A Rape in Cyberspace

or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database Into a Society

You thought you were safe, you thought you were just going to have fun in cyberspace. But guess again, in A Rape in Cyberspace, occupants of LambdaMoo were raped. Mr. Bungle, the rapist, used a "voodoo doll" subprogram that made Moo characters "act" out in unusual ways that their users did not actually authorize. If you wanted cyberspace to remain utopian with no laws and punishments, you might think again after you read this article by Julian Dibbell. Rules may be necessary when the rights of others are violated.

Virtuality and its Discontents

Searching for Community in Cyberspace

A rafting trip down the Colorado River by using CD-ROM might be cool, but one might be depriving oneself the rite of passage. The sense of danger in a real rafting trip does not exist just from looking at the computer screen. Are virtual environments so great for us and our future generations or are they replacing real life experiences with computer simulations. In Virtuality and its Discontents, Ms. Turkle presents different facets to the issue. Is cyberspace the answer to our prayers? Virtual babies, read this and decide for yourself.

Utopian Promises-Net Realities

Do virtual communities really offer what they promise? Are they truly happy places where people can just enjoy themselves with no consequences or do they have a hidden agenda? In Utopian Promises, one sees how the Critical Art Ensemble(CAE) "question whether the electronic apparatus is being used for these purposes in the representation case". This article investigate the promises that these communities make about the new data body(for example, your Social Security number, your credit card numbers, and etc.),the convenience fo the net promise(talking to your wife on the mountain top by way of your wrist watch), the promise of bringing people together (talking to people on the other side of the world via the net), the democratic life style, and a new "benign collective consciousness".

The Net and Netizens

The Impact the Net has on People's Lives

Everyone with an access to the Net is a Netizen. A "Net Citizen" is in contact with much of the world via the global computer network. The advantages of being a Netizen are many. "Geography and time are no longer boundaries." The most important aspect of the Net is that it "allows for people of common interests, to communicate". People from all over the world share intellectual ideas. If you want to find out more about what the Net can do for you,click here and read on!

Underwired.com100%

Out on the new frontier, turf wars are raging. The Cyberfeminists are ready to fight.

The net is predominantely a male society. "People who have enough time to luxuriate in virtual discussions about trivial matters are probably not enjoying a real life social life." Is this you? Are you one of the 30 to 40 million people out there who's on line because you have no date for the weekend? Is cyberspace really the safe haven that we couldn't find in real life? Read this and learn from other's experiences.

The Edge of Chaos

I have seen the future, and it could be weird.

What's next with the web? In the beginning, it was only used by physicists, now WWW is a "cultural phenomenon. How complex is the Web? Is it just a baby waiting to develop into something bigger? A cyborg, perhaps? If you want to know the future of the Web, read this article from Wired Magazine.

Emergence on the Web: Cyberspace and the Science of Complexity

This essay "discusses the emergent characteristics of the Web, that is, the natural, more than summation of human interaction with information, telecommunications technology. As such, this paper begins by introducing the reader to both the Web and a few principle qualities of emergent systems that it manifests. Finally, it concludes by suggesting policy implications given the nature of the Web as a complex system.

Virtual Realities, Virtual Communities, and Informal Science Education

"This paper explores an emerging new genre for network-mediated learning, and speculates on its potential for informal science education.

Community Networking: What are CNs?

Community networks are free or low-cost community-based electronic services. The goals of CNs nearly always include "broad-based access within the community" (Morino, 1994) oriented toward "underrepresented groups" (Klingenstein, 1995) with an emphasis on "local issues" (Beamish,1994). The "whatness," then, of community networks is intimately related to their relevance and usefulness to user communities, and at that with a strong bias toward users who may not otherwise have access to networked technologies. Phrases common in conference proceedings include "universal access," service to "information have-nots" and "equity" (Ties That Bind, 1994, 1995). Beamish found that other terms "frequently associated with community networks" include "community, access, and democratic participation" (Beamish, 1994).

Wired!

Wiredis your official source to news in cyberspace. Click and be plugged in to the latest articles and movie reviews.

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