Science is Broken

I like learning and going to museums just as much as the next person. Okay, so maybe I am a little nerdy but I was really excited for the museum in Shanghai. 

Learning can be cool. 

Museums can be cool.

The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is not cool. 

I was grateful for the old rich guy who either donated a lot of money or the animals themselves, I'm not sure, because seeing all the stuffed animals was the best part. But seeing as that was the first thing we did. It got boring real fast. Outdated and broken down museums are especially boring when you didn't eat breakfast and end up being there until 2 in the afternoon. Lesson learned. 

My brother-in-law Wayne

I thought it would be a new, fun experience to see an IMAX movie in a dome theater. The idea of laying down and looking up at the screen that seemed to encircle you was intriguing. I was unsatisfied yet again when you had to sit in a chair at practically a 90 degree angle. The movie was about how different cultures use horses. It was in Chinese so I had no idea what was going on but the horses were pretty and they showed Texas and the Rocky Mountains. It was a nice escape to pretend I was there again.

This is the large projector wheel the movie was on. It was one of the most interesting things of the day because it actually functioned.

So many of the exhibits seemed exciting when you saw them on the map and then you got there you realized that nothing was actually alive and working or it had dust all over it. It's just like the Chinese people to make something seem really cool on paper only to lure you into a disappointing trap. 

I guess I shouldn't have gone to the aquarium the day before or else maybe the water life exhibit would have been more entertaining. I walked through there pretty fast but was able to snap a couple shots.

Andrew and I both agreed we were tired of looking at animals and wanted to get away from life science and into the cool stuff like robots. Our hopes were high that this exhibit would be one to remember. How can you go wrong with robots?

Well, as you can guess most of them didn't even function or they were stuck in one position while a conveyor moved around them. Lame.

But this little one actually could draw a picture. I couldn't get close enough to see if it was a good picture because people were probably so excited to see a robot really do something that the crowd was too big.

Robots and archery? Okay. No, the yellow robot did not shoot arrows. It only holds the bow and doesn't move.
Andrew had to show the instructor how to properly put the arrow on and I guess it gave them a good laugh.

TWO HEADED COW. After all I've seen I'm not optimistic that it's real.

This is when things started to get really boring. I love science and find it really interesting but they just didn't know how to make it engaging. i.e. the nuclear plant model and video circa 1985.

When you're driving in Shanghai and see this building-- keep driving north to the ocean aquarium.

MORAL OF THE STORY: 

"Science looks really interesting and cool on the outside but when it comes down to it everything is broken." 

-Wayne Christenson 

(Famous words from my brother-in-law in the polar bear picture. He's working on his PhD in Physics.)