Re: [-empyre-] .....r(l)olling of the 3D disk.cussion ball....

[Jill Walker <jill.walker@uib.no>]

Hi Mez! Interesting ideas.

> i'm ][probably x.cessively][ interested in x.perimentation
> generally, which x.plains my x.tensive word mangling [aka the
> infused _mezangelle_ language that crosses code with ascii & then
> projects this thru a networked-based chat|poesis
> convention-blender]. i'd like 2 get the 3D disk.cussion ball
> spinning in regards 2 projected ego-definition & identification in
> this space termed _the net_ (by projected ego-definition i'm
> referring 2 the way people choose 2 present themselves & their
> projected sense/s of self in][2][ an are][n][a that allows 4
> perpetual rewrites, making persona construction a
> less-than-predictable phenomenon)

Í love the idea of rewriting your persona. I hadn't thought of it
quite like that though - oh, yes, in my MOOing the descriptions of my
rooms and objects and of myself are (were) definitely rewritten
regularly. In doing so the new replaces the old completely, allowing
me to change myself and my things and places in time as well as being
different from MOO to MOO. In MUDs, though, I found my persona much
more stable. I could have different avatars, but once a female druid
thief, that avatar was always a female druid thief, and to
participate in the game satisfyingly I had to honour that. I don't
think I could have changed it if I wanted to, I had no write
privileges to my name, gender, species, profession. A very different
world-view to that in MOOs and IRCs.

Today I spend more time blogging and on discussions and mailinglists,
and I meet more and more people who care about a stable identity.
Writing piles up and whether or not someone uses their own name
they're recognisable as an entity in time. Search engines and and
linking structures encourage our stability in time; the longer I
maintain a web site with the same URL and more or less related topics
the more visitors I'll get. That's just the way it works. Staying the
same makes you more visible.

I guess things have always been that way? Or not?

> ...in my case, i use the net 2 cast code/net.wurks [ie works
> utilizing the grit & grain of the network & the computer code that
> underlies it in order 2 create & disperse wurks x.e.cuted in the
> above.][wo][men.tioned _mezangelled_ writing style] with shifting
> identity/ownership templates that reflect the content of the piece/s
> under construction.. ...these _avatars_ [or netwurkers] may have
> only the most tentative of connections with my geophysically-defined
> self....

Do you see your use of language as being a constant for all these
identity templates? And I guess I'm wondering about how you think
about your use of these identities, which you leave open so they're
clearly traceable to the same artist. What do you think is the
difference between that and the  way N.N., for instance, plays with
identities which can't be traced back to any actual person or persons?

Looking forward to more :)

Jill