Presentation at Virtual Futures 2.0/11 http://www.virtualfutures.co.uk

1. I fell into LambdaMOO at Virtual FuturesProf Sue Thomas, De Montfort Universitywww.thewildsurmise.com@suethomasVirtual Futures 2.0/11, University of Warwick, 18/19 June 2011

2. Go totelnet://lambda.moo.mud.org:8888When the login prompt appears type connect guestAfter that you’re on your own. You might begin by typing help

3. --- GashGirl (female)---a disembodied and ancient intelligence inflected by the earthly experiences of the Puppet Mistress

4. **************************** Welcome to LambdaMOO! * ***************************Running Version 1.8.3+47 of LambdaMOO

5. PLEASE NOTE: LambdaMOO is a new kind of society, where thousands of people voluntarily come together from all over the world. What these people say or do may not always be to your liking; as when visiting any international city, it is wise to be careful who you associate with and what you say.

6. *** Connected ***The Coat ClosetThe closet is a dark, cramped space. It appears to be very crowded in here; you keep bumping into what feels like coats, boots, and other people(apparently sleeping). One useful thing that you've discovered in yourbumbling about is a metal doorknob set at waist level into what might be a door. Next to it is a spring lever labeled 'QUIET!'.

7. help digShowing help on `@dig':----Syntax: @dig "<new-room-name>"This is the basic building tool. The first form of the command creates a new room with the given name. The new room is not connected to anywhere else; it is floating in limbo.

8. _^^~^___ the fields---___~~^_^-~~ __^^___~~~~~They stretch as far as the eye can see.It is autumn, and the ground is stubbled with the remains of the harvest. On its way to Africa for the winter, a sheet of birds darkens the sky in a turning twisting mass, then disperses and moves on as a scattered cohort towards the far-off hills and, beyond them, to the open sea.

9. The Formal GardenYou are in a formal garden, south of the main part of the house. Wide, gently curving grass pathways wind their way through the expansive grounds; the grass is lush, and meticulously kept, its quality echoed on a not-too-distant decent piece of turf, though here there is not a single weed, unsightly stump, bald patch, or divot to be seen.

10. The Green CathedralYou are in a tiny clearing nestled deep in the woods, surrounded by beech trees. The branches overhead form an arched canopy of green, their leaves intertwining one with another, giving shelter to a carpet of soft, dry moss below. The soft light of morning filters through the trees. There is a stillness here.

11. “The online and offline world aren’t staying in their boxes like I thought they would. They’re bleeding together.“Today I logged off at dawn, walked out of my apartment, four blocks to the blue Atlantic, and jumped in. “Wow, I thought, now this is bandwidth.”[J.C.Herz, Surfing on the Internet, 1995]