Christmas Past, Present and Future

Christmas Bytes

27-30 December 2016, every afternoon 12 noon-5pm

5 December 2016

Keep the festive spirit going between Christmas and New Year with a family visit to The National Museum of Computing on Bletchley Park.

There is something to entertain all the family at Christmas Bytes every afternoon (12 noon to 5pm) from 27-30 December 2016. You will probably be greeted on your visit by a talking robot, OhBot!

Enjoy computer games from Christmas Past, Present and even Future with a range of favourite games. Play 1980’s Manic Miner on a Spectrum, Pong and Sonic Hedgehog, then venture into the virtual reality with an Oculus Rift and ROVR and then try Augmented Reality with Octagon Studios and Quiver.

Learn about smart cities like Milton Keynes and the technologies that make it tick from MK:Smart. See some wearable tech and youngsters can make their own techno light-up badge (29 and 30 December only).

Re-invent your smartphone with some fascinating free apps – Rob will show how you can turn your smartphone or pad into a powerful creative computer with some free apps.

Then let 5 to 12 year olds try the latest in Tactile Learning with Osmo’s award-winning game using an iPad.

And for analogue lovers, there’s even an Origami workshop with a sci-fi twist.

Matthew Yeomans, Events Manager who is master-minding Bytes, said: “There is something to entertain all ages in the home of Colossus between Christmas and New Year – it’s a great way to learn about technologies past, present and future. Even if you think you are a technophobe, we think you’ll be surprised at how much you can do with ease – having fun at the same time.

“And if you think you know about our computer heritage, try our quiz and see if you can win a rare framed showroom computer portrait by the acclaimed photo editor, Docubyte.”

Victoria Alexander, Operations Director at the Museum, has a special tip for visitors: “If you download the Gamar app on your smartphone or tablet before you come, you’ll be in for a very special treat,” she says. “You will be able to try for free the latest in museum tour experiences.”

For the full running order, see Bytes Festivals

About The National Museum of Computing

The National Museum of Computing, located on Bletchley Park, is an independent charity housing the world's largest collection of functional historic computers, including the rebuilt Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer, and the WITCH, the world's oldest working digital computer. The Museum enables visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s and beyond.

The Museum runs a highly successful Learning Programme for schools and colleges and promotes introductions to computer coding amongst young people to inspire the next generation of computer scientists and engineers.

Sponsors of the Museum have included Bletchley Park Science and Innovation Centre, Bloomberg, CreateOnline, Ceravision, Fujitsu, InsightSoftware.com, Ocado Technology, FUZE, 4Links, Google UK, IBM, NPL, HP Labs, and BCS.

Outside the long school holidays, the whole Museum is open to the public from 12 noon - 5pm on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, spring and summer Bank Holidays and during long school holidays. The Colossus and Tunny galleries are open daily. Public and private Guided Tours are available and bookable online – see the website or the iPhone app for details. Educational and corporate group visits are available by prior arrangement.

For more information, see www.tnmoc.org and follow @tnmoc on Twitter and The National Museum of Computing on Facebook and Google+. A TNMOC iPhone App is also available from the iPhone App Store.

Media Contacts

Stephen Fleming, Palam Communications, for The National Museum of Computing
01635 299116
s.fleming@palam.co.uk