<div dir="ltr">Hello longtime <span style="font-size:12.800000190734863px">empyreans,</span><div><span style="font-size:12.800000190734863px"><br></span></div><div>Being very new to this community since winter 2017 I enjoy that this is an online listserv because it is devoted to <i>discussing </i>things.</div><div>Facebook is about to popularize an idea and if you start a Twitter (with its limit of word count) the only thing it does to get a lot of people interested in your observation and creates quick connection to others that are fleeting.</div><div><br></div><div>In this short time Im part of the listserv it gave me in contrast to other online platforms connection to people that are devoted to deeper thinking and willing to discuss and engage with others people thinking.</div><div><br></div><div>I do sense a desire to meet the listserv people in person, so may be in the near future as an extension of this listserv virtual space there could be an opportunity to meet as well in a physical space.</div><div><br></div><div>looking forward to meet others thinking and being and be part of the discussions that grows out of this listserv community.</div><div><br></div><div>warmly</div><div><br></div><div>andrea</div><div>—————</div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:12.800000190734863px;font-family:georgia,serif"><font size="1" color="#000000">andrea haenggi</font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:12.800000190734863px;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)"><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1">artist, choreographer, dancer, radical care sitter</font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1">faculty at Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies</font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1"><br></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1"><a href="http://weedychoreography.com/" target="_blank">weedychoreography.com</a></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1"><a href="http://1067pacificpeople.nyc/" target="_blank">1067pacificpeople.nyc</a></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1"><a href="http://andreahenggi.net/" target="_blank">andreahenggi.net</a></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif"><font size="1"><a href="http://environmentalperformanceagnecy.com/" target="_blank">environmentalperformanceagnecy<wbr>.com</a></font></div></div></div><div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 1:14 PM, Renate Terese Ferro <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rferro@cornell.edu" target="_blank">rferro@cornell.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
Hello empyreans,<br>
To all of you historians and fans of early coding I found this post that Melinda wrote in describing the technology behind this online community of –empyre-. If you were an innovator in coding early online listserv’s, chat spaces, or blogs or perhaps a technologist coding new forms on online communities I hope you will comment.<br>
<br>
Melinda Rackham wrote:<br>
<snip><br>
“Empyrean was a multi-user interactive "artistic" virtual community mostly hand coded in VRML2 - sounds crazy - designed to play in the non-proprietary environment of VNET, a VRML and Java based 3D Virtual World client/server system, then freely available under the GNU Public Licence. Empyrean.alpha, the initial single user web site, premiered in September 2000 at la Biennale de Montreal at the Centre International d'Art Contemporain de Montreal (CIAC)<br>
<br>
…virtual space was far more experimental than it is today. Construction and evolution of virtual spaces was taking the same road as every other technology .. many many small players, interesting niches, community developments, different software solutions.. Then in mid 2003 Second Life - which was sort of the money laundering Facebook of VR, appeared on the scene and almost levelled that experimentation and difference.<br>
<br>
Promising "Enter a world with infinite possibilities and live a life without boundaries, guided only by your imagination" It had what the discussion has already flagged- easy access, low level of tech knowledge to use, instant fun avatars. The result however is that imaginations got narrower.. and the resultant space is just a recreation of reality. Ben wrote a few weeks ago “We make reality, and reality remakes us. Reality makes us, and we remake reality.” The soft spaced world now seems to be a replicant of the hard bodied world, but we were idealistic think otherwise.”<br>
<end of snip><br>
<br>
Melinda’s intent of hosting an open and equitable space has inspired all of –empyre’s- moderators since Melinda hosted her last discussion topic. Back in the early days she recanted that she would invent alter egos, subscribers of her invention, that were designed to be “naïve” about the topics at hand to intentionally introduce other points of view. Our longtime moderator Christine McPhee posted under her own name or Nax Mash her alter ego. As I mentioned in my last post –empyre- was never intended to be a highly theoretical space where only the voices of experts were encouraged to participate but that it be a discussion space for invention and innovation to reflect the emerging qualities of the evolution of the technology and its use for anyone interested in networked culture.<br>
<br>
In looking at some of Christina’s poetic posts from the archive I found one from February 1, 2010--reflecting on –empyre’s- name--<br>
<snip><br>
I loved the image of a soft-skinned space, as if one of Ant Farm's<br>
inflatables, escape from the cubicle or the white cube. Melinda's<br>
slightly nerdy use of lower caps for the name of the list - it was<br>
never 'Empyre'-- but always " -empyre- " with those little dashes on<br>
either side, made the idea of 'empire' itself as absurd and as pompous<br>
as it may be-going up in flames (pyre or gyre?).<br>
<snip><br>
<br>
I see that Tim Murray also just posted. Please feel free to join in.<br>
<span class="im HOEnZb">Renate<br>
<br>
Renate Ferro<br>
Visiting Associate Professor<br>
Director of Undergraduate Studies<br>
Department of Art<br>
Tjaden Hall 306<br>
<a href="mailto:rferro@cornell.edu">rferro@cornell.edu</a><br>
<br>
</span><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">On 2/3/18, 12:27 PM, "<a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.<wbr>artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a> on behalf of Renate Terese Ferro" <<a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.<wbr>artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a> on behalf of <a href="mailto:rferro@cornell.edu">rferro@cornell.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
February 3, 2018<br>
Hello Theresa,<br>
Your comment echoes what Tim Murray, our other long -term moderator here, and I have been hearing from so many of our subscribers. The tempo of the listserv can move exceedingly too fast. We all can acknowledge that there are times we just don’t have the time to open and read posts carefully let alone respond to them. The bio-artist Paul Vanouse shared with me his frustration that he had intended to respond to a fascinating post and by the time he got to writing a week had passed and he felt that his comment was not timely. Alternatively, there are other times when it moves at a snail’s pace or simply remains silent. Over the years we have become quite comfortable with the pacing that is so inherent in a listserv which is so directly related to the ebbs and flows of those who are participating. That is also why we often take the months of August and December completely off.<br>
<br>
I want to add that the anxiety of some over responding to a post later in the week or month is not a problem. Take a look at our archives and you will see that the discussion is organized according to SUBJECT, AUTHOR, THREAD, or DATE. The THREAD organizational tool allows a reader now or later or organize posts and responses to posts that are delayed. The only caveat being that we cut off all posts not related to the topic at the end of the month. All of our subscribers are encouraged to respond to posts at any time in the month just be sure subject line in the email is identical to the thread it is in response to.<br>
<br>
You wrote<br>
I prefer Empyre as a listserve. I have gone back through previous<br>
discussions and looked up artists, followed threads and ideas when I<br>
had time. I've gone deeper; the list moves fast for me.<br>
<br>
I think that everyone agrees that our archive is the jewel of our online community.<br>
<a href="http://lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.artdesign.unsw.<wbr>edu.au/pipermail/empyre/</a><br>
Since 2002 the University of New South Wales in Australia has generously hosted our history thanks to Melinda Rackham. Tim Murray and I are also suggesting to our Editorial Board that in the coming year we archive the site at Cornell University as well within the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art. –empyre- soft-skin space reflects the emergence of technology and how artists and writers use and think through technology. One of the things our Editorial Board will also be working on is a KEYWORDING system that searches the entire eighteen years of discussion topics and is not just monthly.<br>
<br>
You mentioned FACEBOOK. To subscribers not following us on Facebook here is the link. While it is public you must request to actually post directly.<br>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/empyrelistserv" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr>groups/empyrelistserv</a><br>
<br>
And on Twitter<br>
<a href="https://twitter.com/empyrelistserv" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr>empyrelistserv</a><br>
<br>
Just a reminder that although snip its of posts and photos are launched through Facebook and Twitter, the full discussion and its archive can only be accessed by becoming a subscriber through our website.<br>
<br>
Thanks Teresa for responding about how slowness even works today.<br>
I am about to post a bit about the nuts and bolts of Melinda’s early coding of –empyre-soft-skinned space in a few minutes.<br>
Renate<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Renate Ferro<br>
Visiting Associate Professor<br>
Director of Undergraduate Studies<br>
Department of Art<br>
Tjaden Hall 306<br>
<a href="mailto:rferro@cornell.edu">rferro@cornell.edu</a><br>
<br>
On 2/3/18, 11:39 AM, "<a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.<wbr>artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a> on behalf of Theresa Ramseyer" <<a href="mailto:empyre-bounces@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre-bounces@lists.<wbr>artdesign.unsw.edu.au</a> on behalf of <a href="mailto:tlr280mp@gmail.com">tlr280mp@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
Evening,<br>
<br>
My computer-internet connection is still dial-up. It is unusable for<br>
the moment, for various reasons. My phone is now my main connection,<br>
but I can't get everything. Instagram, for example, is always a blank<br>
page. Many times I'll click on a link and get nowhere.<br>
<br>
<br>
I prefer Empyre as a listserve. I have gone back through previous<br>
discussions and looked up artists, followed threads and ideas when I<br>
had time. I've gone deeper; the list moves fast for me.<br>
<br>
<br>
It's much easier to find a post on gmail or yahoo than to dig through Facebook.<br>
<br>
<br>
I know Empyre has a Facebook presence, and Facebook is easy to reach<br>
on my phone. But besides the searching difficulties, Facebook changes<br>
their algorithims so often that I keep lists of my "must read" pages<br>
and communities. It's annoying, to say the least.<br>
<br>
Theresa Ramseyer<br>
______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
empyre forum<br>
<a href="mailto:empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.<wbr>edu.au</a><br>
<a href="http://empyre.library.cornell.edu" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://empyre.library.cornell.<wbr>edu</a><br>
<br>
<br>
______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
empyre forum<br>
<a href="mailto:empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.<wbr>edu.au</a><br>
<a href="http://empyre.library.cornell.edu" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://empyre.library.cornell.<wbr>edu</a><br>
<br>
______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
empyre forum<br>
<a href="mailto:empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au">empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.<wbr>edu.au</a><br>
<a href="http://empyre.library.cornell.edu" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://empyre.library.cornell.<wbr>edu</a></div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>