Cracking The Code

I had a text from my Uncle the other night, saying that he heard me on the radio. Yeah, it's a new age... 

Time to replace magnifying glass with smartphone?...
“Art Critic,” Norman Rockwell, 1955.
Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.
©SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN

The occasion was an interview I gave to WAMC, the Albany, NY, NPR affiliate, about local museums' use of technology. It was a perfect time to again highlight our new exhibition, Norman Rockwell: Happily Ever After, which offers visitors the chance to use their phones/tablets to access enhanced content related to the artwork (including my videotaped interviews). This is made possible through QR code links, which really seem to be everywhere nowadays... Sarah was just commenting how she found them on grapes recently in the grocery store. Seriously... grapes?

Anyway, it's an interesting radio segment− you also get to hear a couple of the model interviews I have conducted at the Museum over the years. 

Like the recent Wall Street Journal article, I was interested to hear what other organizations are initiating in terms of technology. The delightfully rural Hancock Shaker Village has even begun installing computer kiosks and renting iPads. I think it must be more of a challenge to preserve the authenticity of a historic site, while bringing in modern tools to assist and engage visitors. Ultimately, it requires good design− it seems pretty obvious when organizations are falling over themselves to bring out the latest technological fad, without any real benefit to the original content.

So what have I been up to this Saturday morning (besides this quick blog post)? Kicking back and enjoying a book. Happy to report that no QR code is required.

Related Links:

"Local Museums Embracing Technology," WAMC Radio, August 15, 2013

"Historical Sites Welcome Kids Who Love to Text," Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2013