MAGICAL BIRTHDAYS
DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE AT
Transform your look with premium hair extensions .
Offering IBE ® Extensions !
Our Extension artists are certified in a variety of methods for a healthy scalp as well as offering the exclusive , Invisible Bead Extension ®️ method .
Call today to set up your in salon extension consultation to start your hair extension journey .
401-268-3006 • 705 S . County Trail , Exeter , RI 02822 salonstellari
AWARD-WINNING ENTERTAINMENT
WARWICK
MAGICAL BIRTHDAYS
THE SEASONS ASSISTED LIVING A Premier Non-Profit Residence
Celebrate Life With Us ! Traditional & Memory Care Neighborhoods Available programs for qualified veterans & short-term stays A joint venture of The Scandinavian Communities and Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation
Five Saint Elizabeth Way , East Greenwich , RI 401.884.9099 ~ www . theseasons . org
COOL OFF IN OUR ESCAPE ROOMS
RIRIDDLEROOM . COM
Dan Berman , a retired civil engineer and board member who serves as the museum ’ s director and curator .
The museum , which also includes a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in North Kingstown , had an unlikely start . In the mid-1990s , Berman says , a group of British car enthusiasts came together with the idea to collect something smaller and easier to store : computers . By 1999 , the group had incorporated as a nonprofit organization , and the museum was born . Almost from the start , he says , the group received donations from schools , businesses and government organizations looking to offload their defunct technology when newer options came around .
“ People love their computers , and they want to find a good home for them ,” he says .
The collection , which today numbers in the thousands , features everything from the punch card technology that predated modern computers to contemporary virtual reality sets . In one corner , a 1961 salesman kit shows how a computer of the day would have taken up an entire room . The 1965 Wang LOCI-2 — one of the world ’ s first electric calculators — cost $ 60,000 and was obsolete within the year . Another gem of the collection , the PDP-9 minicomputer , dates from 1968 .
“ There are only twelve in existence , and we have the only running one . We ’ re very proud of it ,” Berman says .
An unexpected perk of serving as a clearinghouse of old computer equipment , Berman says , is they ’ ve also found new life as a prop house . Movies and TV shows
PHOTOGRAPH : LAUREN CLEM .
106 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2024