Discovering Technology at the Discovery Museum

New breed of tech fair a success!

What do you get when you mix 14 of the world's most renowned electronics companies, a science museum, and an Emmy-winning New York Times technology columnist? You get a technology fair of a most unusual sort, that breathed new life into a struggling non-profit operation.

On Sept. 23, hundreds converged upon the Discovery Science & Space Museum in the small, heavily-wooded city of Bridgeport, CT, to learn about digital cameras, camcorders, music systems, MP3 players, headsets, and plasma TVs. They came to touch and feel the products for themselves and to be educated by one of the nation's most respected technology columnists: David Pogue.

The festivities began with an opening night gala cocktail party and auction on Friday to benefit the museum. Smiling guests and exhibitors mingled with martini-and-hors d'oeuvre-laden hands during the silent auction. Later, master of ceremonies David Pogue treated everyone to his piano prowess, singing technology-inspired revamps of some classic songs.

The evening culminated in a very lively auction, at which I played David's glittery--literally, you should have seen the dress!--assistant. The auction highlight was a Sony Qualia 016; a camera James Bond would surely carry. Through the generous donations of onsite exhibitors and even those who couldn't be there in person--Vonage, Sirius Satellite Radio, DirecTV, Casio, T-Mobile, RIM, Griffin Technology, Audible.com and Palm-- the museum made over $13,000 in auction revenue.

Bright and early Saturday morning, guests began to arrive. Outside the museum, show-goers found a very special treat: an Acura TL outfitted with a new surround sound system by Panasonic, designed and presented by Eliott Scheiner himself. Eliott is a sound engineer and Grammy-winning producer of bands like The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, and Faith Hill. Throughout the weekend, guests sat inside the car and enjoyed the truly amazing car audio experience of perfectly balanced sound.

Inside the museum, guests were treated to an intimate though highly informative setting, and two full days' worth of educational sessions. Folks fondled the latest and greatest offerings from Apple, Canon, Nikon, HP, Belkin, Bose, Panasonic, JVC, Plantronics, Sony, XM Radio, Scansoft, Boynq, and more. The first 300 attendees received a one-year subscription to Wired magazine, and a gift card good for two audio books from Audible.com.

They came to see the newest addition to the iPod family, the nano, and feel first hand what it's like to compute on a gorgeous flat-panel iMac, courtesy of Apple Computer. They learned about satellite radio from XM Radio, and saw the powerful peripherals and wide range of iPod accessories offered by Belkin Corporation. They even shot footage with the world's first digital camcorder with a hard drive, made by JVC.

They came to decide which digital camera to buy, comparing both the photo quality and overall feel of a Nikon and Canon digital SLR. They enjoyed a unique hands-on experience as they shot photos with tiny cameras with big LCD screens, removed the memory cards, and slipped them into HP's newest color inkjet printers. Folks toyed with Sony's keychain sized, jewel-like MP3 player, and marveled at their ultra-slim slim digital camera, snuggled inside a beaded cocktail purse.

People were amazed at the quality of the many plasma TVs in the Panasonic booth. One played the role of fireplace, while another was mounted vertically behind a window pane showing a beautiful outdoor scene--it was the most beautiful booth I've ever seen. Some swore they could feel real warmth from the plasma-fire.

At the other end of the museum, guests couldn't believe the sound quality emanating from the Bose SoundDock and Wave Radio systems. In the same room, we all stared in wonder as Plantronics demoed a new Bluetooth headset that paused an iPod Mini when a paired Bluetooth cell phone rang.

While meandering throughout the multi-level museum, guests enjoyed non-stop presentations by David Pogue on the main floor. With an amazing new mirror projector loaned generously by NEC, we were able to place a large screen just 20 inches away from the projector, creating a comfortably cozy setting framed by semicircular rows of chairs.

David spoke of what to look for when buying a digital camera, and what the podcasting buzz is really about. He showed the audience the best places to shop online for electronics and how to better use Google to their advantage. Using David's own vacation photos, guests were treated to tips by professional photographer and Nikon representative, Steve Heiner. Folks learned not only how to capture brilliant fireworks diplays, but how removing a digital SLR lens, turning it around backwards, and holding it flush against the camera body can create a zoom capable of microscopic detail. In order to give David a speaking break on Saturday, I gave an impromptu 30-minute Photoshop session myself, and was overjoyed to even show him a new trick or two ;)

Interspersed between his own sessions, David interviewed each exhibitor for about 15 minutes each day, both giving them the mic and asking questions talk-show style. Everyone benefitted from David's many years of reviewing electronics, and knowing just the right questions to ask. And they learned how close to the Star Trek universe we really are by demonstrating the startling accuracy of ScanSoft's voice recognition software.

A truly magical moment happened late Saturday evening, when David and I found ourselves in a semicircle with reps from Sony, Canon, and Nikon, sharing information with two couples struggling over which camera style best suited their needs. The three rival companies later joked that we had provided an environment for them to bond for the very first time, for the good of the consumer, sharing information in a collaborative effort.

Overall, the exhibitors seemed very happy to reach this audience: real customers who would soon be buying their wares. And guests were equally delighted to learn about their products in a no pressure, no onsite sales situation. Everyone said the weekend was a big success, making the long hours put in by the planning team time well spent.

In hindsight, it seems fitting that the Discovery Science and Space Museum would be the perfect venue for discovering new technology. I hope you'll join us next year should we decide to do it all again!

Ed. Note: I'd like to extend a very special thank you to Your Mac Life listeners Michael Wright and Richard Dumoulin, and LIMac member, Rick Matteson, who all came out to see me. You guys are the best! And to John Brennan who was kind enough to pick me up in his bright yello Lotus from the airport. Whee! What a ride ;)