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 Launched in December last year by the Interaction Archaeologists of Interactive Media Design at the University of Dundee, the 'museum' contains innovative devices such as the 1950s 'Zenith Radio Hat’ and the 1920s Acoustograph, a primitive music downloading tool. Other items in the collection include such diverse wonders as the Victorian 4-track sampler and the portable Morse code device, hailed as the earliest precursor to the mobile phone.
The museum’s website - at www.idl.dundee.ac.uk/moli/index.php - has attracted the attention of some of the internet’s leading technology blogs, from where interest has spread even further, to the point where Google now has 25,000 links to the site.
Shaun McWhinnie, one of the intrepid 'archaeologists' from the University’s Interactive Media Design course, said: “The interest in this project has been phenomenal and we are delighted that so many people are now logging on to discover our collection.
 "These are amazing artifacts which offer a thought provoking reflection on the ubiquitous technologies of our present society, and show how such devices would have looked in the pre-digital world.” McWhinnie helped put the exhibition together.
Among those who have lent their enthusiastic support to the project is the acclaimed American science fiction writier and 'dead media' visionary Bruce Sterling, who described the Museum of Lost Interactons as “the awesomest”!
The Interactive Media Design course is aimed at helping to shape the creative thinkers and digital explorers who will develop the information-rich environments of the future.
Within a unique environment drawn from both the School of Computing and the School of Design at the University of Dundee, students explore many kinds of interactive design and cutting-edge technologies. Students also learn to locate and solve design problems and to think critically and commercially about the mushrooming virtual world.
The Museum of Lost Interactions came about after course leader Graham Pullin asked his 3rd year students to engage with a history of interaction design that is much longer than that of digital electronics, and reflect on the social as well as technological changes that have taken place. They had to research Lost and Dead Media and build working models of fictitious historical products that might have been lost precursors to modern products and media. To underpin their authenticity, they filmed documentaries with archive film footage, and uncovered contemporary photography and packaging.
Pullin, said: "The reaction to the Museum itself, and the subsequent international publicity, has been overwhelming, but thoroughly deserved: the students' attention to detail exceeded even my expectations. This experience has improved their design skills, but they have also learnt how to communicate their designs to a wider audience and been exposed to the role of design as commentary on broader social issues."
For further information about Interactive Media Design - course information visit: www.idl.dundee.ac.uk/imd
Picture captions: From the Museum 'The Case Communicator', (1936) which was the first portable electronic workstation. At a time when the business landscape was defined by male executives, the case provided a 24/7 link to their secretary, giving access to their news, music and schedule.
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