<--Word Circuits ---->Information about the corresponding CyberMountain Colloquium
As we rely more and more on information systems and the world wide web, people who design these systems and people who produce content need to collaborate closely to ensure effective means for getting and retrieving information.
CyberMountain Colloquium is designed to push online information design and hypermedia to new levels through discussion and constructive critique among experts in very different fields. This worldwide synergistic combination of people interested in creating hypertext systems and content will define significant issues for the next generations of hypertexts and the systems used to create them.
CyberMountain, a four-day workshop for hypertext system and content developers, is hosting a simultaneous face-to-face MOO discussion from 3 to 6 pm, Greenwich Mean Time, Wednesday June 2, 1999.
This colloquium features an intensive four day workshop (May 28-June 2, 1999, Denver Colorado) and an international MOO session. System designers will meet with multimedia and hypertext creators, and other internet information developers in an intense, round-the-clock workshop to test systems and applications.
The MOO will provide a space for hypertext system developers, content developers, and researchers to determine how people are using and can use hypertext tools, and how to improve the tools, systems, and technologies. The MOO will bring groups together to talk over hypertext issues and join others around the world in a real-time computer dialogue. The MOO transcript will be saved as part of the CyberMountain proceedings.
The MOO will take place from 3 to 6 pm, Greenwich Mean Time, Wednesday June 2, 1999, starting with a keynote talk by Stuart Moulthrop. MOO sessions are usually merely on-line discussions. However, this session will be based on connected conferences throughout the world to incorporate face-to-face get togethers as well as a computer interface. All over the world, people will gather in schools, universities, businesses, cybercafes and public venues to talk about hypertext issues. They will then discuss these issues as a group on the MOO.
Walter Vannini, cyberspace architect and designer of CyberMountain's MOO session and the Universita' degli Studi di Milano - Dipartimento di Informatica (who is sponsoring Little Italy MOO) have been researching ways to augment teaching and collaboration on line for the past five years. With this background, Vannini explains, "CyberMountain's MOO workshops will greatly extend what we can do face to face."
The MOO is being sponsored with the collaboration of:
MOOs are very similar to chat rooms--you simply log in and join the typed discussion.
To find out more about the MOO, If you need preparatory material on MOOs, this very quick document is a good start, while the paper section of CoMOOnicate! Project will be helpful to non-novices.
The workshop will be held inside the Norway CMC MOO at http://cmc.uib.no:8000/ and the Little Italy MOO telnet:little.usr.dsi.unimi.it:4444
There is more information about the MOO session at
http://humans.net/cybermountain/moo.html
And detailed instructions on how to talk and have fun in a MOO at
http://humans.net/cybermountain/cyberMOOuntaineer.html
To preregister for the MOO discussion, send an email to request@little.usr.dsi.unimi.it, specifying it's for the Cybermountain MOO session.
Please contact Deena Larsen at textra@chisp.net for more information about both CyberMountain and the MOO.
Stuart Moulthrop will provide a keynote address to the entire MOO to start us off. Users can then go into five or more rooms in the MOO, each with a theme:
Library to discuss:
Business meeting room to think about:
Conference room where researchers, writers, and developers can determine design approaches:
Studio to identify what is currently available and how to improve it:
Theater where people can put on an improvisational hyperterxt play.
Bar for people to just hang out
A bulletin board will flash summaries of the discussions in each room.
TIME TO LOG IN
At 3 pm GMT on June 2, 1999, log into the MOO. Go to http://cmc.uib.no:8000/
I think that the following times may correspond with GMT. However, I am NOT sure. Please check your local time zone with GMT, as minor details such as the international date line, daylight savings time, etc. may interfere. This information comes from the Greenwich Millenium Page.
At 3 pm GMT on June 2, 1999, log into the MOO. If you have Netscape or IE 4+ go to http://cmc.uib.no:8000/
Otherwise, telnet to the Little Italy MOO: telnet:little.usr.dsi.unimi.it:4444
It is definitely advisable you get hold of a MOO/MUD client.
Instructions for getting around in CyberMountain MOO are at http://humans.net/cybermountain/moo.html
When you are connected to the MOO, type "connect JohnDoe" (assuming your player name is JohnDoe) and you'll be in. You'll find these instructions, as well as info on where you can download MOO clients and a link to a basic introduction to MOO commands at http://cmc.uib.no:8000.
If you're unfamiliar with MOOs, you should probably try this out before the CyberMountain moo session, either during one of the scheduled practice sessions, or on your own. Feel free to email Walter Vannini (walter@humans.net) or Jill Walker (jill.walker@lili.uib.no) at any time for help, or ask anyone who's logged in to the MOO at the same time as you are (type "who" to see who else is logged on). On the MOO, Jill is Puck (or Jill) and Walter is Dirk_Gently. There'll be links from the MOO home page to basic tutorials on how to use MOOs, and also to places where you can download a MOO client if you need one.
Remember you can also type "help" when you're in the MOO if you need assistence. Oh, and if you're really interested, we can give you your own character so you don't have to use a guest account. If you have any technical questions about the moo, contact Walter Vannini (walter@humans.net) or jill.walker@lili.uib.no.
Please come in and look around before we get started on the real MOO session. We have set up these practice times, but you are welcome to check the MOO out at any time.
Instructions for Basic MOOing are at the five minute MOOer
While individuals logging into the MOO are welcome, you will get much more out of this MOO if you can organize a group of people to participate. Since there will be many rooms and discussions going on at once, a group of people can participate in different MOO rooms and share what is going on face-to-face. Getting local groups together will also help promote collaborations and spread the word about hypertext.
See you there!