[MD] subject/object: pragmatism

[Krimel]

[Krimel]
Exactly! You make a point eloquently that I have been clubfootedly
attempting to make since Day One. Welcome to the darkside my friend. I have
withdrawn from Norrath for now. Frickin' user canceled my account. Case and
I hope to return to virtual life someday...

Perhaps another game? Perhaps...

[Krimel]
Gibson, who has been uncannily right about such things, maintains 
that in the not too distant future people will be unable to 
distinguish time spent in the virtual world from time spent in the 
"real" world.

[Arlo]
I'm choosing my words deliberately here.

I was hanging out in Tanaris the other evening, which lies in the 
southeast corner of Kalimdor. Some call this world "Azeroth". I 
wasn't really doing much, indeed, I could have had a more fruitful 
evening had I been spending my time in Ironforge learning new skills, 
or trading in the auction house. Or even spending time in Darnassus 
with other Night Elves. But instead I find myself drawn to the 
aesthetic of the Tanarian landscape. It reminds me of Cairo, or 
rather, what Cairo must've been at some point in its long history.

In any event, I wasn't doing anything more productive than fishing 
for Stonescale Eel off a little pier near Steamwheedle Port. Pirate 
activity to the north has shut down the shipping lanes, and the pier 
is vacant except for a few other fishermen, and the occasional 
traveler looking to explore uncharted territories in their personal 
maps. It was here that I met Lyra, a shaman from Azuremyst. It was 
with some trepidation she approached me, being somewhat lesser 
experienced than I, and careful not to appear foolish or naive. 
Nonetheless, the quandry she faced was overwhelming, and so humbly 
she introduced herself and asked if I would be willing to lend assistance.

Mostly because of her grace, and because I was intrigued by the 
challenge she was facing, I agreed to do what I could to aid her in 
her task. As we rode south from the pier into the open stretches of 
desert, towards the very southern-most coast, I got to know a little 
about Lyra. She has an alter-ego she calls... well, that's 
unimportant. This alter-ego lives in a place she calls "Australia", 
and spends her days doing IT work for a medium sized company. We talk 
a bit about Midnight Oil, politics, beer and truck-trains. Happily, 
with my help she is able to complete the task at hand, and recover 
some goods pilfered by the local pirates. In celebration I offer her 
a tankard of Dwarven Stout that has been in my pouch so long I wonder 
if it's still good. She asks how my alter-ego can stand drinking the 
watery pilsner associated with my alter-ego's homeland. I ask myself 
the same question.

A short while later I am surprised to hear her whisper to me again. 
She wants to know if she could add me to her list of acquaintances 
she looks for when things become too hard for her to handle alone. I 
tell her I would be honored, that finding others who share interests, 
who have fascinating tales to tell, who can offer me perspectives on 
the world I am unable to get elsewhere, well that is why I was 
fishing in Tanaris in the first place.

Like other dichotomies, the distinction between "real" and "virtual" 
may be clearly seen from high above, but as one descends closer and 
closer to the border, one sees not an absolute line, but a blur, a 
fractal-line where "apparent" distinctions become problematic. We can 
attempt, of course, to continually redefine these categories as we 
move down into more precise ranges of focus. But I think we'd find 
that this becomes an endless task, as each time we move in from one 
definition, we'd have to restart the process. Or we can step back and 
realize that our grand dichotomy is useful for most activity, but 
that at the heart of the matter, what is virtual is indistinguishable 
from what is real. Indeed, we ask falling back to the 
Brain-in-the-Box, how do we know that we are not the virtual reality 
of a still greater ego?

I may never meet the flesh-and-blood alter-ego of Lyra. Indeed, I may 
never meet the flesh-and-blood alter-ego of "Krimel", or "Ian", or 
"Craig". But I have fond memories of that night fishing in Tanaris, 
just as I have fond memories of my days "fishing" in this reality, 
the World of MOQ-craft.

Moq_Discuss mailing list
Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
Archives:
http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/