England's National Museum of Computing preserves Britain's computing legacy and highlights monumental moments in computing history (for example, the creations of the first electronic computer and the oldest working digital computer). Largely in response to COVID closures, the museum is now going global (virtually, at least). Accessible via desktop computer, tablet, smartphone, or virtual reality headset, this virtual tour invites visitors to explore the "world's largest collection of working historic computers," from the comfort of their own device. Visitors will want to click the embedded video-like image at the link above to get started. This will bring up the matterport platform that houses the tour. The first thing users may notice on the platform is the box in the left-hand corner with navigation tools. Readers will want to pay particular attention to the Highlights tab, which allows users to jump to a room or section of the museum (e.g., the software gallery or the library), and Tags tab, which catalogs all of the pop-ups included throughout the virtual tour. Pop-up information is also flagged as a text script, image, or video. Viewers wishing to freely explore the virtual museum can do so by scrolling from place to place, zooming in on objects of interest, and clicking the green circles indicative of pop-up opportunities. The virtual format is supported by the MK Community Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
Comments