The Tech

So today I decided to head down to the The Tech museum in San Jose. For two reasons I guess one it was open on Thanksgiving and two it looked pretty cool. It actually was pretty cool very much like the Museum of Science in Boston.

One of the exhibits I really liked was they had a whole setup on how the internet works. Part of the exhibit was a wall that guides the viewer through the process of something being sent over the internet and highlights things like packets, servers, back bones, routers, and the role they all play in delivering a web page to your screen for example. I suppose it isn't an earth shattering idea for an exhibit at a place known as "The Tech" but I like the idea that people can learn something about the Internet which we all use now in our daily lives actually works. One of the other really cool, at least to a total geek like me, things they had in this particular exhibit was "Whack-a-Spam" or Whack-a-Mole but instead you are trying to whack down incoming spam and let me tell you it wasn't all that easy either! Which I suppose makes it a fitting analogue to trying to combat spam in reality. Check out my Flickr page for some other cool pics as well.

I also took the opportunity to check out the IMAX film "Adrenaline Rush" about sky divers and base jumpers. Two things I can safely say I won't be doing...ever...crazies who do it are insane! One of the things they did was build a replica of a parachute Leonardo Da Vinci had designed and test it, it actually worked and that was pretty cool. Being in an IMAX theater always reminds me of when I went to Space Camp (yes I went to Space Camp and it was AWESOME so there!) each night they would show an IMAX movie that some how related to the space program. We would always make sure we had the very front row and as the lights dimmed we would lie on our backs and stare up at the massive screen as the Shuttle Launched overhead. Sadly it's a close as I've come to seeing an actual Shuttle launch but still a fun memory.

They also have free WiFi and a descent cafe so really what's not to like? ;-) All in all not a bad Thanksgiving and I was even able to work a geek angle into the day as well. I'm thankful for geeks and being one. Happy remaining hours of Thanksgiving.