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Mick Doherty <doherm>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 14:15 -0400
Let's start with the obligatory introductory postings ... please,
everyone respond to at least this one "assignment" and
from there, post only when inspired, driven, or slightly woozy
from lack of sleep.
My name is Mick Doherty, and I'm going to be TA'ing this class
for my brilliant, underrated, swell-guy dissertation chair, Dr.
David Porush. (Did I mention he was brilliant?) Primarily, I'll
be tending to the "virtual extension" of the classroom
that is this list, though my role may evolve as the semester goes
on.
I'm from Bowling Green, Ohio where I received a BA and MA from
BGSU (a hockey school only slightly more nuts than RPI) in English
and American Literature. I've taught a first-year writing class
called "Cyberpunk and Virtual Reality" and team-taught
an "American Science Fiction" class while at Bowling
Green; here at RPI I've been busy designing and teachng a class
called "Writing to the World Wide Web." This semester
in addtion to sf/vr I'm teaching a section of Tech/Pro.
My professional interests are in the areas of hypertext theory
and electronic publishing; I'm the editor of an international
journal for teacher of writing called "Kairos" -- next
issue due out in four days, and I can post the URL if anyone is
at all interested!
While graduate students are actually not legally allowed to have
lives, when I get my PhD I plan to go back to being a sports fan
and perhaps coach (I used to coach HS girls basketball in Toledo),
and re-discovering what it means to "be outside" during
daylight hours.
One other personal note -- I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic.
I always tell students this so when you see me on campus sticking
a hypodermic into my arm, you know it's *legal* ... and because
of strict schedules, I will be taking shots *during* class. If
this bothers anyone, please let me know off list and I can leave
the room while I do this.
Favorite SF book: Walter Miller's "A Canticle For Leibowitz"
Favorite VR book: Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash"
Favorite sf/vr movie: "Total Recall" (go ahead and boo me ... i don't
care ... i *liked* it!) ...
Next?
best,
mick@rpi
Andrew D. Tinkham <tinkha@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 16:36 -0400
Hi, I'm Andy, one of the 19 seniors Mick mentioned. This is my
last semester at RPI, and I hope to be leaving after December
with a BS in Computer Engineering. Once the semester gets started,
if I'm not in class or asleep (or both...), I can usually be found
either in the VCC help desk or the Playhouse.
I originally hail from New Hampshire but call the Twin Cities
of Minnesota home now. Minnesota is where my fiance'e lives, working
on her PhD in Information & Decision Sciences.
Favorite SF book: Hmm, I've read a lot of these over the past
2 years in particular... I remember really liking Rebecca Ore's
_Becoming Alien_, and actually am looking forward to reading the
next 2 books in the trilogy that my fiance'e and I found right
at the end of the summer.
Favorite VR book: I would have to agree with Mick here... I really
liked _Snow Crash_ (although there was one part that I thought
dragged a little...) Some of the stories in _Mirrorshades_ were
pretty cool too. Finally, I liked Pat Cadigan's _Synners_ when
I read it over the summer, as well.
Favorite Fantasy series: I really like Robert Jordan's _Wheel
of Time_ series, and hopefully will have time to reread the first
4 books this semester and then move on to the 3 that have come
out since I last read the series.
--
Andy Tinkham <tinkha@rpi.edu><tinkha@visi.com>
Dennis Payne <dulsi@identical.stu.rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 11:00 -0400
I'm Dennis Payne who seems to be getting doubles of every post
since Mick put both of my email accounts on the list. (Mick thats
a hint to fix that :) I'm a junior coputer science major. My time
is divided amoung computers, role-playing games, and occassionally
school-work. A large collection of comic books reside at my home
in Holliston, MA. I hate doing intros to mailling lists for classes
and have run out of things to say.
Dennis Payne
dulsi@identical.stu.rpi.edu
payned@rpi.edu
Daniel M. Cohen <cohend3>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 9:38 -0400
I guess I should begin by telling you my name is Dan and am from Northridge, California. If the city sounds familiar, it's probably because it was on the news two years back when an earthquake devastated much of the area including the virtual reality video game area located in the Northridge Mall :). If you are wondering, I was there when the earthquake hit. Infact, I was leaving to come back to RPI that same day. I can honestly say my whole body was shaking for an entire week. Im over that experience now, thank god <Note: I purposely left god lowercase! It means that I think god is more of an idea than a name.>
By the way, I had forgotten David Porush's name after the first
day of class. I then went and told my roommate about the class
and that I forgot the professor's name he said, "Isn't that
taught by David Koresh?" I burst out laughing and then replied,
"I don't think were in the process of starting a cult anytime
soon." Just wanted to add that tid bit. Maybe we can get
a d discussion going on this :) just kidding.
Currently, I am a senior in Computer and Systems Engineering.
I Ta'd computer Science II last year and am Ta'ing Computer Microprocessor
Lab (CML) this year. I also am working on the nineth floor of
the CII on an Interactive Learning Module project. For this project,
I have been working with Director, a multimedia Language that
allows you to make interactive movies relatively easily. If Time
permits, I wouldn't mind creating a Science Fiction Virtual Reality
movie. If any of you have any ideas and would be willing to help
me make a script up, I would be very appreciative.
There are several things I enjoy doing. Playing basketball, running,
weightlifting and bicycling keep me in tip top shape. I also enjoy
playing board games; Robo-Rally, Axis and Allies, and Civilization.
I guess thats all I wanted to say for now.
Dan
Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 11:45 -0400
i'm matt, more often referred to by my handles when i'm online.
i'm a sophomore CS major, and thinking of going into systems administration
at some point in the future. i'm taking this course because the
reading material might actually be interesting to me; it's closely
related to my favorite genre of reading, fantasy.
if i'm not online, you might find me on the tennis courts, or
playing with my linux box, tempest.stu.rpi.edu.
fav sf book : ?
fav vr book : ?
fav fantasy : "magic's pawn" mercedes lackey
i hope that will suffice.
### ##### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4
######## ##### leareth@rpi.edu
#### ### ######
######## ####### put my faith in god, my trust in you
###### #### ### now there's nothing more fucked up i could do
##### ######## NiN
### #####
Jesse Booth <boothj@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 19:11 -0400
I'm Jesse Booth, a senior comp sissie. I'm into programming, networks,
and security. I have a lot of trouble concentrating when I read,
so I haven't read any sci-fi with the exception of neuromancer
back in high school. i'm taking this class because it will force
me to spend a good deal of my spare time reading some cyberpunk/SF,
plus i'm interested in how society has gone ape-shit over VR.
I'm the guy professor dave was cutting on about the article regarding
the Sega VR helmet causing flashbacks. I have found the article
from sept 1993 describing the helmet, but i now need to search
the lib for the FDA/Sega business. I like to watch CHiP's. I wrote
xstalker with Jeff Gentry (who's also in this class) if you've
ever used that on RCS. I run some crazy 80's page (http://www.rpi.edu/~boothj/eighties.html)
or something, but try to minimize my time doing HTML crap.
Jesse
Jester <gentrj>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 22:04 -0400
hello VRSF class. I'm Jeff Gentry, also known as the loser who
can't win a GM week election 2 years running. I float between
online names, but the old favorite is Jester (been using it since
7th grade) ... i'm a junior/senior (depening on one's measure)
Comp Sci ... hopefully looking into going into either system administration
or working for one of those places where i couldn't talk about
my job much (aka the man) ...
Unlike some of my compatriots, I did not get dissed by Prof Porush
(hey, if this is a cyberpunk class ... why the hell wasn't he
dressed up in tight black leather, wearing mirror shades with
some coax cable coming out of his head? Geez professor ... get
in the genre <grin>) ...
I will say upfront that I find the blatant overuse of the word
"virtual" to be cheesy and nauseating (sp?) ... I mean
realy ... some little known SF author writes a book about an AI
wanting to be free and all of a sudden everyone is virtually this
and virtually that. Get over it ... you are writing email, mudding
(mooing, mushing, etc), reading news gropus, looking at web pages
(no, not surfing), etc. Sorry for that little diatribe, i will
get off my soapbox now.
In response to Thayer about Conciouness Explained ... It is not
very hard to rip some rather big holes into Dennet's arguements.
I do not remember many particulars from the book, but in the immortal
words of Prof Puka ... "Dennet seems a bit .... confused."
What do i enjoy to do besides bitch and moan and waer down the
top of my soap box? I eat at taco bell, listen to industrial,
play galaga, pretend to be as elite (ugh) as boothj, read, and
tool around on my new 'pu8ter (mostly games for now, at least)
....
I work at the Center for Advanced Technologies (CAT), for the
past sevearl oops, several, months i have worked on some programs
ranging from real time control to cheesy Visual Basic apps for
cheesy MS windows. Yes, i'm a bitter person. Too much zinc in
my diet, i suppose.
ObFavs ...
Fav SF book: Neuromancer (followed by Mona Lisa Overdrive) ...
Fav SF(ish) movie: Clockwork Orange (the book is 100 times better, but oh wlel)
Fav SOD: boothj
love always,
J
Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 20:45 -0400
> I will say upfront that I find the blatant overuse of the word "virtual"
> to be cheesy and nauseating (sp?) ... I mean realy ... some
little known
the age of buzzwords is upon us. take "information superhighway"...
please.
> to be as elite (ugh) as boothj, read, and tool around on my new 'pu8ter
> (mostly games for now, at least) ....
3l33+3. as in "i'/\/\ 3l33+3, g|\/3 m3 w4r3Z d00dz!"
;)
another rampant usenet thread that refuses to die a graceful death.
> Yes, i'm a bitter person. Too much zinc in my diet, i suppose.
does the FDA know about that?
> ObFavs ...
thought you were going to go into a ObHack for a second... :)
> Fav SOD: boothj
do we need to take the list there? ;)
### ##### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4
######## ##### leareth@rpi.edu
#### ### ######
######## ####### put my faith in god, my trust in you
###### #### ### now there's nothing more fucked up i could do
##### ######## NiN
### #####
Jean-Etienne LaVallee <lavalj@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 10:45 -0400
Yo,
>> I will say upfront that I find the blatant overuse of the word "virtual"
>> to be cheesy and nauseating (sp?) ... I mean realy ... some little known
>the age of buzzwords is upon us. take "information superhighway"... please.
yeah, how about "info-bahn," brutal...my dad's been
in the ld phone industry for about 15 years now and he's always
refered to it as "the net" or "the network."
Not just the arpanet or the internet or the sprintnet, or the
LAN, just "the net" for all of it. I like that, it has
staying power, like "the matrix."
>> to be as elite (ugh) as boothj, read, and tool around on my new 'pu8ter
>> (mostly games for now, at least) ....
>3l33+3. as in "i'/\/\ 3l33+3, g|\/3 m3 w4r3Z d00dz!" ;)
m3 2, m3 2, g3/\/+r33. c00| poo+r +0yz 4 3\/r33 1...
>> Yes, i'm a bitter person. Too much zinc in my diet, i suppose.
>does the FDA know about that?
it's that whole CAT thing...I felt like a reborn person when I
left that department. They operate backwards and upside down,
like IBM...
On the lines of the net not effect anyone, what I refered to as the "just walk away from it" statement in my class notes. I think that is a poor way to look at the net. It IS interative these days. Hell, even games that aren't interactive effect people. Ever played Quake or Doom and run into a room full of badasses and got that "oh shit, I'm dead, time to frenzy" animal instinct feeling? Don't tell me that doesn't effect you. 'Course, I'm a phenomonologist (whatever), I'm warping your mind as I write.
Along those lines, does anyone think that the whole drug-via-image
thing in "Snowcrash" is ligitimate? I've thought of
making a looped animation of "appealing looking objects"
and then snowing the hell out of it so discrete images can't be
seen. Wondering if it would still be appealing looking...
anyway,
l8r,
Etienne
/__ /\ / ___/ /\ / |\/ __ /\ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
\ / / / /\ / / / /| |/ /\/ / / Jean-Etienne LaVallee /
/ / / __// / / / / / / / / / reply to: lavalj@rpi.edu /
/ / / /\ / / / / / / / / / / lavalle@cat.rpi.edu /
/____/____/_____/_____/_____/ / http://www.rpi.edu/~lavalj /
\ \ \ \ \ \ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"I'm a limitless person, living in a sadly limited world." - H.E.Ellison, "Levendis"
"All we're waiting for is something worth waiting for" - KMFDM, "DOGMA"
"I beat my machine, it's a part of me, it's inside of me"- NIN, "the becoming"
"Christmas IS carnage!!!" - Ferdinand the Duck, _Babe_
Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 8:54 -0400
> >the age of buzzwords is upon us. take "information superhighway"... please.
> yeah, how about "info-bahn," brutal...my dad's been in the
> ld phone industry for about 15 years now and he's always refered to it
> as "the net" or "the network." Not just the arpanet or the internet
> or the sprintnet, or the LAN, just "the net" for all of it. I like
> that, it has staying power, like "the matrix."
i thought "the net" was a cheesy movie. :) well, the
buzzwords are simply meant to catch the imagination of the uninitiated,
and present more meaning to the ignorant than "the internet".
<soapbox>
in my opinion the content of the internet has become diluted with
garbage over the last 6+ years. take alt.2600 (pardon associating
usenet with the 'net) for example, once a useful source of information,
now you have to wade through 80% crap to get at some useful articles.
some pointless threads include:
"me too!" /* you'll find this everywhere */
"Is it ok with god that i'm gay?"
"Canadians are better than americans"
"americans are better than canadians"
"i'm elite, give me warez" /* which was funny for the first month, now
after a year or so needs to die. */
"did jesus masturbate?"
"make money fast!" /* crossposted everywhere as well
*/
and that's just a small sample.
and the www. it's become every person's excuse to say "i
exist, because i have a homepage. look here at my dog, here's
a picture of my kids. this is what i like to do. here are some
links."
*contentless*
*meaningless* (to me anyway)
</soapbox>
anyone else have any feelings on this?
> >3l33+3. as in "i'/\/\ 3l33+3, g|\/3 m3 w4r3Z d00dz!" ;)
> m3 2, m3 2, g3/\/+r33. c00| poo+r +0yz 4 3\/r33 1...
+h3 w4R3Z mu$+ b3 fr33d!
> Hell, even games that aren't interactive effect people. Ever played
> Quake or Doom and run into a room full of badasses and got that "oh
> shit, I'm dead, time to frenzy" animal instinct feeling?
Don't tell
i think that's the point where i slam on the strafe key and start
dodging/running like a trapped/cornered animal.
> me that doesn't effect you. 'Course, I'm a phenomonologist
> (whatever), I'm warping your mind as I write.
i think you're a little too late for me. ;)
### ##### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4
######## ##### leareth@rpi.edu
#### ### ######
######## ####### life isn't fair highness, anyone who tells you so
###### #### ### is selling something -- Princess Bride
##### ########
### #####
Drathos <gruelk@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 9:07 -0400
ok... my name's karl gruel, but everyone calls me trey.. i really
have no particular place i can say that i'm from because i've
been living all round the world since i was born... originally,
i'm from heidelberg, germany, but now that my dad's (finally)
out of the military, we've been living in olney, maryland, 20
miles notrh of washington, dc... i'm a sophomore comp sci major
who plans on going into systems administration when i get out
of college... i love working on unix machines (personal fav: sgi's)
and am an avid hater of bill gates/micro$oft...
fav sf book: star wars trilogy novelization
fav vr book: snow crash
fav sf movie: star wars: the empire strikes back (yes, i'm a *big* starwars fan)
i can't honestly say that i've ever liked any vr movie that i've
seen...
,-----------------------------------------------------------------------.
| ///, //// |
| Drathos \ /, / / |
| (gruelk@rpi.edu) \ /, _/ / |
| \_ /_/ / |
| I watch the world go round and round \__/_ / |
| And see mine turning upside down /<<< \_\ |
| -Genesis (Throwing It All Away) /,)^>>_._ \ |
| (/ \\ /\\\ |
| May your way be green and golden... // ```` |
| ((` |
`-----------------------------------------------------------------------'
Hardeep S Rana <ranah@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 15:31 -0400
Greetings cyberclassmates,
My name is Hardeep, a senior ee major. I am not your typical college
student but who is these days.
Thank you to the student who mentioned Rim by Andrew Besher in
class monday. I read it and was blown away.
I don't feel like giving a bio but here's a little bit: 34 yrs
old, freshmen at rpi in 1979, (18 year plan of study haha) married,
wife's name Ajay, we have a two year old son, Inderdeep.
I've loved reading sci-fi ever since I discovered it. I have read
many of the common titles but not many recently.
bye, for now
Anthony Mrazik <mrazia@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 19:46 -0400
My name is Tony Mrazik. I am a senior EE (2 semesters to go),
but won't actually be done with classes here until Dec. 97 due
to a co-op from Jan to Aug.
I am 34, married, have a 2 year old boy (Peter), and another on
the way due Dec 11. My wife (Tina) is a mechanical engineer (we
all have our faults) and works at Knolls Atomic Power Lab, which
just happens to be the place that I am co-oping (sp?).
It has been a long time since I read any scifi, and am looking
forward to reading some good ones.
Until next time...
Anthony Mrazik <mrazia@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 20:00 -0400
oops - sometimes it's too easy to make mistakes when you aren't
familiar with the technology
Let me add on to my lame intro.
After high school I tried college for a semester and realized
that it wasn't going to work. So, instead of wasting my money
(or better - the banks at the time) I stopped and started working.
After a few years of lame jobs I joined the Navy and stayed there
for 11-1/2 years. During that time I was able to see a lot of
the US, but no foreign places - the type of submarine I was attached
to kept quiet and stayed hidden.
Looking over this stuff it looks to be pretty lame again, so I'll
leave it at that.
Anthony Mrazik <mrazia@rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 20:47 -0400
On August 31, 1996 Karl Gruel wrote:
>and am an avid hater of bill gates/micro$oft...
Random thoughts:
I remember using software back in the 80s and early 90s (Lotus
123 and WP) that really sucked. Now some may say the same about
software now, but it sure can do a lot more and do it easier.
I am not a big programmer, so I do not know what is going on inside,
but I sure do like what is going on outside.
Just look at what happened to the former "giants". WP
is under I think its third parent company in just over 2 years,
and the product is really not that good (yes I have tried it).
I have not tried the latest release of 123 (if its over 5), but
R5 was no gem.
Do I agree with everything that Gates has done or is doing? No.
But I guess that what I am getting to is that I think he has done
some good to the software market, even if it was to shake up the
former leaders and not letting them rest on their past products.
Jeff Collins <collij2@rpi.edu>
Sun, 01 Sep 1996 8:35 -0400
Hey. I'm Jeff Collins, a grad student in Tech Comm. After I graduate
(in December) I'm moving to Colorado Springs to teach at the Air
Force Academy.
My academic interests are in the areas of rhetoric, hypertext
theory and electronic publishing. I've also delved deeply into
visual interface design--I'm working on the Human-Computer Interaction
certificate, but I'll have to finish it up via satellite from
Colorado because I'll be missing two courses when I graduate.
My hobbies are snow skiing, biking, hiking, blading, swimming,
and (recently) sail boarding. As much as possible, I try to avoid
sitting in front of a computer. When I do get trapped, though,
I'm always happier if I'm using a Mac.
I got my undergrad degree from Purdue in 1991. I got commissioned
in the Air Force and stationed in Alamogordo, New Mexico, for
a few years doing some cool flight test work for a Test Group
there. After that, I spent a year in Korea in an F-16 fighter
squadron. I've been studying here at RPI since returning from
the ROK in August 95.
Jeff
<mailto: collij2@rpi.edu>
GBU/GBA
Jay <kennaj@rpi.edu>
Tue, 03 Sep 1996 20:28 -0400
My name is Jason Kennaly. I am a junior majoring in Biochemistry,
with only a minor fascination with computers. I am from San Diego,
and I also remember the Northridge earthquake, except that I just
got woken up by it. Decidedly less traumatic. I took this class
mostly because I am interested in sf; virtual reality is not my
favorite area of sf, but I do enjoy vr books and I haven't read
any of the books on the list yet, so I am looking forward to this
class.
J
Matthew Seth Mishkin <mishkm@rpi.edu>
Wed, 04 Sep 1996 11:44 -0400
My name is Matt. I'm a sophomore computer systems engineer. I got out of the sci-fi/fantasy genre about half way through high school and wanted to get back in-that is why I'm taking the class. I like sports, buying things, and when I have time-reading. I haven't read anything recent, and I know it was kind of cheezy, but my favorite sci-fi was Fahrenheit 451. I just finished Ender's game and enjoyed that too. I feel it lacked in some places such as the intrices of the net. The ending was also kind of blah. I did enjoy how each child was well developed and the way each interacted was well thought out.
I'd like to also add my name to those who believe this list serv
isn't the best idea. I went without checking my mail for a day
and a half and ended up with 57 new messages. Didn't like that.
Matt
mcosta@unix.cie.rpi.edu <mcosta@unix.cie.rpi.edu>
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 16:23 -0400
Hello SciFi/VR class. I'm Matt Costa, a senior in Materials Engineering, concentrating on integrated circuit technologies.
Over my 4 years at RPI, I've held several neat-o jobs. I was a technical writer for a process control software company (Iconics) from freshman year through junior year. Now, I am currently researching the chemical mechanical polishing of polymers used as ILDs for ULSI applications at the Center for Integrated Electronics at RPI. If you don't understand what I just wrote, consider yourself lucky that you don't have to know about it.
Aside from working in a clean room, I enjoy reading Stephen King (Green Mile was great), movies, and games. I'd list ObFavs but they vary from day to day so I won't do that now.
more later...
-matt
Sandye Thompson <sandyet@cyberhighway.net>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 18:16 -0400
Hi y'all from the Republic of Texas...
My name is Sandye Thompson; I'm a ph.d. student at Texas Woman's
University in Denton, TX (about 45 minutes north of Dallas/Ft.Worth),
a univeristy with demographics dramatically different from RPI
(we have *maybe* 10% men on our campus). We turned completely
coed last fall but there are still some lawsuits out against this
so...
I specialize in 19th-century British literature but I have a strong
interest in technology (started out, and almost finished, my B.A.
as an Info Systems major). This semester at TWU, I'm not only
teaching a class in fiction but I'm the technical assistant for
the English department. This means I train people on the software
and hardware we have available to us (we have a computer classroom
and computers in our writing lab), as well as look at pedagogical
issues associated with teaching with computers.
I've always enjoyed reading science fiction. The first scifi author
I can really remember reading was Issac Asimov. I read his Foundation
series when I was 12 and I've reread it many times since then.
The first vr novel I read was Gibson's Neuromancer (still my favorite).
And my favorite scifi/vr movie at this very moment (it will prolly
change 10 minutes from now) is Hackers; I would love to be one
of the "elite".
I look forward to following your class thru your posts and mick's
offline comments. Until later...
Sandye
Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 14:18 -0400
> univeristy with demographics dramatically different from RPI (we have
> *maybe* 10% men on our campus). We turned completely coed
last fall but
can i transfer? ;)
### ##### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4
######## ##### leareth@rpi.edu
#### ### ######
######## ####### i have stood here before inside the pouring rain
###### #### ### with the world turning circles running 'round my brain,
##### ######## i guess i was hoping that you'd end this reign,
### ##### but it's my destiny to be the king of pain... Police
Jesse Booth <boothj@rpi.edu>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 18:58 -0400
On Aug 30, 6:16pm, Sandye Thompson wrote:
> first vr novel I read was Gibson's Neuromancer (still my favorite). And
> my favorite scifi/vr movie at this very moment (it will prolly change 10
> minutes from now) is Hackers; I would love to be one of the "elite".
>
>-- End of excerpt from Sandye Thompson
oh man, "hackers" was soooo cheezy. maybe if it was
supposed to take place in the future, but i think that it was
supposed to be the present day. the hackers i know don't go rollerblading
around like maniacs. I was talking to the set designer for this
cheezo movie at the HOPE (Hackers of Planet Earth) conference
in NYC 2 years ago and she was asking me all this info about red
boxes and current hackers, etc. i never expected anything like
how the film turned out, but maybe that's what happens when you
film in London... Are we going to be subjected to this movie is
class?! ;)
Jesse
Mick Doherty <doherm>
Fri, 30 Aug 1996 19:15 -0400
wow ... the list's been open for seven hours, and we already have
our first "flame" ... that must be some kind of record.
Brian Mardirosian <mardib@rpi.edu>
Sun, 01 Sep 1996 13:12 -0400
Hi, my name is Brian Mardirosian. I'm a junior majoring in EMAC
and minoring in CS. Umm, I come from Boston and I'm testing out
some filters on my mail program so these list-servs don't freak
me out late at night with 60 new messages...
Kenneth W. Flynn <flynnk@rpi.edu>
Mon, 02 Sep 1996 19:54 -0400
Well, hello everybody!
My name's Kenneth Flynn (call me Kenn -- two n's). I'm a junior
Computer Science / Physics Dual major, which makes me somewhat
unique. I'm fond of reading, writing, programming, music, games,
etc. My second favorite genre of books is Sci-Fi, so I figured
I'd take this class.
Fav's:
S-F book: Earth by David Brin (excellent environmental, near future story)
S-F VR book: --
Fantasy: The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
More to come...
P.S.: I'm also President of the RPI Gaming club. If you like to
play games, any games, stop by the activities fair on Saturday,
or check out our website:
http://www.rpi.edu/~flynnk/games/
Later...
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Kenn Flynn
flynnk@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~flynnk
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Welcome to the human race. Nobody controls his own life,... The best you
can do is choose to fill the roles given you by good people, by people who
love you.
--_Ender's Game_ by Orson Scott Card
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Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Tue, 3 Sep 1996 13:47:20 -0400 (EDT)
> Fantasy: The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
they're good, but i think they're becoming more repetitive. gee,
another forsaken, another battle at the end. didn't expect that.
i did like the end of "lord of chaos" though... "kneel,
or you will be knelt".. for some reason that line sticks
in my mind. i'm hoping the books will pick up some more pace and
have a really good conclusion.
### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4 #####
######## leareth@rpi.edu #####
#### ### devil and the deep blue sea behind me ######
######## vanish in the air you'll never find me #######
###### i will turn your face to alabaster #### ###
##### when you find your servant is your master ########
### The Police #####
Kenneth W. Flynn <flynnk@rpi.edu>
Tue, 3 Sep 1996 14:11:22 -0400
At 01:47 PM 9/3/96 -0400, Leareth wrote:
>> Fantasy: The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
>
>they're good, but i think they're becoming more repetitive. gee, another
>forsaken, another battle at the end. didn't expect that. i did like the
>end of "lord of chaos" though... "kneel, or you will be knelt".. for some
>reason that line sticks in my mind. i'm hoping the books will pick up
>some more pace and have a really good conclusion.
Books 4 & 5 (The Shadow Rising & The Fires of Heaven)
were somewhat repetitive, and I think Jordan recognized that.
Book 6 was different, and book 7 (Crown of Swords) was a complete
change of pace. "Whatever happened to my bloody luck?!"
They're still heads and tails above most other Fantasy novels
I've read (and I've read a lot.)
Kenn
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Kenn Flynn
flynnk@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~flynnk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Welcome to the human race. Nobody controls his own life,... The best you
can do is choose to fill the roles given you by good people, by people who
love you.
--_Ender's Game_ by Orson Scott Card
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Leareth <leareth@rpi.edu>
Tue, 03 Sep 1996 10:38 -0400
> Books 4 & 5 (The Shadow Rising & The Fires of Heaven) were somewhat
> repetitive, and I think Jordan recognized that. Book 6 was different, and
> book 7 (Crown of Swords) was a complete change of pace. "Whatever happened
> to my bloody luck?!"
still a battle with a forsaken at the end though... least it was
different this time. i'm wondering who helped rand near the end
there... i have a hunch, but it seems pretty far out.
> They're still heads and tails above most other Fantasy novels I've read (and
> I've read a lot.)
i've always been partial to Feist myself.
i think as we approach the end of these novels they'll get better
and better because of all the possible twists he can throw in.
i mean, he left himself A LOT of loose threads to re-weave back
into the novels.. moraine and lanfear, sammael, the seanchan(sp)
that keep popping up, children of light... and i'm sure there
are others that i'm not mentioning.
### ##### http://www.rpi.edu/~hallm4
######## ##### leareth@rpi.edu
#### ### ######
######## ####### life isn't fair highness, anyone who tells you so
###### #### ### is selling something -- Princess Bride
##### ########
### #####
Christopher Jason Voorhees <voorhc@rpi.edu>
Wed, 04 Sep 1996 15:39 -0400
Hey folks, I'll keep this short and sweet, since this is Message
112 in my mailbox, and I know everyone else's is the same....
My name is Chris Voorhees, and I am a senior mechanical engineering
major. I will be graduating in December and will be taking a position
at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where I will be working on the
design and development of some upcoming Mars exploration missions.
I'm a space nut, which would explain my choice in careers I guess.
I'm also a working on my ballooning license, so if you ever see
the Korbel Champagne balloon flying around, get out of the area
as quickly as possible....
I guess I'll use this message to put my two cents in on a couple
of issues...
1.) I liked what Laura said about that fact that we live in a
virtual world already. The fact that our view of reality is limited
by our own sensory perceptions makes it impossible to have a completely
accurate view of the universe. That would make my view of reality
different from, say, a blind or deaf person, but really no more
accurate....
2.) On the topic of the children's behavior in Ender's Game....From
birth, Ender was manipulated. First, he was manipulated genetically
so that he, being the Third, would bring the best traits together
from his brother and sister. And he was manipulated by IF during
his training, in order to make him "become" the ultimate
killer. It is amazing what a human, even a child, can be pushed
to do when the control and pressure is overwhelming.
Favorites....
SF book: The City and the Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
VR book: Snow Crash
Thanks for reading.....
Manic Frog <sullis3>
Tue, 3 Sep 1996 12:03:49 -0400
'Ello, all.
The Requisite Introduction:
My name is Shaun Sullivan, and my claim to fame is that I was
Thayer's roommate our freshman year. Now, you folks out there
might take this to mean that I, like Thayer, am a senior; however,
due to a set of circumstances including, but not necessarily limited
to, a co-op and a study abroad program, I guess I am now officially
considered class of '98, which would make me a junior. Run-on
sentences rule, eh?
I am a mechanical engineering major with a minor in management.
Enough about academics already, I say. For kicks I play soccer
(pun intended) and volleyball, read, draw, write, watch movies,
eat, and just about anything else that strikes me.
Hmm. Since this class tends to deal with, well, reading, let me talk a wee bit about that. A large portion of my reading is science fiction literature (another large portion being Irish history). I have read some of the books we'll be tackling in class, including _Ender's Game_ at least once a year since I was a junior in High School. However, my true passion lies in the SF short story. Anthologies and collections of SF short stories are my bibles
...
to make sweeping generalizations, I love the SF stories from the
'30s, '40s, and early '50s best. For the most part, I frown on
those of the '60s and '70s, and have a good deal of enthusiasm
for what I've seen coming out of the late '80s and '90s. So it
goes, eh?
Finally, I'll list a coupl'a faves:
SF Book(s): _Ender's Game_, OSC
_The Dark Beyond the Stars_, Frank Robinbson
_The Anubis Gates_, Tim Powers
_On Stranger Tides_, Tim Powers
_Dune_, Frank Hebert (that's the right guy, yes? If not,
OOPS)
_Stranger In A Strange Land_, Robert Heinlin
_The Mote In God's Eye_, Larry Niven
etc. etc. ad infinitum
End here now.
shaun
Stacy Woodworth <woodws@rpi.edu>
Tue, 24 Sep 1996 23:33:11 -0400
That's right, I haven't even posted an introduction yet.
I'm Stacy, the blonde who made the infamous insect/fan comment. The reason it's taken me so long to post is because I'm extremely computer shy. I'm one of those people who has a computer but has no idea how to use it and who prefers to write letters on paper rather than type them on a keyboard. I've been reading the list faithfully, but frankly haven't had much to add. Our class is interesting and the books have been good so far (I would put EG in the category GREAT, actually). Neuromancer was different, not bad. Gibson sure has a way with the english language, boy. And how about that Molly girl/thing? She was my favorite 'cause she didn't take *%&$ from nobody! Anyway, there it is, my intro thingy. I have no idea what I'm going to do for my final project yet, either. I'll have to get back to you on that.
Stacy
p.s. I almost forgot -- I really hate bugs, I mean REALLY hate them, and as you all know, they tend to raid our classroom. So, if anyone would like to bring their FLYSWATTER to class, I would be most grateful.
Ted Cooper <coopep@rpi.edu>
Fri, 27 Sep 1996 09:16:54 -0400
Geez, now I feel left out! Didn't even introduce myself yet (my
mail's been giving me problems).
My name's Ted. I'm the frosh in the back corner that always raises
his hand and gets asked a question he isn't ready to answer. :)
I love to read, but haven't dealt with Gibson before this. My
favorite sci-fi is Star Wars, and I'd kinda hoped the sf/vr course
would deal with a little more sf (like motivations and ideas for
things like Star Wars... Joseph Campbell, anyone?)
I'll be fairly active in the e-mail discussion from now on, as
I always have my two cents and they are always THE two cents (in
my opinion)!!
Ted
Laura Dubnoff <dubnol@rpi.edu>
Tue, 03 Sep 1996 16:32 -0400
Hi there,
My name is Laura, I am the girl with long curly brown hair. I am a senior biology major with hopes of going to med-school next fall. I am also grauduating in December and have no plans as of yet for next semester, any suggestions would be helpful. Additionally, I feel a little out of the loop because I don't know much about computers, so if everyone doesn't mind answering what you may consider stupid questions I would appreciate it. Just thought I would warn you.
As for my favorite sci-fi and VR book, I don't really have one. I have read Neuromancer already, and I enjoyed that. Hence, I thought that this class would help me dive into the world of sci-fi and VR novels. I already read Ender's Game and I loved it. I couldn't put it down, I found it hard to do the other reading I have. Actually, I may not have much SF/VR background, but I do love to read and so far this class hasn't let me down.
I also wanted to respond to the post that we live in a virtual reality because our senses decode (so to speak) the stimuli around us. The reality that is sent to our consciousness is hopefully the true reality, even though we add our own biases. When I think of a virtual reality I think of something that I know isn't real, but feels real. Even if I am unknowingly receiving false signals, I still think they are true and therefore make up my reality. I don't feel comfortable saying my reality is virtual even if it isn't the truth. The truth is in the eye of the beholder.
Laura
Alison Elaine Gugel <gugela@rpi.edu>
Tue, 3 Sep 1996 10:35:29 -0400
Hello. My name is Alison Gugel and I am a third year Communications major. I am graduating this May. Right now I am applying to medical schools. If I don't get in then I don't know what I will be doing next year.
I have read books by Ray Bradbury but I don't think that he falls under VR authors. So I don't have much experience reading anything in the VR realm. That's about it for my introduction.
See you all in class. -Alison
