How to Ensure your kid grows up a total nerd: Take him to the MIT Museum!
So as we've said, Dylan and I just got back from the sunny beachy shores of Boston! You should see my wicked tan.
One of the highlights of the week was the MIT Museum. I'll admit, I was hesitant at first (I imagined row upon row of framed mathematical equations), but I am so glad I went. It was awesome! First of all, it only cost $2 to get in, second of all, it was totally empty, and third of all, it was really cool.
My personal favorite part of the museum was the Arthur Ganson exhibit. If you don't already know his work, he creates kinetic machines that are either motor powered, or are wound up by the viewer. They are beautiful, you can see every gear and sprocket working to make something move, and somehow, his sculptures never look mechanical; they move fluidly, almost organically, and are totally mesmorizing. Most of them have a great touch of humor.
Dylan filmed one of the sculptures with my digital camera, and I'm going to try my hand here at a little something I like to call embedded video. I'm very excited about it. What you are about to see looks like a tiny wishbone sauntering along, appearing to pull a clanking contraption behind it. (if the camera work sucks, you know who to blame, he really needs a lesson in focus). You can see the professional video of this here, along with videos of his other works.
Also at the MIT Museum was a striking array of holograms. From the MIT Museum Website"Today the MIT Museum has the largest and most comprehensive collection of holograms in the world. This vast collection is searchable via a new on-line collections database.
Historic holograms in the collection include the first reflection holograms, the first laser transmission hologram, and the first white light transmission hologram, created by MIT professor Stephen Benton, a pioneer in the field of holography and 3-D imaging." And let me tell you, they were the most impressive and beautiful holograms I've ever seen. They truly looked like three dimensional objects floating in space, or bending out from the wall. Most of them were changing fluidly from every angle you viewed them. In one, as you walked around it, a woman winks at you and blows a kiss. I mean, these were not your average holograms.
The Musem also had a great Robotics section, complete with videos of the robots on display in action. Included were the Cybernetic Turtle (1951), Minsky's Arm (1968), Instrumented Screw Driver (1993), Spring Turkey (1994-96), Pebbles (1996), Cog's Head (1997-98), and Kismet (1993-2000). And please, watch the video for the Uniroo (1991=1993). Makes the mechanical donkey look a little less impressive, since the Uniroo was made freaking 15 years ago.
Kismet made me have bad dreams. 
All in all, the MIT Musuem is nerdarific and if you're in Boston, it's worth the two bux. (and the nearby World of Science restaurant makes pretty good food...and the menu is set up like the periodic table. Delightful!)
I spent a good portion of my adolescence at the MIT museum watching Ganson's chairs de- and then re-construct. I turned out just fine.
Right?