As you are aware, I will be in Orlando next week and therefore will not be physically present to teach class on Tuesday or Thursday. We will, however, continue to have class through the medium of the MOO environment I've set up for this purpose. This is our chance to try out a little bit of distance learning. For what it's worth, interacting with MOO is similar enough to interactive fiction that this will be good practice for what's coming later on. There are some major differences, but the basic idea of typing commands into a text parser is the same.

On Tuesday, I expect you to be logged in to maryMOO and in the "room" Combs 349 by 11:00 AM. You can connect from the physical Combs 349 if you wish, but you're also welcome to connect from anywhere else you have an internet connection. I've put up a page about connecting to MOO, which includes how to download and configure a MOO client.

Once logged in, we'll try and proceed as quickly as possible to having a productive discussion. You should have read Borges' "Garden of Forking Paths", so be prepared to talk about how the ideas in the story could parallel electronic modes of storytelling.

As you'll see, a MOO conversation can quickly become chaotic, so I'd like your help in managing things.MOO can be fun, so it is often the case that a more playful mood prevails. That's fine. Just try and keep comments on-topic, and if I call for silence, please respect that request. Basically, keep in mind that I see everything that goes on in maryMOO, and I can and will take action to forcibly remove you from the MOO space if necessary. We will try to conduct class in one large group, but if that becomes untenable, we may split into smaller discussion groups.

Again, I'm recommending that you physically go to Combs 349 to log in, because if you get stuck or have trouble you can ask someone nearby. You can also try e-mailing me, but I'm not likely to be very responsive during the actual session.

Finally, please look over, and keep handy, the commands listed on the introduction to MOO page. You won't need all of them, and there are lots more out there, but these should keep you well equipped for next week.

Above all, relax and have fun with it!