I’ve posted over 17,000 stories on “06880.”
It takes a lot to make my Top 10 Favorites list. But Jay Babina’s is on it.
A year ago, I toured the Westport Tech Museum.
Most people had never heard of it. Unless you’re a family member or friend, you can’t get in.
That’s because it’s in the attic of the teenager’s home.
But there — on shelves and desks, and in display cases — I found an astonishing collection of 500 computers, video games, calculators, cameras, radios and more.
Jay has created a fascinating, educational, fun, nostalgic and very, very cool tour of American technology.
From a Commodore Amiga 1000, Osborne 1, Apple IIe and an original Macintosh, to a 1914 Victrola that still plays, 1910 Edison light bulb that still shines, and a 1905 crank telephone that still rings, Jay has scoured the world (and eBay) to find rare, important, classic, quirky and historic products.
Many of them are famous and now obsolete. Some are long-forgotten failures. All make up our technological timeline.
This wide-angle view captures only part of the Westport Tech Museum. (Photo courtesy of Jay Babina)
For those lucky enough to gain admittance, this may be the greatest attic in America. And Jay is an eager, informative tour guide.
You can read last year’s story here. For an update on what’s new since last May, read on.
One of Jay’s proudest additions is a Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder.
And not just any one. This is the same model that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, when Watergate discussions were recorded on it.
The type of reel-to-reel tape recorder that brought down a president.
Jay points to the tape on his machine and jokes, “This is the missing 18 1/2 minutes.” (For an 18-year-old, he has a remarkable knowledge of history.)
An original Asteroids machine is enhanced by an actual game token from Arnie’s Place. Jay’s father — who grew up in Monroe — visited the Westport arcade as a youngster. (For whatever reason, he kept the souvenir.)
Asteroids amused countless kids (including Jay’s father) after its 1979 release. It’s playable today, in Jay’s museum. An Arnie’s Place token sits above the center button.
Jay found the first Polaroid camera model — in 1948, it was also the first instant camera in the world — on eBay. It cost him only $40.
He now owns the pay phone used in “Witness.” And not just the type — this is the actual phone used in the filming.
How does he know? Diligent research matched the telephone number shown in small print on it, with that in the movie.
Jay has a NeXT computer — Steve Jobs’ failed company from 1996 — as well as a bit of fabric from the Apple (and NeXT) founder’s turtleneck.
Long after it faded from memories, Jay’s NeXT computer still works.
He’s got a 1992 Motorola “brick” phone (it’s hard to believe people made calls on something like that) and a 1939 View-Master toy (it’s hard to believe people were excited by those stereoscopic images).
A 1939 View-Master. You put the disc (right) in the viewer (left), and saw — wow — a 3D image!
It’s a shame — but understandable — that Jay’s museum is not open to the public.
Fortunately, it is online. Click here to enter; then bookmark it, and return often.
Meanwhile, scroll down for a photographic tour of one of the most intriguing places in Westport — and far beyond.
And one that is on my Top 10 out of 17,000+ favorite “06880” stories ever.
(You can also find the Westport Tech Museum on Facebook; click here. And Instagram; click here.)
Hey, kids! This is how your parents (and grandparents) once connected to the internet: with a Texas Instruments monitor, keyboard — and dial-up phone modem.
A 1992 Motorola cell phone — called a “brick,” for obvious reasons.
A working Palm Pilot fits in Jay Babina’s palm.
Did you “witness” this phone in the movie of that same name?
Jay’s museum is not all about technology. An exhibit on the 1980s includes New Coke (“the biggest product flop in history”), and the much more successful California Raisins and Cabbage Patch Kids. (All photos/Dan Woog, unless noted)
(Westport is filled with intriguing people, doing way cool things. “06880” finds them, and shares them with the world. But we can’t do it without reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
Very cool! He should mount an exhibit at the Westport Historical Museum or at the Library. Wondering what Jay’s career ambitions are.
Forget a display at the Westport Historical Museum! Maybe the library could be an option. My suggestion is to get these items insured! I have a 1941 Bell & Howell movie camera in its original box. For the right price, it could be in his attic.
Thanks for the suggestion! Maybe I’ll look into getting a minimal exhibit set up at the library when I go to college in the fall!
FABULOUS!!!!!!!
Jay is my kind of guy! What a fabulous collection! Thanks for sharing it with us. Hope Elissa’s suggestion of an exhibit at the Historical Society of Library bears fruit.
How much of this actually works? Are you restoring the really cool stuff?
Not everything works, although a good amount of it does. I would say an estimated 60% works. I don’t have the knowledge to restore a lot of these tech pieces, but I am currently on the lookout for someone who can recap my computers!
Very cool! I know how addictive it is to collect something. I’ve been collecting antique radios since I was a kid, and have probably hundreds at this point. It’s a great way to learn about history, as well as to learn about electronics if you also develop an interest in working on things. What I love about the radios is that (after repair/restoration) they can still be used and I do listen to them. The audio quality and performance of some of these 80+ year old sets is fantastic. Sadly I haven’t kept all my past computers, but I still have several. Great way to remind yourself of where you’ve been and not let yourself take the latest technology for granted.
Very cool! I have a 1938 Hallicrafters pre-war radio that still plays. That exact radio (that I own) was used by my relatives to listen to FDR’s speech declaring war on Japan after Pearl Harbor in 1941. Using Spotify and an AM transmitter, I can play FDR’s iconic speech through the radio!