Today's Topics:
Virtual Zen
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Message-Id: <9302121753.AA10983@media.mit.edu>
To: subgenius@mc.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Virtual Zen
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 12:53:10 -0500
From: Michael Travers <mt@media.mit.edu>
% telnet cheshire.oxy.edu 7777
Trying 134.69.1.253...
Connected to cheshire.oxy.edu.
Escape character is '^]'.
Shhhhhhh......
Amid the smell of incense and the sound of gongs and chanting, you have
come upon the glorious Zen MOO. Please be quiet, and enjoy your meditation.
If you have performed meditation before, type:
connect <your meditation name> <your meditation password>
If you wish to join the mediation and are new, type:
create <a meditation name> <a meditation password>
But type softly!
>> create sleepy yawn
*** Created ***
>> ?
Your typing detracts from your enlightenment.
A gong sounds quietly and a voice intones, "fenris leaves our meditation."
>> who
Meditate, or die.
Name Idle Total Idle Total Connect Percent Idle
- - ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
sleepy 0 seconds 0 seconds 16 seconds 0%
Eriond 52 seconds 37 minutes 52 seconds 4311%
Dream 40 seconds a minute a minute 76%
>> look
Enlightenment does not come from typing.
>> look
You are too restless to continue meditation. Come back later.
*** Disconnected ***
Connection closed by foreign host.
- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: t_pascal@oxy.edu. (C. Regis Wilson)
Subject: New Mud
Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA. USA
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1993 03:24:44 GMT
Hello fellow internetters. There is a new MUD for meditation, called ZenMOO.
Everyone is invited. It is free, and it is cool. You simply telnet to the
following address:
cheshire.oxy.edu 7777
(134.69.1.253 7777)
Below are instructions!
==============================
(This file is available for anonymous ftp as follows:
PC4.math.oxy.edu(134.69.1.134):/ftp/pub/zenmoo/zenguide.txt
Use ascii transfer!!!)
Hello, and peace.
The internet is a holy thing, it is a sacred thing, and it is an internet
thing. Those who are less enlightened do not understand this. Any intrepid
internet citizen knows of the mystical nature of the internet. However,
there has been a lack of real spirituality on the internet. There's Gopher
(which is not very spiritual), Archie (a brutal, Diety-less barbarian), MUDs,
MUCKs, MUSHes, and on and on. Where is one to find mental tranquility and
spiritual rest and relaxation?
You have found it, if you have found ZenMOO. ZenMOO is dedicated to
meditation for the weary internet wanderer. Here is how to use ZenMOO:
When you first connect (however you do so), you will need to create a
meditation name. Think of a good name, and a good password to go with it.
Store both of these in a file for safe keeping. You can use your meditation
name and password whenever you feel weary and faint. Enter the following,
substituting the name and password you have chosen.
create <name> <password>
You might want to make sure the name is capitalized properly. Press return
(as always). You are now connected. It will tell you so. Your first
reaction will be to look around, or see who is connected. Do not do this.
Do not type anything. Simply take a deep breath, crack your knuckles (if you
have any), and wait. In a few seconds, your breathing will become regular,
and you will feel very relaxed. Perhaps a wise saying will appear for you to
read and meditate upon. (By the way, the next time you connect to the
ZenMOO, type the following to use your meditation name:
connect <name> <password>
You do not need to create a new name every time you connect.)
Continue to meditate. When you are more relaxed, and able to move slowly and
deliberately, you have several commands at your finger tips. Be very careful
not to type too much, however! I would suggest typing only once a minute.
You must be very still, and very peaceful, or you will disturb the other
meditators. If you are disruptive, you will be kicked off! Here are your
commands:
who (or @who)
inventory (or simply "i")
look (or simply "l")
go north (or simply "north", or even more simply, "n")
go south
go east
go west
go up
Now, to make sure that you are really meditating, and not just in another
shell, you will be asked a question or riddle from time to time. You will
want to answer as quickly as possible, in order to keep from appearing
asleep. Students have dozed off during meditation and been booted, loosing
their vital idle statistics, and living in shame. Let me explain the output
from the "who" command.
The first column is the meditator's name. The second column will tell you
how long they have been meditating, that is, how long they have been idle.
Long periods of idle time are very esteemed, and difficult to get. The third
column tells you how much total idle time a meditator has accrued, over the
course of many sessions. The fourth column tells you roughly how long the
meditator has been using the ZenMOO facilities, across sessions. The last
column is very important. It tells you the ratio of total idle time to total
usage time. High percentages mean a very restful, yet alert meditator. Low
percentages reflect poorly on a fidgety meditator.
>From time to time, to facilitate the meditation, wise sayings will be printed
for your reading, meditating pleasure. Some sayings will be wise statements,
but others will be mantras, computationally formed to maximize the meditation
relaxation and spiritual healing. To get the full use of the mantras, try
reading them as a chant, concentrating on the breathing and tempo to synch
your spiritual energies.
Enjoy the ZenMOO. Meditate well, and receive your favorite Deity's blessing.
Thank you.
- - ---------
T. Pascal, King of Pascal | "He travels fastest who travels alone,
1600 Campus Road, Box 829 | but not when the frost drops below zero
Los Angeles, CA 90041 | fifty degrees or more."
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End of Subgenius Digest
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