BS Would you differentiate between Techniquest and other types of science centre?
ER It depends very much on what kind of science centre. Every science centre has - and every museum - have different - aims. They have different objectives they have different ways of meeting their aims. If you go to (W5) in Belfast you'll find there are no labels. There are exhibits which - you explore and - if you want to find out the answer - it's the it's not on the label - pinned to the exhibit. So I would say that our - rationale is different to theirs. I'm not saying we're right or they're wrong. But they're there for different reasons - there for the same reason that the exhibits have - different aims. The labels are there if somebody wants to know the answer of if somebody wants to find out more about it, they can. But the way in W5 is - well it is all about the questions and you get them then to think about the questions and try and find out the answer themselves. Or maybe go home and try and find out. But, personally I felt that - quite frustrating because I wanted to know it now but then that's what science is all about. It's working on the answers. You know, there is no quick fix to find the answers straight away.
so - there are science centres that- aim at different age groups. But they try and do different things. Museums try and do something - else but they will also have, often, they'll have interactives or have an interactive gallery. When I say interactive I mean more hands-on rather than computer interactives. But they also have computer interactives as well, so, I don't, I don't see - a big red line and again never the twain shall meet. I think there's a lot that we can learn from each other and from different places. Particularly with the - a whole load opening for the millennium. A lot of people who had never really been involved before suddenly became involved in that kind of - um field. And so they bought their own ideas and their own background and their own skills. And sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. It's, it's good for me to go round different centres and say actually "yeah I really like that. Oh I wouldn't do it that way." Because then you think "why wouldn't I do it that way?" And it all helps to improve the stuff that you produce. So I don't I don't think we're completely different. But then, none of us are identical either. What a cop out answer that was.