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Cyberspace | |
April 08th, 2018 | |
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A few minutes ago in the #gopher irc room on sdf.org, zcrayfish | |
just mentioned remembering connecting to sdf over old modem | |
programs (xyzmodem). It brought back a flood of memories. I last | |
remember using zmodem to connect to my friend Kris's new machine. | |
We connected via blank term sometimes and just typed messages back | |
and forth in the same buffer. When we switched to zmodem I can | |
remember the thrill the first time we successfully resumed a file | |
transfer, not having to start it all over. Brilliant. | |
Mostly what stood out to me in memory is that the setting of these | |
memories was virtual. I did not remember sitting at my computer | |
using zmodem, but as if my place in the world was within zmodem. | |
I embodied it to the fullest extent of existential awareness. | |
I had no body, only idea form. | |
That makes me think more broadly on that concept. I did not have | |
it before that time when connecting to Prodigy and spending time | |
on the Xanth Chatroom I would eventually moderate. Those memories | |
involve seeing my hands typing, and the texture of the monitor. | |
I wasn't "in" the computer then. Ahh, but later, connecting to | |
Snakes Lair BBS in South Jersey, I am there in the door games, in | |
the discussion boards, in all of it. | |
BBSes are the start of virtual existance for me. That feels pretty | |
cool. |