Sneak Peek of SF Museum

maxentius writes "Posted on Trufen.net: Paul Allen's Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, due to open June 18, is offering early "Charter Memberships" to a select list of e-mail recipients (and apparently to anyone else who happens to hear about it before the June 5 deadline). The museum will adjoin the Experience Music Project in the very odd Frank Gehry-designed building near downtown Seattle. Allen, a life-long SF fan, has been working on the project for a few years, and it will probably be the same sort of sensory extravaganza as the EMP. The e-mail promises "exclusive access" for Charter Members, including the chance to go to an pre-launch tour and party, a t-shirt, and a limited-edition lapel pin. There are many levels of membership, from "Terran" ($40), through "Hive Mind" ($75), "Replicant" ($500), all the way to "Immortal" ($10,000). It's hard to say just how this will turn out, but with the likes of Greg Bear and Forry Ackerman as advisors, and some interesting ideas, it might be okay."

Ackerman's collection?

[cmpalmer]

I see that Forry is an advisor, but I didn't find anything in a quick RTFM that says how much of his collection made it into the museum. Does anyone know?

I know that he had to sell off some due to health and legal costs and it destroyed my dream of visiting the Ackermansion, which I'd wanted to do since reading Famous Monsters starting about 30 years ago.

Wow

[stanmann]

Are these memberships annual or lifetime, that was the only thing I couldn't find on the site.

I'm not close enough that an annual membership would be any value, but lifetime I would get all over that... prolly android level in case I have kids.

Re:Membership Has Its Benefits:

[AndroidCat]

Don't laugh. The Royal Ontario Museum was promoting their singles night activities. That could work well for the SF museum too. You get to meet singles in non-pressure group activities. The people will tend to be smart, off-beat, and can afford the membership.

It should travel the world

[colonist]

Hopefully it will be like traditional museums, and lend items out for exhibitions around the world.

Expanded who's who --was Re:A who's who - comments

[Jack William Bell]

Expanded who's who (my comments in parens).

Greg Bear -- (Local Seattle hard-SF writer and all-around nice guy)

Forrest J. Ackerman -- (If you don't know who he is, don't bother reading on)

Robin Wayne Bailey -- (Don't know)

Betty Ballantine -- (Local Seattle SF BNF [Big
Name Fan], well know for her belly dancing workshops and ability to sing anything in Klingon [not to mention being the only person I know that can sing the cantina scene song from 'Star Wars'])

Astrid Anderson Bear -- Daughter of Poul Anderson / Wife of Greg Bear (and organizer of this years Nebula awards)

Gregory Benford -- (Hard SF writer and physicist)

Jeff Bezos -- (You already know this one)

Ray Bradbury -- this shows taste (agreed)

David Brin -- (SF writer and iconoclast)

Charles Brown -- A cartoon? (No, the editor and publisher of Locus, the top-rated magazine about the SF biz)

Octavia Butler -- I like her work (You had damn well better, she is a nice lady; also now local to Seattle)

James Cameron -- give me a break!!! (agreed)

Orson Scott Card -- Ender was it (If you say so)

Arthur C. Clarke -- nice ideas but fluffy (Eh? 'The City at the Edge of Forever' fluffy?)

Freeman Dyson -- the creater of sphere! (and way more; I can listen to him talk for hours, too bad the Dyson Sphere is all people think of when they hear his name)

Harlan Ellison -- yes!! (No!!! Unless, that is, you are the kind of person who slows down to look at car wrecks)

James Gunn -- (SF writer, not too well known anymore)

Ray Harryhausen -- (stop-motion animator of many a SciFi film and director, not too well known anymore)

David Hartwell -- (SF writer and major name editor)

Tim Kirk (Tolkien artist)

Lawrence Krauss (Science writer, wrote 'Physics of Star Trek' among other things)

George Lucas -- twenty years way past his prime (uh, yeah...)

Syne Mitchell -- (Local SF writer, fairly new but promising)

Dennis Muren -- (don't know)

Kim Stanley Robinson -- (Bay area SF writer best known for his Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy which, if sold by weight, would have made him rich)

Majel Barrett Roddenberry -- I know still running the "Great Bird" business, but have you seen some of the lastest works? (Roddenberry had some good ideas, but taking every thing he ever scratched on a napkin and making it into a series is dumb; plus Rick Berman has completely destroyed Roddenberry's best work anyway)

Stanley Schmidt -- (SF writer and editor)

Steven Spielberg -- Not SciFi - pretty pictures (well, he did do 'AI'; never mind, that isn't a reccomendation)

Neal Stephenson -- (Local Seattle SF writer and 'recluse' [OK, not really], currently taking the crown for heaviest trilogy)

Gary Stiffelman -- (don't know)

Phil Tippett -- (Animator and filmmaker)

Bjo Trimble (Somewhat local SF writer)

Michael Whelan (SF artist of consummate skill)

Jane Yolen (SF writer)