Infocult: Uncanny Informatics

MMPROGs embrace the dark side

We've already noted one case of MMPORGs growing dark sides: scams, abuse, prostitution, aggressive terms of service.

This week, Wired takes us even further down the cyberspatial Gothic, pointing out not only the avatar'd Amsterdam red-light district, but also to Madmonkey's Sociolotron, which fully embraces the obverse of social norms, as best it can.

Sociolotron differs by providing a way to indulge in sexual taboos like rape and bondage with consequences like sexually transmitted diseases and even pregnancy. And it is quite explicit in informing would-be players about what they may experience in-world.

To some of the game's players, it's appealing to know that they may encounter what would be a nightmare in the real world.

It's a curious mixture of governance brooding, violence, and sex. The sexuality simulation looks like a satire on evolutionary psychology - or the product of male, sex-crazed gamers, ah, head-deep in the net. The celebration of violence is disturbing, and part of the classic problematic of acting out online.

Daypop Wordburst: patterns emerge

Returning to our previous lookat Daypop's Wordbursts, it's interesting to see when a dominant theme appears, echoing across the words which emerge. Notice the linked stories implied by this morning's batch (repeated in order, sorted into groups of five for readbility):

marine, picket; uranium, niger; hamdi, yaser; combatants, detentions; wassef
pakistani; brownshirts; bremer; plurality; sperm
wwdc; fatty; lured; istanbul; medications

A snapshort of the war on terror, June 2004, US-centric? Even "fatty" refers to it.

The Oxford English Dictionary... in limericks

The new version of the Oxford English Dictionary: a limerick for each word.

Acaraphobia is one of those terms
Which describes things that make people squirm.
In this case it's clear
It's an abnormal fear
Of small insects (like mites) or of worms.

Mike Lynch reminds me of the related Google Print Edition.

(via Mythago)

Mad scientists web site

Mad Scientists and the Movies offers a historical survey of this heroic, criminally neglected, tragically misunderstood figure over decades of film.

"Now is the hour for the mastery of crime!"

(via Don Melanson)

Voynich Manuscript: looking at the Wikipedia article

Today's Wikipedia featured article is a good one on the Voynich Manuscript, including a decent intro and a nice survey of authorship theories.

If you don't know the VMS, Bethany Nowviskie's site is superb. The Long Tour is a rich guide. The Archimedes Lab site focuses on the puzzles, which are very popular.

And take the time to explore a copy. Nothing compares to the Borgesian experience of leafing through this extraordinary book.

Copyright and Joyce: more

More on this week's James Joyce and copyright saga: the estate wants to prevent public readings.

Stephen Joyce, the writer’s grandson, has informed the Irish government he will sue for breach of copyright if any recitations take place.
The threat of legal action is being taken extremely seriously by the organisers of ReJoyce Dublin 2004, given Joyce’s previous form.
Already a major production of Exiles, by Ireland’s National Theatre, has been shelved.

The state speaks, as nations devoted to IP tend to:

A spokesperson for the Irish government also confirmed its intention to comply with Joyce’s wishes. "The department and the co-ordinating committee totally respect the rights of the James Joyce estate, and would neither condone nor excuse - let alone indemnify - any breach of copyright," said a spokesman for the Irish Department of Arts.

On blogs, collaboration, and knowledge ecologies

Denham Grey has, as usual, a fine, provocative post on knowledge ecosystems and blogs. The discussion is going in some interesting directions.

Revised to add:
The separation Denham identifies strikes me as ideological, with variations for region, psychology, gender, and class.

There are also historical roots for this. We can consider the still-live split in movies between studio and auteur director models. Older still is the authorship model the Romantics defended, focusing on the individual creator (cf Percy Shelley's great line:

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World. [1821])

I'm at the Frye Institute, and am a bit focused on that intensive program. But will keep blogging, as I can.

A rare moment of sanity for internet panics

Len Warner points us to this amazing article from the Guardian, where schools seek to teach students to avoid internet panics:

Teaching children to think critically and behave responsibly when using the internet enabled them to gauge what risks the technology really poses, and how to handle those problems, said the researchers...

Mr Burn said: "The risks of the internet are often exaggerated to the detriment of the opportunities.

"We teach children to be critically appreciative of films, newspapers and computer games. This same media literacy needs to apply when they go online."

Cyberspace terror

Yahoo News dips into the cyberspace horrors to describe Islamicist terror on the Web. One source blends explosions and HTML thusly: "The aim is really to spread as much terror as possible."

Moreover, the interactive possibilities run deeply:

"They have no other part in holy war. Electronic holy war is their contribution," said Rashwan, whose book "Electronic Jihad" is to be published soon in Arabic and was to be translated into English soon.

Some say the sites may offer well-hidden clues about coming attacks. Other experts say they have little to do with terrorist operations or planning, but prepare the ground for recruiting...

(via LGF)

Bloomsday meets copyright

Bloomsday's centennial draws nigh, but it joins the rest of the world in being laminated by copyright madness. Joyce's grandson uses EU copyright to control derivative works of all sorts. Hopefully the novel will land mightily in the public domain.