Author Archives: Dr John Kannenberg

Our 2,000th Visitor!

MUSEUM OF PORTABLE SOUND LABORATORIES, SOUTHSEA – This morning we welcomed a group of three online visitors to our museum who took a guided tour. As a result: • Today we welcomed our first visitors of 2023; • Today we welcomed our first visitors based in the Philippines; • Today we welcomed the 2,000th personContinue reading “Our 2,000th Visitor!”

MOPS Director Talks Death of the iPod on Sky News

LIVERPOOL/SOUTHSEA – MOPS Director John Kannenberg appeared on the 10 o’clock Sky News last night as part of a three minute segment marking the death of the iPod.

Science Museum in London Donates Object to Museum of Portable Sound

BLYTHE HOUSE ARCHIVE, LONDON – A vintage 1982 Philips portable tape recorder once held in the Science Museum’s archives has been officially transferred to the collections of the Museum of Portable Sound.

Announcing Our Summer 2022 Blockbuster Exhibition!

18 1/2 Minutes: The Erasure of Watergate Tape 342 Hear the infamous gap in the tape that sealed the fate of US President Richard Nixon exactly 50 years ago

Architectural Spotlight: Designing the Museum of Portable Sound

The sounds we exhibit in our Permanent Collection Galleries are stored on a single iPhone 4S. It is this single iPhone that all our visitors – online and in-person – listen to when accessing our collections of digital audio files, which are not available to stream online nor in a mobile app they can listenContinue reading “Architectural Spotlight: Designing the Museum of Portable Sound”

Why ‘Portable Sound’?

“I thought ‘Museum of Portable Sound’ sounded equal parts legitimate and confusing, which in my mind was a huge advantage.” Why are we called the Museum of ‘Portable Sound’? And what even IS ‘Portable Sound’? Read a new interview with our Director & Chief Curator discussing the various meanings of what ‘portable sound’ means toContinue reading “Why ‘Portable Sound’?”

Get to Know Our Collections!

We’ve just completed a substantial update to our website: an all-new section about our Collections! There are now individual pages dedicated to each of our four primary collections: our Permanent Collection of Sounds our Physical Objects Collection our Research Library and our Video Gallery Read about how each collection got its start, look at behind-the-scenesContinue reading “Get to Know Our Collections!”

Seismograf.org Interview with Our Director

Denmark-based music and sound studies magazine Seismograf has published an extensive interview with Dr John Kannenberg, our Director and Chief Curator, conducted last summer by writer Julie Hugsted. The interview covers the history of our museum, highlights from the Permanent Collection, and many of the influences and strategies that have helped shape what our museumContinue reading “Seismograf.org Interview with Our Director”

Coming November 2022: #MiniDisc30

One of our museum’s favourite portable sound formats, the MiniDisc, turns thirty years old this November – and we will spend that month celebrating it! Watch this space, as well as our social media accounts, for updates as we get closer to MiniDisc30 this November – we’ll make sure to tag everything with #MiniDisc30.

Is the MOPS Conference Available to Watch Online?

TO ALL WHO’VE ASKED ABOUT WATCHING OUR CONFERENCE ONLINE: Yes, we did record the MOPS Conference! But unless you bought a ticket, you won’t be able to watch it online for a little while yet. We’re grateful that so many people want to watch our first-ever sound studies conference now that it’s over. And you’llContinue reading “Is the MOPS Conference Available to Watch Online?”

Tickets Now Available for the Museum of Portable Sound Conference

Our first ever conference, Sound Beyond Music, is taking place exclusively online over two consecutive Fridays in November, the 12th and the 19th! The Conference Schedule is now available, and we’ve got two great days ready for you to experience. Over the two weeks of the conference, presentation videos will be posted for participants toContinue reading “Tickets Now Available for the Museum of Portable Sound Conference”

The Haunted Museum of Portable Sound is back!

The Haunted Museum of Portable Sound is being re-opened for the Halloween season this year! The mysterious PHANTOM CURATOR is unlocking his online crypt of cacophony to explore spooky sounds specially selected for either adult experiences or family outings via Zoom! Adults will get a deep dive into the world of EVP – Electronic VoiceContinue reading “The Haunted Museum of Portable Sound is back!”

Research Library Catalogue Now Available

What kind of research goes into the design, creation, and maintenance of a museum dedicated to the culture and history of sound? Now’s your chance to find out, as we unlock our Research Library and present the Museum of Portable Sound Research Library Catalogue: 1,400 books, articles, patents, manuals, audio recordings, and more – including linksContinue reading “Research Library Catalogue Now Available”

Reviews in Digital Humanities reviews our museum

The open-source online journal Reviews in Digital Humanities has posted a thoughtful review of our museum written by musician Rebecca Gates. The review is part of the journal’s September 2021 special issue devoted to sound, guest edited by Mary Caton Lingold.

Object of the Week: environments 9

Each week on our social media accounts, we post an Object of the Week from our Physical Objects Collection or Research Library. This week’s object is a new acquisition that we are also publishing here due to its extensive text-based content, which we are presenting as a free PDF. This week’s object is an originalContinue reading “Object of the Week: environments 9”

Ecsite 2021 Conference Appearance

Earlier today our Director & Chief Curator appeared as part of The Power of Sound, a panel session that took place at the Ecsite European Network of Science Centres & Museums 2021 conference. The session was convened by Michèle Antoine of Universcience in Paris, and also featured presentations about sound-based exhibitions by Mark Read ofContinue reading “Ecsite 2021 Conference Appearance”

Remembering George Floyd Silent Online Memorial Archived

More than 150 people gathered last night to memorialise George Floyd and all victims of racial intolerance in an online silent tribute organised by Marcus Ryder MBE on the one year anniversary of Floyd’s murder at the hands of police. The group remained silent for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, the length of time Floyd’sContinue reading “Remembering George Floyd Silent Online Memorial Archived”

Announcing the Museum of Portable Sound Conference – Abstracts Due 1 Nov!

We’re having a Sound Studies conference – and you’re invited to submit a proposal for it! In November 2021, we will host the inaugural Museum of Portable Sound Conference – an online conference featuring traditional conference papers, audio papers, and essay films – about areas of Sound Studies beyond music and ‘sound art’! Be sureContinue reading “Announcing the Museum of Portable Sound Conference – Abstracts Due 1 Nov!”

Announcing Our First Ever Online Exhibition: MP3@25, A Celebration Of A Quarter Century Of Worldwide Compressed Digital Audio

MP3@25: The Anniversary Exhibition, 1995–2020Opens Online 14 July 2020 What is an MP3? What is the history of the MP3? What is the legacy of the MP3? We’ll be investigating these questions and more in this provocative free online exhibition which explores how a file type can change the world. Features work by Suzanne Vega,Continue reading “Announcing Our First Ever Online Exhibition: MP3@25, A Celebration Of A Quarter Century Of Worldwide Compressed Digital Audio”