yourself also:
-----------------------------
I recently became aware that the Living Computers Museum, which was created by Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder), is shutting down. As someone in the technology industry, I find that very sad! The museum was really magical. I'm wondering if the Gates Foundation can step up and save the museum from closing?
https://www.geekwire.com/2024/seattles-living-computers-muse...
Thank you for your consideration
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
The same thing happened to another one of Paul’s wacky passion projects, the Cinerama theater. That ended up being taken over by the Seattle Film Festival after being shut down for a few years. My impression is that Paul died somewhat suddenly and simply didn’t make arrangements to keep these things going. His sister is not interested in them so she’s winding them down. It’s too bad he didn’t set up some kind of endo…
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Bodyguards-Vulcan-CE... It doesn't seem like she was the nicest person.
That's geoblocked.
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
Presumably billg is reading this thread already.
> Presumably billg is reading this thread already. I would assume he's not wasting his time with HN. He's rich enough and well-known enough that I'd think he'd be able to get superior versions of everything HN can provide.
I mean, if you have billg money, I guess you could have a couple ex-FAAMG software developers on payroll just so you could call them up at any hour of the day and have them give you uninformed hot-takes about an article you found online and just forwarded them, and need them to tell you something based on the headline without actually reading the article, but that seems a bit weird. I don't even have Snoop Dogg money to pay someone to roll joints for me though, so what do I know about having billg-levels of money.
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#86The sad reality is that you can spend a lifetime collecting something, the but likelihood that any of your potential heirs is also interested in it, is pretty close to zero. That's true of multi-million dollar vintage computers, or your childhood stamp collection that's mostly worthless. Paul's mistake was not properly establishing a foundation & endowment to maintain this musuem, which almost certainly leaks lots of money.
I personally have a decent art collection that I've amassed over the past couple decades. I have a few pieces earmarked in my will to specific friends & family that have really liked certain pieces (they don't know), but the reality is that my estate executor is going to sell the vast majority of it, and at 50¢ on the dollar of what I paid.
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#87Around two months ago I stopped by the building and saw through a window that the interior seemed mostly untouched. So, out of concern for the condition of any items that may still be inside, I snooped around the perimeter looking for a way in until a very loud intercom told me to get off the property. Probably not the reason for this announcement but I can’t help but feel partially responsible. The RE-PC vintage com…
> So, out of concern for the condition of any items that may still be inside, I snooped around the perimeter looking for a way in
How does concern for the items inside lead you to looking for a way to break in?
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#88Paul Allen sure didn't have great foresight for post death. First Cinerama and now the computer museum. The current sentiment with seattle lifers is that he used Seattle as a playground and didn't actually care about the longevity. EMP now MoPop just keeps hanging on by a thread as well and has gone through lots of turmoil.
I think that's too harsh. A lot of people have a blind spot to their own mortality. He died at 65, far before most people have their affairs in order.
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#89There is a computer museum in Roswell, GA. Just north of Atlanta that is pretty neat. https://www.computermuseumofamerica.org/
Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items
#90I've wanted to get my hands on an IBM or other with an orange plasma display for a while. Or really any old terminal. It's funny because buying them is very expensive, but places showcasing them are few now.
The Toshiba luggables T3100 / T5x00 with gas plasma display are still around; as are the Compaq luggables as well.