The three day weekend (16,17,18)

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While my 3-day weekend was mostly occupied with social activities, I will take an opportunity on this quiet Sunday evening to blog about a strange machine I've seen in many Austrian tourist spots.

The Phonomat Machine. This model was found in the Bergkirche, in Eisenstadt.

I have noticed them frequently in churches, often poised off to the side of the pews. They seemed to be antiquated relics, with a distinctly 1960s-retro feel. You insert a coin, choose one of the languages, and pick up the receiver. The machine will then give you facts about the tourist site in question. Their website (http://phonomat.at), which I translated through Google, indicates numerous times that the machines are not for sale and can only be leased through the company. The website also indicates that they lease telescopes and souvenir coin-making machines. I spotted one of the coin-making machines in the Alps, but have not yet seen any of the telescopes. I'll look for them!

Phonomat machine in Stephansdom. This is an AVI model, which provides a "virtual tour" via pictures and sound. However, the receivers still have that retro look and feel!

Close up of manufacturing information

Another device located in the Bergkirche. 


                                         
A video of a Phonomat in Salzburg (not taken by me, but provides an example of usage.)

Here is also a link to a magazine which details the efforts of the German government to bring informational technology to the people. It includes a small page on the Phonomat: https://www.sek.kit.edu/downloads/lookkit_2016_3.pdf

I am perhaps inferring too much, but the Phonomats bring up an interesting trend I have seen so far here in Austria, which is the inclusion of "retro" technology for the benefit of informational consumption. The technological learning curve for the Phonomats is not high, any individual can simply walk into a church or other attraction and use the machine. It does not require state of the art interfacing, Web 2.0 pages, big data analytics, etc. While many museums and educational institutions in the United States have invested copious amounts of time and money into making interactive technological exhibits in order to draw visitors, Austria has kept it relatively simple. (The only time I've seen a more "American" style exhibit is in the Judisches Museum Wien, which involved 3D architectural models of synagogues which were destroyed - more about this later!) Upon returning home, I plan to delve into this topic more: Is bigger always better? Does cutting edge technology in museums and educational institutions provide a more complex learning experience? Or does easily accessible technology allow for a broader audience to interact with memory and history?


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