Slashdot Mirror
Live a Month At the Museum of Science and Industry
theodp writes "Even usually snarky Gawker loves the idea of living in a science museum for a month. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is 'looking for someone to take on a once-in-a-lifetime assignment: spend a Month at the Museum, to live and breathe science 24/7 for 30 days. From October 20 to November 18, 2010, this person's mission will be to experience all the fun and education that fits in this historic 14-acre building, living here full-time and reporting your findings to the outside world.' Oh, and if you're The Chosen One, you'll also walk away with $10,000, a package of tech gadgets, and an honorary lifetime membership to MSI. Visit the Month at the Museum site for details and to apply — the deadline is August 11th."
Sounds like my phd program only without the chain to the desk and with more money.
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. " -Voltaire
It's the year 2022... People are still the same. They'll do anything to get what they need. And they need SOYLENT GREEN.
spend a Month at the Museum, to live and breathe science 24/7 for 30 days. From October 20 to November 18, 2010, this person's mission will be to experience all the fun and education that fits in this historic 14-acre building, living here full-time and reporting your findings to the outside world.'
Touched a dinosaur: man! those things are delicate!
The U-Boat was awesome!
Farm equipment was pretty good. Drove the tractor around a little bit before it ran out of gas.
At the baby chick hatchery. They're so cute! Awe shit! I left the door open! brb...
Went to Jim Hensen's Fantastic World and had a threesome with Kermit and Miss Piggy.
RIP America
July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001
Didn't Pauly Shore do this in BioDome?
Not sure ANYONE could live off of their cafeteria food for a whole month.
How many party goers can you invite over? I think that would be a pretty cool place to hang out. Or, my friends and family would have to pay $20 for a museum ticket to hang out with me.
I'm assuming you have to sleep aboard the u-boat, which probably gets a bit toasty in the warm summer. Alternately you can re-enact scenes from "creation science" and sleep hiding from the dinosaurs.
The lack of shower facilities would probably not bother most slashdotters, but it would bother the museums other patrons. Then again, this is Chicago, they'd probably just think you're homeless.
Finally a month of eating the cafeteria food would probably resemble the "supersize me" movie.
I would probably prefer the Field Museum and/or the shedd aquarium. At least at the aquarium I could catch my own dinner.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to do this, but since we've been taking our kids to the museum (their favorite as well as mine), I've noticed that a lot of the exhibits I loved have been replaced by dumbed-down equivalents. Take the original computer exhibit that used to be there; yes it was sponsored by IBM (who provided all the equipment), but that exhibit taught the actual nitty-gritty about how computers work; I can still remember "getting" how binary worked standing there and to a 10 year old geek-wannabe, that was awesome. Now they've got a half-hearted "net" exhibit that is more on "wow" than the specifics of how it works. Did they feel that really trying to explain things would turn people off?
I'm also disappointed that they removed so many of the planes; I *loved* walking in and seeing that F-104 right above my head, now there's just empty space. Why? The whole place was stuffed with ... stuff ... to look at and be excited by, and somewhere along the way they decided to rip so much of it out; they turned many an exhibit area into offices or "swing" spaces that are just empty.
On the plus side, they ripped out the ancient model train layout and replaced it with a sweet HO gauge one that is a lot cooler (Chicago to Seattle), and they have more than one or two trains running now..
All in all, I'd sign up and stay for a month. Wouldn't think twice. It's just that great a museum, even if, IMHO, it just isn't as great as it was.
Sigh...now get off my lawn!
Just spend most of the time sleeping in a room of the futuristic 'green home' which is at the museum. It'd rob much of the novelty but still get you the bragging rights and one month of your life rent-free not to mention ten grand and the gadgetry and t-shirt.
For bonus points get two sandals made mostly out of carbon to emphasize your greenness by having a good carbon footprint. Also grow a beard beforehand and spend time giving tours to guests, slipping in green slogans and propaganda. Demand access to the website and change tidbits like this...
"More than just a body, you are a complex blend of your choices, your personality, and your environment. Who you are depends on how you care for yourself and enjoy your life."
To this: "More than just a body, you are a complex blend of your choices, your personality, and your environment. Environment. Who you are depends on what you eat, how you dress, and whether you drive a car. Through choosing a low-mpg, economical vehicle and spinning your own cloth plus having an allotment for vegetable and plant-matter growth whilst not private jetting around the world each week to promote your environmentalism straight-faced and with no sense of irony...you can become a true child of the planet.'
Upon the conclusion of the month you can then speak about how shockingly un-green the museum was, except for the house which was 'viable if expensive'. State that the lifetime membership means you will be the self-anointed Enviromaster of Chicago Museum of Science; this means you can consult with them for a lifetime for cash on the side. It's nice to get a bit whilst you save the planet man!
I wonder whether they got the original idea from this movie. I don't think that it's all that far-fetched.
Luxury, when I was young, we had a hole in the ground and we were glad off it.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The _original_, however, probably contains enough stuff to keep any geek busy for a month. And the beer is better, too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Museum
Why is this in Idle?
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
This is indeed interesting. Any insiders want to comment?
I thought the hole was for sinking money.
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
If you are a person who is out of work, you could do this. Looking at the rules, they basically are getting you on the cheap. 10k for 720+ hours of work (there are appearances after the 30 days are up as well). That comes out to $13.89 per hour. Though the rules don't specify that you can leave daily for a regular job. It is a good promotional trick though.
There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
Could I be chased by an old Commodore 64?
I hate being bipolar; it's awesome!
The experiment runs from October 20 to November 18, 2010.... who's idea was that? They could have easily increased their pool of qualified applicants by running the experiment in the summer. I know a gaggle of grad students who would have loved to sign up.
Back when I was a young kid I stayed overnight at a science museum a couple of times. I think it was for Cub Scouts, and a couple of troops went.
It was cool, we got to see the exhibits and stuff after it was closed to the public and such. Though there were a lot of proctors and parents making sure that we weren't sneaking off in the middle of the night. With fewer people around and more freedom I felt more inclined to see more of the exhibits... even things that I might not think twice about if I was just there for 1-2 hours.
The coolest though, staying overnight at an old (WW2?) battleship which was retrofitted into a museum, I think it was the SS Massachusetts. At this point I was a Boy Scout. What made that first time so spectacular was the area got hit by a massive snow storm so all of the other groups canceled except us but they didn't close the ship / museum. So it was just our troop and some light staff (since they thought nobody was going to be there). We slept in the period-specific cots and got to see the various rooms.
It was interesting, and to be honest a little creepy since the whole battleship consisted of maybe a dozen scouts, a couple of troop leaders, and only a handful of staff.
Would love to do something like this, but my firstborn is due October 17th. Go figure...
When I was a kid growing up in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood, my Dad would take me to one of the Chicago museums every Sunday morning after I discharged my duties as an altar boy (no dirty jokes, please). The Museum of Science and Industry was by far my favorite, and many times I wished I could live there. First of all, the cool air on a hot summer morning stimulated the mind and the massive scale of the place lifted the spirit.
But the amazing displays, from the captured German submarine to the working coal mine to the chicken incubator to the vast model train set were just a paradise for a young boy. I still have dreams that take place in the halls of the Museum of Science and Industry. The Bell Telephone exhibit gave me a mental model for the networks that were still a couple of decades off.
Then, there were these little surprises, like the giant pendulum in one of the stairwells or the "whisper gallery" that while demonstrating some acoustic principle I never did understand made my imagination bubble and gave me a unique soundscape to carry around in my brain even today.
Live in the Museum of Science and Industry? As long as I got free run of the place after closing time, no problem.
You are welcome on my lawn.
..paging Ben Stiller.
Nah, he only lasted a night (or two now)
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
Karma: Chameleon
From the rules:
- Agree to very limited contact with the outside, and limited and/or prohibited personal use of cell phone, texting, e-mail, Facebook, etc., during the residence period.
- Reside exclusively in the Museum during the residence period. Occasionally, the candidate will leave the Museum to see science where it happens or appear at events on the Museum's behalf.
- You must be available to live in the Museum for 30 days with no outside personal or work responsibilities.
They should have called it "Prisoner at the Museum".
A hole in the ground?! Back in my day we'd have killed for a hole in the ground. We had to do our PHD programs at the bottom of a lake WITHOUT air tanks, and we paid for the privilege. And we were damn grateful for the opportunity.
Unfortunately for anyone interested, Ben Stiller's Resume is just too ideal for this. ...If this article were a movie it would be night at the museum crossed with biodome.
Binary for two year olds? YES, and NO.
Do they understand YES? Probably.
Do they understand NO? Not likely, though it's possible.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
I know where I'd be sleeping -- in the U-Boat!
.. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R
Geez! After reading the requirements list, a month at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp doesn't sound too bad.
Having spent years working in a museum, and more than once spending the night due to a missed train, I must respectfully decline.
I've seen enough giant mutant cockroaches to last me a lifetime, thanks anyway.
Requirements of the Month at the Museum
The winning candidate must:
* Pass a drug test, behavioral assessment, and background checks.
Yeah, okay.