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Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

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Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#141

Post by devilbunny »

bombcar wrote: post #104
BobAliceInATree wrote: post #86

The 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…

You're not going to get 50 cents if I know anything about it. Maybe if you started selling today you could get that, an estate auction will get a few pennies.

I have bought a lot of stuff at estate auctions. Yeah, a generic estate sale will not generate a lot of money, but if you have serious art (i.e., it would sell to more than a local audience), it can bring in quite a bit. I saw an Alan Bean (the astronaut) painting at one; ended up going for over $30k. And the estate gets all of that; the auction house charges a premium (in this case, 25%) paid by the buyer, but the official auction price is what the seller gets.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#142

Post by seanmcdirmid »

longdustytrail wrote: post #22
sterlind wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why is she doing this? for the money, or out of some form of spite?

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…

This is what I wrote earlier on HN when this last came up (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34840654):

Jodie Allen (his sister and only heir) is just following his instructions, from what I understand. She isn't financially benefiting from shutting down the computer museum, she is just executing his will:

> According to multiple reports Paul Allen’s will states that the Paul G. Allen Trust, which contains billions in assets, including the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, will be liquidated upon his death and the assets used to fund his passion projects. Paul Allen died in October 2018 and the Trail Blazers have been rumored to be on the sales block for the past few years, but all’s quiet on the Seahawks front. Is Jody Allen trying to hold onto the Seahawks against her brother’s wishes?

https://theshadowleague.com/the-instructions-are-clear-the-s...

The problem is, a lot of projects didn't make it into his list of passion projects. More:

> Sealed lips aside, here’s what we know: In 2010, Allen pledged to bequeath the majority of his wealth to philanthropy. (During his lifetime, Allen gave away more than $2 billion, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.) Tasked with this mammoth undertaking is his sister Jody Allen, trustee and executor of his estate, who is bound by her brother’s wishes as set out in the trust.

https://crosscut.com/culture/2022/11/16b-sale-paul-allens-ar...

One can accuse his sister of not following his instructions, I guess, but unless we know what those instructions are, it isn't a very easy accusation to back up.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#143

Post by squigz »

kragen wrote: post #99
lilyball wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

if the building is unguarded and full of valuable items, someone will loot it. if you're the one that loots it, you get to decide what happens to them. if you don't, someone else will

I love HN morality takes.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#144

Post by qingcharles »

magnawave wrote: post #31
sterlind wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why is she doing this? for the money, or out of some form of spite?

The best I can tell from talking with insiders at a couple of his properties, is that he did a beyond bad job at “succession planning”. The light exception being MoPOP of course but that’s a different beast. So without setting up foundations/entities to fund/run your projects and getting people aligned before you pass, odds are your estate won’t. So want to blame the family. But really Paul Allen’s fault here. It’s a…

It's crazy that Bill wouldn't step in and solve this problem. This place is a rounding error on his checking account.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#145

Post by daotoad »

kragen wrote: post #97
astrodust wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not their job to maintain it unless that was specified somehow in advance.

usually when someone's estate includes a business with employees, shutting it down and selling off its assets is not what the executors do. usually they keep the company running so they can get a reasonable sale price for the whole company

The cinerama and the museum were shut down for Covid and just never came back.

They found someone to take on the Cinerama. But the living computer museum was a taller order. Which is tragic because it was an unbelievably cool place. Being able to use a Xerox Alto and an orginal Microsoft Surface (the one built into a table) was a gift. It's sad that this won't be available for others in the future.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#146

Post by qingcharles »

dasl wrote: post #83
zimm wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Shana Tarbell, Chief Operating Officer: shana.tarbell@gatesfoundation.org

Kim Webber, Senior Program Officer: kim.webber@gatesfoundation.org

Jennifer Alcorn, Deputy Director, Giving Opportunities & Gates Philanthropy Partners: jennifer.alcorn@gatesfoundation.org

Amy K. Carter, Director, Community Engagement: amy.carter@gatesfoundation.org

Jillian Foote, Senior Program Officer, CEO External Engagement: jillian.foote@gatesfoundation.org

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#149

Post by femto »

9659 wrote: post #106
BobAliceInATree wrote: post #86

The 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…

Personal collections are for enjoyment, not investment. I liquidated some of my fathers things for effectively nothing. That he spent decades acquiring.

That can be a good outcome if things go to someone who values them as much as the original owner.

My Dad had a collectable car. We sold it for a fair price to an enthusiast who drives it, looks after it and keeps in in a public museum when it's not being driven. That was a good outcome. Better than someone in the family hoarding it and letting it deteriorate.

The money was immaterial, main reason for asking a fair price was to discourage someone who didn't value the car from flipping it for a tidy profit. We were also lucky, in that a member of Dad's car club was prepared to vet buyers for us.

Disbanding a closed computer museum isn't a bad thing if the items go to others who will value and display them.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#150

Post by ertian »

spullara wrote: post #64

How about donating them to the Computer History Museum in SV?

They probably can't, for the same reason it's not going to stay open: it wasn't specified in the will what to do with the LCM, and it does specifically say that the default is to liquidate.
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