"An abiding curiosity and an insatiable desire to learn how and why things work are the hallmarks of innovation . . . Creativity is nurtured by being receptive and encouraging" (Hewlett, 1998, p. 8). The innovation of computers and technologies are being developed enormously in order to serve the needs of mankind. The more people around the world that are eager to learn how to use new computers and technologies, the more I am proud that I am one who lives in a place that many people call, "Silicon Valley: the heart of computers and technologies in the world." I live in San Jose, the capital of Silicon Valley (The City of San Jose, 1999, p. 1). San Jose is surrounded by a great number of hardware and software computer companies. There are a lot of job opportunities offered in this region. San Jose, thus, is called, the land of the Silicon Rush, which has replaced California's Gold Rush, which occurred fifty-two years ago (San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2000, p. 4). People around the world want to go to the land of the Silicon Rush such as businessmen, engineers, college students, and, of course, tourists.
Considering tourists, if we look for tourist sites in San Jose, a tourist site that many people are recognized is The Tech Museum of Innovation. The Tech Museum is a museum of technology revolutions. It is a big mango-colored building located centrally in downtown San Jose, at the corner of Market Street and Park Avenue. Inside the Tech Museum, there are four theme galleries. The first gallery, Communication, global connections, is to experience how the Internet, television, and communication technology have brought the world together. The second gallery, Exploration, new frontiers, is to demonstrate an earthquake, investigate under the sea, and use imagination to take people to many different places. The third gallery, Innovation, Silicon Valley and beyond, is to allow visitors to become a Silicon Valley inventor by designing a roller coaster, microchip, and 3-D self-portrait. The fourth gallery, Life tech, the human machine, is to experience machines that keep humans alive and explore technologies which enhance human performance. Moreover, the Tech Museum provides an IMAX Dome Theater, the center for learning, Tech online, the national medal of technology, the center of the edge, and public art. Through this paper, I will articulate why I selected The Tech as the artifact of this study, what the mission of the Tech Museum I will explore is, what the sources I have collected are, which method will be employed, and how I will use this method. Then the analysis of the Tech Museum will be divided into three puzzles: Why should The Tech be considered as the monument of Silicon Valley? How does this monument work? And, What influences does this monument have to tourists? The summary and meaningful proposal for future research will be illustrated lastly.
Initially, I realized that tourist sites play a significant role in representing cities towards people around the world. The famous tourist sites become the symbol of each place. People from parts of the world can recognize places from the well-known tourist sites such as Golden Gate Bridge-San Francisco, Statue of Liberty-New York, Space Needle-Seattle, White House-Washington DC, and Sea World-San Diego. Suddenly, some puzzles came up to my mind. What about San Jose? What is the icon of our city? Is there any tourist site that can symbolize San Jose? Although San Jose is not famous in a tourist attraction like other big tourist cities, we have our own uniqueness that should be projected to people around the world. At this point, I asked myself what place could meaningfully represent our city. Due to the fact San Jose is well known as the Tech capital of the world, The Tech Museum of Innovation should be the most powerful site for the representation of San Jose. As a result, a research question came to my mind, "How does The Tech Museum represent San Jose as a particular kind of tourist site: the Tech capital of the world?" Before we answer this question, I would like to propose some academic and journalistic research related to the Tech Museum in order to provide some basis for the analysis later on. In this section, I will portray the research by dividing it into two aspects: history and background, and argument.
History and Background
In 1978, members of the Junior League of Palo Alto, later joined by the San Jose Junior League, envisioned an exciting learning center devoted to science and technology in the heart of Silicon Valley (The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose, 1996, p. 21). The vision for the Tech Museum was realized in 1990 when a 20,000-square-foot temporary facility was opened in part of the city's former convention center on West San Carlos Street (The Tech Museum of Innovation, 1998, p. 3). Since then, the Tech Museum has fine-tuned its mission of engaging people in all ages in the technologies that affect their daily lives and has built a reputation as an important resource in the area of science and technology learning. It has also become a landmark for visitors seeking a glimpse of the most inventive place on Earth and a showcase of the latest high-tech gizmos and gadgets that put Silicon Valley on the map (San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2000, p. 51).
The Tech Museum of Innovation is a joint project with The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose. It is a cosmopolitan museum singularly focused on technology - how it works and the way that it is changing every aspect of the way we work, live, play, and learn (The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose, 1999, p.4). Its "people-and-technology" focus and the integration of advanced technologies into visitor experiences and infrastructure distinguish it from other science centers (The Tech Museum of Innovation, 1999, p. 2). Nearly all of the exhibits at the Tech Museum are original or custom-designed and interactive using the most cutting-edge tools to take visitors behind the scenes of Silicon Valley's technology think tanks and research laboratories. The Tech Museum has become an educational resource established to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives, and to inspire the young to become innovators in the technologies of the future. So far, I have provided some history and background of the Tech Museum for audiences in order to profoundly experience it through this paper. Next, I would like to propose some arguments from people about the Tech Museum especially in the first year when it was opened.