Ten things I wish I had
known ten years ago
John Stack
Digital Director, Science Museum Group
MCNx, 19 February 2018

1. Gold plate
some things.
Gold plated BBC Micro personal computer,
1985. Science Museum Group Collection.
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

2. Make the case
for ongoing
investment.
Amputation saw, London, England, 1823–1829.
Science Museum Group Collection / Wellcome
Trust. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

3. Show. Don’t tell.
“Rough sketch of James Nasmyths’ apparatus by which most perfect sound speculae may be cast with
absolute certainty. Contrived in 1839, and used with great success even since”. Signed James Nasmyth,
April 12, 1879”. Science Museum Group Collection. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

4. Seek the right
balance of
technology.
Control Data CDC 6600 super computer.
Science Museum Group Collection. Creative
Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

5. Take some new photographs.
Étienne Jules Marey, Seven photographs showing phases of movement of
a running or jumping man. Science Museum Group Collection. Creative
Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

6. Maintain
the overview.
Electron Density Map of Myoglobins, 3D
Representation, 1957. Science Museum
Group Collection. Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA 4.0

7. Dodge
curveballs.
Marconi International Marine
Communications Company Limited, Direction
finding (DF) receiver. Science Museum Group
Collection. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

8. Know the
legal stuff.
Dehydrated sugar cookie space food from
NASA Apollo Programme. Science Museum
Group Collection. Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA 4.0

9. Know your audience.
A Professor filling and explaining to an audience
the nature of a balloon. Science Museum Group
Collection. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

10. Make change
when you can.
“Record no.6” plane with instructions leaflet.
Science Museum Group Collection. Creative
Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Thanks.