museums

SAN FRANCISCO--It's hard to imagine anything in a museum featuring hundreds of original Disney concept sketches and art pieces, including dozens of Mickey Mouse, being as impressive as the art itself.

But try visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio here and not coming away with the strong impression that the way the facility was designed, with its wide variety of beautiful digital displays, imaginative use of video screens, innovative touch-screens, audio clips of Walt himself nearly everywhere you go, and much more, is nearly as compelling an experience as the opportunity to see first-hand the origins … Read more

reporter's notebook SAN JOSE, Calif.--Can math make art? Can logic inform patterns and sequences that are visually compelling? Is light a medium suitable for the artistic canvas? Clearly, the answer to all those questions is yes, and people like James Turrell and M.C. Escher have offered years of proof of that.

But now anyone in or near Silicon Valley has a chance to take in a fantastic collection of light works by the New York-based artist Leo Villareal at the San Jose Museum of Art (see videos below). And having gotten a chance to see the show … Read more

FORT MEADE, Md.--For anyone with even the vaguest sense of the history of World War II, the term "Enigma" should hold some special meaning.

That, of course, was the name of the encryption device the Germans used to such great success during the first years of the war, allowing them to pass messages without worry of their being decrypted by the Allies.

But when the Allies finally solved the mystery of the Enigma, it turned the course of the war. The Germans were no longer able to stay ahead of the Allies and were no longer able … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C.--If you walk around the Air & Space Museum here, as I did Sunday, you can't help be struck by how much of the most important events and aircraft in aviation history are from decades ago.

This is the museum, after all, where you can find the plane the Wright Brothers used in humanity's first-ever powered flight, in Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903. And the capsule from John Glenn's first American manned orbit of the Earth. And the Apollo 11 capsule. And so on.

Then again, right above you when you come in … Read more

Sure, to some a record might be just a piece of plastic, but to me an LP is a beautiful object. It feels great in my hands, and looks amazing spinning on a turntable. There are dozens of LP cover art books, but just looking at light dancing on a LP's spiral groove is something I never tire of.

I own thousands of LPs and sometimes use them in my art. Of course the LP's prime attraction is its sound, so even as CD sales continue to decline, the LP looks like it will be around for the … Read more

BOSTON--If you like the idea of greening your home or office by installing a small wind turbine, it may be best to picture the device on the ground and not the roof.

That's one of the pearls of wisdom shared here Tuesday by the city's Museum of Science, during a conference on small-scale urban wind turbines. The museum was reporting data from an experiment involving the installation last year of five such turbines on the institution's roof.

Dozens of young companies have developed microwind turbines designed for residential or commercial customers, leading to rapid growth in sales … Read more

The MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass., has hit Polaroid pay dirt, scoring a collection of classic Polaroid products and prototype designs spanning 73 years just as Polaroid flashes forward with a new instant camera.

The archive, donated by PLR IP Holdings, owner of the Polaroid brand, contains every make and model of commercially produced Polaroid camera, from the famous Polaroid Model 95 (which went on sale in 1948 as the first viable instant-picture camera) to early digital models. In addition, the collection includes myriad experimental models and prototypes that never made it to market.

Also among the more than 9,… Read more

The 24-city Nissan Leaf Zero-Emission Tour stopped at the Museum of Science in Boston on Tuesday to announce that Nissan and Massachusetts will develop an electric-vehicle charging network and policies to support widespread adoptions of electric cars.

The agreement includes plans to promote a charging infrastructure for electric cars so drivers could charge their cars at home, work, and other locations. Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of electric vehicles statewide.

Nissan has spearheaded a holistic approach to zero-emission mobility by working with several states, municipalities, utility companies, including the state of Tennessee, the state of Oregon, … Read more

Porsche wants to remind drivers that its cars are built for performance. Here's a racing retrospective featuring the German-made automobiles. For more information on the Porsche legacy in auto racing check out the Porsche Museum. The museum celebrates its first anniversary this month.