668 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
668 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
Subject: Cyberpoet's Guide to Virtual Culture - 3.14.94 - p1/5
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____________________._____________________________________________________
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_._______________________________________________________________________.
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_...______________________________________________________________________
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_________________...____.. _____ . _______....________..... . .. ____.__
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////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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// |
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// \\ // /////// |
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// \\ // // |
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// \\ // // |
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///////////// yberpoet's Guide to \\//irtual ///////ulture |
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A multipart guide to the electronic frontier. 039414 o
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-=- 01.Introduction
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------------------------------------------------------
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Beyond the hype, behind the glamour, underneath the sea of buzzwords,
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icons and flames a new subculture is spreading in this petri dish known as
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the Internet. Here science and art - media and mind - combine in a cyborg
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frenzy to create this replicant cousin to cyberpunk and hacking. It is a
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subculture with no name, few labels, but thousands of common attractors,
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which link together before our eyes like digital DNA to create, in the
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helix of the autologue, a new frontier for participants in these wide
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virtual spaces to explore.
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Any document that attempts to cover an emerging culture is doomed to be
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incomplete. Even more so if the culture has no overt identity (at least
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none outside virtual space). But the other side of that coin presents us
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with the oportunity to document the ebb and flow, the moments of growth
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and defeat, the development of this young culture.
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Although young, there is rich history and varied philosophies for this
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group to draw on. From cyberpunk, the quest for access to information and
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a vision of the future (the cyber) has been exorcised from the
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distopic and 'punk'ish views of the monster the media has made of
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cyberpunk. From the Hacker ethic, we get the rally cry that "infomation
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wants to be free." From the workings of the Internet, we see the desire
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for universal access and the pursuit of Jeffersonian Democracy (kapor)
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that is manifested itself partially through the anarchy inherent in the
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system and partially through the efforts of many net.users.
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This document, although significantly different, attempts to pick up where
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the FutureCulture FAQ (by andy hawks) left off. It should act as a
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starting point for those new to the net, as one avenue to reach a level
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of net.literacy, and as a handy reference point for those already
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comfortable in this pocket of the net.
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It is a road map to the interesting viewpoints, hot dog stands, museums,
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flora and fauna that dots this constantly changing landscape of virtual
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space. Explore these sites. Dig in the cyborganic gardens. Report back
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your findings, so that others may follow. And they will.
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-oO -=<>=- Oo-
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[Cyberpoet] Cyber-, having to do with information flow, human and
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computer use/combinations, computer mediated communication. -Poet, one who
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makes art with words, an artist, a renaissance trait. A cyberpoet is one
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who strives to be artful in their use of virtual space. Someone who makes
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frequent trips to the edge of technology/culture/society and then reports
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back to anyone who will listen. The avant-guard of virtual culture.
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Someone who, like a renaissance man, has their eye on the future and their
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nose in its knowledge, technologies and politics.
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-oO -=<>=- Oo-
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-=- 01.2.Contents |
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-------------------------
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Part I
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-=- 01.Introduction
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o preface
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o contents -=>what you are reading<=-
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o copyright notices & stuph
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o Lexicon of Virtual Culture
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o The dictionary
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Part II
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-=- 02.Cultural Signposts
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o Libraries - cyber-repositories of data
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o Museums, galleries, ezines & stuph
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o Organizations - EFF, FAF, CPSR, etc.
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o Gov't - USA and otherwise
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Part III
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-=- 03.Virtual Hangouts
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o Elists & newsgroups
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o Cafes - virtual pubs and coffeehouses
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o Parks & rec - public spaces and interesting faces
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Part IIII
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-=- 04.Resources & References
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o Online how-to's
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o Similiar lists
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o Assorted online resources
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o Access points
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Part V
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-=- 05.Offline Interests
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o Magazines
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o Bibliography
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XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXXxX
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x x
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X ***and our newest feature*** X
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x KIBBLE: The CGVC Journal x
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X X
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x C O N T E N T S ! x
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X X
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x 1- Editorial o Welcome to Kibble the zine x
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X 2- Guest FAQ o Clipper News & action. X
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x 3- Ongoing projects o Interpedia - Internet Encyclopedia x
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X 4- Upcoming conferences o DEFCON ][ - July 22, 23, 24 - 1994 X
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x 5- Letters to the editor o x
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X 6- Editorial Policy o X
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x x
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XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXXxX
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-=- 01.4.Stuph |
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------------------------
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oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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o Legalese, copyright notice, some parting o
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o words. o
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oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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The contents contained herein are not to be construed as legal advice, nor
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is the author/publisher responsible for any damage that might result from
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the use of any information or software gathered from using this document.
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The author/publisher will make every effort to see that the information is
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up to date, but cannot warranty that it is.
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This document, it's format, theme and articles are copyright 1993,1994
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John Frost [frost@netcom.com], except where the copyright is retained by
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the original author. The rights to distribute and reproduce this document
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are granted in accord with the Agitprop guidelines founded by Bruce
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Sterling. A copy of those guidelines may be found via ftp at ftp.eff.org
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ftp/pub/Publications/Bruce_Sterling/README or at EFF's gopher site. Other
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uses and non-electronic reproduction of this document must first be
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cleared, in writing, with John Frost. Under no circumstance may
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money/script/funds be charged for access to this document, beyond the
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money charged for general access to the system it is found on. The guide
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may not be distributed on any disk/tape/device with a capacity of more
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then 80 megs.
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To add information to, or suggest changes in, this document please email
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frost@netcom.com with the word CYBERPOET in the subject.
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As far as I know this list is archived at mindvox &
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ftp//ftp.eff.org//pub/net_info/cyberpoet.gvc
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ftp//etext.archive.umich.edu//pub/Zines/Cyberpoet
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ftp//vela.oakland.edu//pub/tribe/publications
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USENET//alt.cyberspace, alt.cyberpunk, alt.virtual.culture
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Please inform me of any other archival so that I may make mention of
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it here. I hear that somebody is marking up an HTML verson too.
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==========
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==-------=======
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==---------=======
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==-----------======= The Lexicon of Virtual Culture
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===---------========
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====-------========= Virtual Culture -- >>From A to Z
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==================
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================
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================
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==========
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-=- 01.Lexicon of Virtual Culture
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------------------------------------------------------
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-=- 01.3.The dictionary |
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---------------------------
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Virtual Culture -- >>From A to Z
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ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Loop) - The transmission method
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likely to be used to send movies, tv shows and sports - at the viewers
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request - over existing telephone lines right to your television. Look for
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this to be available and affordable in the next two years. This is the
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main contender to ISDN, the winner will provide the link between 50
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channels and 500 channels, 50,000 channels or (hopefully) more.
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Agrippa: A Book of the Dead - A collaboration between author William
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Gibson, publisher Kevin Begos Jr., and artist Dennis Ashbaugh. This
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art-work contains engravings by Ashbaugh which appear or disappear in
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light and an on-disk semi-autobiographical poem by William Gibson which
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is unreadable after having been read once. Agrippa is notable because in
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many respects it blurs the lines concerning what art is, and adds fuel to
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the fire on issues of property rights and intellectual property. A
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highlight of 1992 was the release of Gibson's poem on to the net.
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Artificial Life - man-made systems that exhibit characteristics associated
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with the concept of "life".
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Artificial Reality - similar to virtual reality, but more interactive,
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with the participant being part of, not just experiencing, the artificial
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environment.
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Barlow, John Perry - A drummer for the Grateful Dead and co-founder of the
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EFF. Now a net.denizen who speaks often on virtual culture and cyberspace
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sociology and technology.
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BBSes - electronic Bulletin Board Systems. Begun in the late 70's, a form
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of virtual community existing in cyberspace where participants (usually
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using aliases) may send and receive public and private messages to each
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other on any topic imaginable, transfer software (copyrighted and/or
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public domain), play on-line games, etc. There is the "over-ground" BBS
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world where aliases are less common and illegal activities are avoided in
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discussion, and the computer underground where illegal activities and
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discussions are very common, members use aliases, and illegal information
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and/or software is exchanged.
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Boxing - A variety of electronic devices used to aid in phreaking. The
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original was the blue box, used from the mid 60's to the mid 80's, which
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allowed long distance phone calls to be made for free. A variety of other
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similar instruments accomplishing different tasks have been developed,
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some purely comical, some quite practical.
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Chaos - Chaos is a state that garners a lot of respect in cyberculture, to
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the point of being a techno-pagan religion. Many people are self-described
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Chaoticians.
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Chaos Theory - A field of science revolving around simplistic equations
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involving a large number of variables. Gave rise to fractals, a form of
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cyberdelic art. For further info on the subject, James Gleick's "Chaos:
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Making a New Science" is suggested.
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C0dez Doodz - Essentially a phreaker's version of pirates. People who seek
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out telco codes to be used to gain long distance (ld) telephone calls
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without paying for them. Scourge of the computer underground.
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Communitek - an informational technology that provides the potential for a
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community to develop in cyberspace. For example, within the net, IRC and
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elists are two communiteks.
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Computer Underground - "A group organized in secrecy, hidden behind
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aliases, to promote the free exchange of information regarding anything
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and everything including, but not limited to: computers, telephones,
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radios, chemicals, and ideas." (Thanx to The Butler for this definition)
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The mainstay of communication for the computer underground is cyberspace,
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more specifically BBSes. The computer underground is composed of hackers,
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phreakers, pirates, anarchists, and other cyberpunks.
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Cyber- - A prefix taken from cybernetics generally used in popular culture
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to mean anything that is technologically oriented.
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Cyberculture - Often used in the media to denote aspects of "life as a
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cyberpunk." Yet if we are to follow strict meaning, cyberculture is more
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accurately defined as an information-based culture.
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Cyberdeck - Term originated by William Gibson to refer to a computer used
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by deck cowboys that can connect to the matrix.
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Cyberdelic - "Cyber-art". Examples include fractals, computer-generated
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pictures and/or music, virtual worlds, etc. (sidebar - fractal pict)
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Cybernetics - The study of communication systems in living organisms and
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machines, the mathematical analysis of the flow of information.
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Cyberpunk - Begun as a literary movement in the 80's, an off-shoot of
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normal science fiction. Unique in that it generally occurs in the present
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or not so distant future, the characters are often considered "punks"
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(social deviants) and technology, (the cyber aspect), is prominent.
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"Neuromancer" by William Gibson, published in 1984, is considered by most
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to be the "bible" of cyberpunk. Another prominent author is Bruce
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Sterling, editor of another worthy cyberpunk collection, "Mirrorshades".
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Other examples of cyberpunk include Max Headroom (TV show) and BladeRunner
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(movie). Cyberpunk is special in that it has evolved from a purely
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literary movement to a realistic subculture. Many "techno-punks" (i.e.,
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hackers) are considered cyberpunks. Other contributing factors to the
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cyberpunk subculture include: virtual reality, hallucinogenic and
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nootropic drugs, and industrial and punk music. For an in-depth, detailed
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look at cyberpunk fiction and cyberpunk culture, "Storming the Reality
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Studio," ed. by Larry McCaffery is suggested.
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Cyberspace - "The electronic frontier." A completely virtual environment:
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the sum of all BBSes, computer networks, and other virtual communities.
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Unique in that it is constantly being changed, exists only virtually, can
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be practically infinite in "size", communication occurs instantaneously
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world-wide - physical location is completely irrelevant most of the time.
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Some include video and telephone transmissions as part of cyberspace.
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Cypherpunks - net.folks who have evolved from hacking to encryption and
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concern with creating multiple anonymous identities.
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Deck Cowboys - Futuristic, some say fantasy, version of a computer hacker
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or a modern-day cyberpunk.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation - (EFF). Organization founded by Mitch
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Kapor (of Lotus fame) and John Perry Barlow (writer and Grateful Dead
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songwriter) to establish laws for cyberspace and apply the constitution to
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virtual communities. The EFF has recently morphed into a strong lobbying
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force in Washington D.C..
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Elist (email-lists) - An electronic discussion group that anyone with an
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email address can subscribe to. Email addresses for the elist members are
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stored on a single computer. When you send email to that machine, it will
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automatically bounce your letter to every other subscriber. Thousands of
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these elists, covering almost every topic, exist on the Internet for your
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reading pleasure and more are materializing weekly.
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Ezine - An net version of the small press magazine (known as a zine)
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culture. Usually ezines exist only on the net, but more and more
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paper-zines are distributing an electronic version as well. (sidebar, some
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zines to watch for)
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F2F - face to face meeting (also FTF)
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Flame - Disagreement (hell, full fledged war sometimes) occurring in
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cyberspace. Common on Usenet.
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Fleshmeet - a F2F meeting. Often a party of some sort where people who
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have met previously on the net get together.
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Fractals - Images created using chaos theory. A mish-mash of colors
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presented in a pattern that repeats itself many times over. A popular
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type of fractal image is one created using the "Mandlebrot set". Fractals
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are considered cyberdelic art.
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Gibson, William - Considered by most to be the "father" of cyberpunk,
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along with Bruce Sterling. His works include the infamous "Neuromancer",
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"Count Zero", "Mona Lisa Overdrive" (these 3 works are known as the sprawl
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series), "The Difference Engine" with which he was co-author with Bruce
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Sterling, and "Burning Chrome" a collection of short stories. A recent
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work of his is a poem in "Agrippa: A Book of the Dead". Gibson says he
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will no longer be writing the "classic" cyberpunk novels he is famous
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for. His latest work is entitled "Virtual Light" is futuristic fiction
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was released in August.
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Global Village - Famous term coined by Marshall McLuhan, exemplified by
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the net.
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Gopher - A menu driven service useful for grep'ing info off the net. You
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forgot your friend's email address, look here. Need to read the latest
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issue of "Voices from the net" (An electronic text based zine or ezine),
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look here. Searching for a file to read or software to download, use
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Gopher. Over 1200 individual gopher sites exist and the number is growing
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weekly.
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Grep - search, or scan.
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Grok - Word with roots in Shamanism that is akin to gnow. and implies a
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thorough and complete holistic understanding. Popularized in Robert A.
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Heinlein's _Stranger in a Strange Land_.
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Hacker - 60's (1st) generation (orig. MIT): one who tinkers with
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software, electronics, computer hardware, etc. 80's (2nd) WarGames
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generation: one who enters computer systems without permission with
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either malicious or non-malicious intent, to gain, alter, or destroy
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information (labeled as crackers by the 60's generation). 90's (3rd)
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generation: often called cyberpunks, mostly non-malicious crackers
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interested in information for the sake of information, and not hacking for
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the sake of the hack - sometimes calling themselves "information
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liberators", they have re-adopted more of the original hacker ethic of the
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60's that mainly states "all information should be free", "access to
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computers should be unlimited and total" and "promote decentralization".
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This new, 3rd generation is commonly associated with the computer
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underground, despite its mostly non-malicious intent.
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Identity Hacking - The use of pseudo-anonymity or false accounts to
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put ones self off as another person on the Internet. Not nice.
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Infonomics - The idea of an economy based on information, which obviously
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holds many different properties from our current state of the world.
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Internet - A large and very popular world-wide computer network begun by
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the Department of Defense in the 60's that connects educational
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institutions, corporations, organizations, and military and government
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installations around the globe. Some organizations exist that offer
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Internet access to the general public for an hourly,monthly or yearly fee.
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Suggested are places like the WELL, MindVox, Nyx (which is free of cost),
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Netcom, etc. Many Internet users partake in reading and contributing to
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Usenet, playing MUDs, FTPing text files and programs free of charge at the
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various FTP sites, and 'telnet'ing to other Internet sites. Because of its
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accessibility at a relatively low cost, size (the largest computer network
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in the world), connectivity, and infinite amounts of information, many
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network users prefer the Internet to such services as CompuServe (often
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called Compu$erve on the Internet) or Prodigy (which is more restricting
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in its content). The Internet has something to offer for everyone. There
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are many helpful books published about how to use the Internet, some are
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available right on-line. Once you gain access to the Internet, it is
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suggested that you read the 'news.announce.newusers' and
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'news.newusers.questions' and 'news.answers' newsgroups on Usenet.
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IRC - Internet Relay Chat. Realtime communication forums between Internet
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users all over the world.
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ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. A communitek hopefully coming
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soon to a house near you, basically it will greatly expand the potential
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for information coming into your house, such as having 700 cable TV
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channels, interactive realtime video-phones, and far off in the future
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possible even realtime networked interactive 3d virtual reality.
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Kapor, Mitch - One of EFF's founders (along with John Perry Barlow). He
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started the Lotus software company and built it into one of the top 5
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software companies in the world, then left to start the EFF. In addition
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to working at the top of EFF ladder, he frequently writes stories for
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magazines and newspapers, interviews on the TV and is often called to
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testify before congressional hearings.
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Knowbot - provides a uniform user interface to heterogeneous remote
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information services. A predecesor to the Intelligent Agent.
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Legion of Doom - (LoD). A legendary group of hackers from the computer
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underground. When they disbanded, some members went on to form a computer
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security firm (ComSec), Loyd Blankenship wrote GURPS Cyberpunk for Steve
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Jackson Games and some ended up in jail from Operation Sundevil.
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Matrix - Term coined by William Gibson that refers to the consensual
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hallucination of cyberspace.
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Meme - An "agent of communicative resonance," or more simply, "an
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information virus." Memetics is the study and theories behind the root
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structures of information itself.
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MindVox - A virtual community in cyberspace, also a BBS connected to the
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Internet. A nexus of the computer underground and cyberpunk and virtual
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reality began by Phantom Access Technologies, former members of the Legion
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of Doom. See also the WELL.
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Mirrorshades - A very important collection of cyberpunk fiction by various
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authors, most of whom are labeled as the mirrorshades group. This book is
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edited by Bruce Sterling and should be available in most bookstores.
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Mirrorshades Group - Original collection of cyberpunk authors which
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includes William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Tom Maddox, Lewis Shiner, John
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Shirley, SF Eye magazine editor Steve Brown, Rudy Rucker, Pat Cadigan, and
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others.
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Mondo 2000 - Very popular cyberpunk and new edge magazine. Recently
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challenged by a new magazine, WIRED.
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MUD - Multi-User Domain, Multi-User Dungeon, or Multi-User Dimension. MUDs
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are multi-user role-playing-games of sorts that exist on the Internet for
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entertainment purposes. MUDs are essentially text-based virtual worlds
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which players (participants) may explore, change, or add on to. In most
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|
cases, the MUD is actually a "game" with scores, player attributes,
|
|
levels, etc., but some MUDs are with more social goals in mind. MUDs tend
|
|
to be based around different science fiction genres such as fantasy,
|
|
space, or even cyberpunk.
|
|
More recently MUDs have SIDEBAR - MU*'s have a somewhat unfortunate
|
|
developed new uses. Research, SIDEBAR - of being addicting. I attribute
|
|
conferencing, and more SIDEBAR - this to the strong feeling of
|
|
academic MUDs are popping SIDEBAR - community one gets from mudding.
|
|
up like wildflowers these SIDEBAR - Students have been known to drop
|
|
days and indicate a possible SIDEBAR - out of school just to MUD. Others
|
|
trend in the Internet, that SIDEBAR - have fallen in love over a mu*
|
|
being integration of services. SIDEBAR - only to later realize the other
|
|
SIDEBAR - player doesn't feel the same.
|
|
Nanotechnology - the science SIDEBAR - I recommend going cold turkey as
|
|
of "micro-machines". Small SIDEBAR - the only solution to the MUDding
|
|
gears or other machines seen SIDEBAR - addiction. =)
|
|
only by a microscope, that
|
|
can be used in areas such as medicine and health, art, and other
|
|
technologies.
|
|
|
|
Net - A computer network. Often used to mean the Internet when referred to
|
|
as "the net".
|
|
|
|
Netrip - Many similarities exist in some people's minds between
|
|
psychedelic drugs and the net, and a netrip is the state of literally
|
|
getting "high" off the net, accompanied by distortions in space and time,
|
|
a gnowledge of the net itself, an intense desire to communicate your
|
|
subconscious to the rest of the net, etc.
|
|
|
|
New Edge - Fringe culture and fringe science, mostly techno-oriented, and
|
|
very popular in Southern California. Mondo 2000 is a magazine devoted to
|
|
the new edge.
|
|
|
|
Nexus - The dictionary defines a "nexus" as a "a connection, tie, or link
|
|
between individuals of a group, members of a series, etc." When applied to
|
|
virtual cultures and the networked humans which comprise them, a NEXUS is
|
|
basically a domicile/workspace/cultural-center formed in real-life by
|
|
people who have met and established relationships over the Net. They
|
|
purchase and secure group Internet access, and thus control their own
|
|
node, living in close proximity, since creativity blossoms in people when
|
|
surrounded with creativity; since similar approaches to work and life can
|
|
re-inforce each other. We have seen this happen on the Net; the NEXUS
|
|
community intends to manifest it in reality, to integrate it into our
|
|
lifestyle.
|
|
|
|
Nootropics - A new science revolving around drugs used to increase
|
|
intelligence, aid in memory, enhance brain activity, etc. Touted as a fad
|
|
by some, others claim that use of nootropics actually work. See also
|
|
SmartDrinks.
|
|
|
|
Operation Sundevil - Secret Service operation begun in 1990 intended to
|
|
destroy the computer underground by confiscating BBSes and detaining
|
|
hackers.
|
|
|
|
Paste Bomb - Sometimes a litteral core dump. Via the Mac's Cut and Paste
|
|
capability, take random bits of data from one's hard drive and paste it
|
|
into an online conversation, email, mud, whatever. Eris Lives. Sci-fi
|
|
author Bruce Sterling is a notorious paste bomber. Get in the habit
|
|
|
|
Phrack - An important magazine existing only in cyberspace, of interest to
|
|
the computer underground. It's founder, Craig Neidorf, now works for the
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation.
|
|
|
|
Phreaker - Hacking the phone system. Usually meaning to get phone calls
|
|
for free, whether by boxing or calling card fraud. Individual phreakers
|
|
are called phreaks.
|
|
|
|
Pirate - One who copies software illegally. Commonly associated with the
|
|
computer underground. Although commonplace, pirates are looked down upon
|
|
as with codez d00dz . (sidebar SPA and the big corporation pirates)
|
|
|
|
Post-industrial - The state of the world, including megacorp zaibatsus, an
|
|
evolving infonomics, etc.
|
|
|
|
Post-modern - Literary, artistic, cultural, and philosophical movement
|
|
revolving around the post-industrial world in which we live, and the
|
|
unique aspects of the trends of modern society.
|
|
|
|
Raves - A 'dying' subculture revolving around all-night dance parties.
|
|
Typically, the parties are generally illegal and thus a complex process is
|
|
involved to find out where they are located. Rave music is generally
|
|
techno or house , the parties usually include 1 or more DJs. Also present
|
|
in many cases are "chill out rooms" which feature more ambient music.
|
|
Lasers, blaring music, cyberdelic images, SmartDrinks and drugs most often
|
|
MDMA {X, XTC, Ecstasy, E}, LSD {acid}, ketamine, or nootropics) are all
|
|
general contributors to the rave experience. Raves are usually held in
|
|
warehouses, and last until the next morning. Another large part of rave
|
|
culture is the flyers - used to find out where your next party will be.
|
|
Raves are meant to be very happy events, everyone ideally should be open
|
|
and free, laying aggressions and inhibitions aside for the night. Some
|
|
have likened the rave experience to "a weekly roving techno-woodstock for
|
|
the 90's." Rave fashion includes over-sized baggy t-shirts and pants,
|
|
hooded sweat-shirts, ski caps, and usually bright colors, as well as
|
|
accessories such as whistles, Cat In The Hat hats, "doctor" masks,
|
|
VapoRub, etc. Many factors have led to an often heard questions these
|
|
days, "where have all the ravers gone?" (one answer is... they've gone Retro)
|
|
|
|
RTFM - Read The Fucking Manual. An abbreviation used when clueless
|
|
questions are asked about subjects that are answered in the manual or FAQ.
|
|
|
|
Shaman - An overused word that in ancient and modern cultures implies one
|
|
who is a wise medicine man or healer, with a keen understanding of the
|
|
ways of things. Used increasingly in modern culture, especially in
|
|
conjunction with techno-paganism.
|
|
|
|
Slipstream - Term used to denote cyberpunk fiction, particularly pre-1984
|
|
fictional works that have been influential to the mirrorshades group or
|
|
that closely resemble cyberpunk, but are sometimes outside of the sf
|
|
genre. An example would be William S. Burroughs.
|
|
|
|
SmartDrugs - nootropics.
|
|
|
|
SmartDrinks - Similar to SmartDrugs, or nootropics, the intent of these
|
|
substances, loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other healthy
|
|
substances, is to aid in brain functioning. Smart Drinks are most often
|
|
consumed at raves, thus, the purpose of some smart drinks is to "energize"
|
|
the drinker, not to make them smarter.
|
|
|
|
Sprawl - Word used by William Gibson to mean large mega-cities, and places
|
|
where different cities collide. Southern California and New York City
|
|
might be early examples of the sprawl. This word is used often in modern
|
|
times as "urban sprawl".
|
|
|
|
Steve Jackson Games - RPG manufacturers that have played a key role in the
|
|
evolution of cyberpunk and the computer underground. Operators of the
|
|
Illuminati BBS and makers of GURPS Cyberpunk, an RPG guide written by Loyd
|
|
Blankenship, a member of the Legion of Doom.
|
|
|
|
Sterling, Bruce - considered by most to be the "co-founder" of cyberpunk
|
|
along with William Gibson. He is the editor of "Mirrorshades: A cyberpunk
|
|
anthology," which is considered the quintessential collection of cyberpunk
|
|
works by the mirrorshades group. Some of his other works include "Islands
|
|
in the Net", "Schismatrix", "Involution Ocean", "The Artificial Kid", "The
|
|
Difference Engine" which he co-authored with Gibson and "The Hacker
|
|
Crackdown" a non-fiction account of the computer underground and Operation
|
|
Sundevil, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Phrack, the Legion
|
|
of Doom, Steve Jackson Games, etc. Sterling has also been a vocal member
|
|
of the net. Keep your eyes open, you never know where he will surface next.
|
|
|
|
Social Engineering - Technique by which hackers or crackers acquire
|
|
information, such as names and passwords. Essentially a modern-day con,
|
|
often conducted via phone conversations, such as portraying oneself as a
|
|
telco employee.
|
|
|
|
TBT - Talking by Typing.
|
|
|
|
Techno- - prefix similar to cyber-, referring to anything which has its
|
|
roots in current or futuristic technology.
|
|
|
|
Techno - type of music made almost entirely with the help of computers,
|
|
revolving around a fast-paced drum beat (as high as 160 BPM), sampling,
|
|
and synthesizers.
|
|
|
|
Technoculture - The idea of a culture with a strong foundation rooted in
|
|
technology. Often used loosely in association with cyberculture and new edge.
|
|
|
|
Techno-paganism - Literally the worshipping of technology. Many people
|
|
*believe* that, for example, the net has some magic or is a sentient
|
|
entity in itself, or that technology can be an agent of evolution.
|
|
(sidebar Aleph spew)
|
|
|
|
Teledildonics - Virtual sex in a virtual environment. Term often used by
|
|
the new edge community. (sidebar: from new CD to magazine to etc)
|
|
|
|
Toasternet - Putting together a LAN, WAN or Internet hook up with the
|
|
cheapest of technology. Read up on Toasternets on the Wells Gopher.
|
|
|
|
Usenet - A collection of "newsgroups" on the Internet, in which Internet
|
|
users may post or read messages on almost any subject imaginable. The
|
|
topics of discussion are divided up into the individual newsgroups, which
|
|
total about 2000 on average. Usenet is divided into various large
|
|
sections, including the 'alt'ernative newsgroups, the 'comp'uter
|
|
newsgroups, the 'sci'ence newsgroups and the 'talk' newsgroups, among
|
|
others. Some groups are moderated, while most remain completely
|
|
uncensored. Usenet is often referred to as Abusenet for its all-too
|
|
familiar flames and appearance of perpetual chaos.
|
|
|
|
Virtual Community - any group or gathering that exists in cyberspace. This
|
|
could be a BBS, a hacking group, a net, or even a zaibatsu.
|
|
|
|
Virtual Culture - the collection of virtual communities, and the cultural
|
|
aspects unique to those communities.
|
|
|
|
Virtual Reality - a consentual hallucination of a world existing only in
|
|
cyberspace. Modern day virtual reality uses helmets, gloves, and body
|
|
suits to create such a world, which is first created on a computer and
|
|
connected to the vr devices. A goal of some virtual reality researchers is
|
|
to generate a completely alternate reality. Research in vr includes
|
|
networking people, so spatial limitations are meaningless. The
|
|
possibilities of vr-generated environments are as limitless as the
|
|
imagination.
|
|
|
|
Virtual World - a world existing in cyberspace created and used with
|
|
virtual reality technologies.
|
|
|
|
WELL - The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link. An important gridpoint in the
|
|
matrix, a virtual community in cyberspace, also a BBS connected to the
|
|
Internet. A group concerned mostly with cyberpunk, virtual reality,
|
|
nootropics, and other aspects of the new edge. Many celebreties have an
|
|
account on the Well.
|
|
|
|
WIRED - A new magazine devoted to exploring virtualspace and new
|
|
technologies. Wired is not as new edge as Mondo 2000 and seemingly gives
|
|
off a more corporate news oriented format. However, it is a refreshing
|
|
view and perhaps infonomics first steps into the public realm. (The TIME
|
|
magazine of virtual culture.)
|
|
|
|
Wirehead - a hardware hacker.
|
|
|
|
Zaibatsu - Japanese term used a lot by William Gibson that means a large
|
|
mega-corporation, such as Sony for example.
|
|
|
|
|
|
______ _____ __ __ ______
|
|
/\ ___\ /\ __ \ /\ "-.\ \ /\__ _\
|
|
\ \ \____\ \ \/\ \\ \ \-. \\/_/\ \/ __
|
|
\ \_____\\ \_____\\ \_\\"\_\ \ \_\ /\_\
|
|
\/_____/ \/____ / \/_/ \/_/ \/_/ \/_/ In Part 2 of 5
|
|
copyright 1994 John Frost
|
|
|
|
|