Massimo the exhibition designer walks into Best Buy. “Can I help you?” asks a clerk. “Yes! I have just moved. I need a new TV,” Massimo replies. “Aha! We have a special on this one here! It’s 10 feet wide, 2 feet tall — and curved!” boasts the clerk. …

Tech, of various flavors, is one of the most asked-for topics in MtM reader surveys, from interactives to media experiences. So it’s no surprise that many of those flavors showed up in today’s list. I’m especially glad that #10 made it! …

Thank you! Thanks to your reading, your comments, and your feedback, Making the Museum (the newsletter) just turned … [drum roll] … 1. A year ago, the first email went out. And it wouldn’t be an anniversary if we didn’t do some Top Ten lists …

[NEW PODCAST] What’s the #1 thing to know about experiential technology? How long do LED walls last? (The answer will surprise you.) Are growing pains normal? What happens when you use technology just to have it? What’s an “integrator”? …

VR headsets are amazing. But not — usually — for our museum exhibitions. Despite all the times they come up in our meetings. Why? For one, they’re not a group thing. Headsets are individual. Museums aren’t. Do we want an experience for the few? …

In ancient times, shortly after life emerged from the sea, movies came on DVDs. “Special collector’s editions” had a second disk with “extra” content. We often treat our interactive media experiences like that second DVD. …

Since the QR code comeback, they are up for consideration in every project. And for some things they’re great. But before we put QR codes on every wall, let’s do a quick refresher. Here are 7 truths worth keeping in mind. …

What’s digital signage again? It’s the site-based screen media we use for promotion — as opposed to the media we use for edutaining visitors. There is one huge mistake everybody makes with digital signage. Want to avoid it? Here’s the tip: …

MAAM ANNUAL CONFERENCE - COFFEE BAR. PHIL: My client is crazy! MONIQUE: Your donut looks good. PHIL: They have an awful touchscreen idea! MONIQUE: Mm. Worse than some I’ve heard?PHIL: Way worse, I know it! …

In museums and beyond, QR codes are having a comeback. They were invented a generation ago to track parts on Japanese assembly lines. US marketers tried to popularize them 10 years back. They flopped. Then two things happened. …

LED tiles come in different “pitches”. But what is pitch? Which is best? LEDs are teensy lights in black tiles that build walls like bricks. The fineness of the image depends on the spacing between the lights. That spacing is called “pitch”. …

ICYMI, last weekend U2 debuted The Sphere, a small moon coated with LEDs. Can’t tell LED from LCD? You’re not alone. We’re all pretending. The IT folks made the acronyms similar so we’ll be confused and accept the price tag. (Just kidding, IT friends!) …

How many different types of experiences should one interactive media element offer? Easy. One. A laptop can have hundreds of software applications in it. But exhibition interactives aren’t laptops. …

The most important takeaway of any interactive should get communicated even if visitors don’t interact. Quiz: what is the one thing every interactive element should do? (Hint: it’s the same as any other element.) Answer: communicate its main message. …

“Let’s go to the museum so we can use some touchscreens!” — Said No Visitor, Ever. Have you been in a newly-opened exhibition lately, filled with touchscreens worth millions, that nobody uses? I have. A big, famous one. We have reached Peak Touchscreen. …

Sometimes we’re stuck with projectors in bright spaces. Reader A.H. writes: "... we are just embarking on a battle to control the amount of light in an exhibition so the projection doesn’t look milky. Unfortunately, the space can’t be dark …" Here are some approaches …

Technology changes fast. Flat panels are bigger, LED is cheaper. Both work in sunlight. In classrooms and conferences, projectors are fading. But they are sometimes still necessary in (darker) exhibitions. When? In six “S” situations: …

If I had a dollar for every time I had to talk someone out of trying to use a projector in a bright exhibition space, I’d have … uh … lemme see … I guess maybe $64. Huh. Anyway, it happens a lot. Despite our peculiar optimism that it will work anyway. Here’s why it won’t.

It’s not an exhibition brainstorming meeting until someone yells out: Hey, what about a … hologram! Usually that’ll be a donor or a non-technical member of the development team, bless their souls. But nearly every “hologram” you will ever see isn’t one. …

What if there were a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal for the whole exhibition community? What if it featured the leading organizations, practitioners and ideas that shape the whole industry? What if back issues available for free to see online?