Practicum - Dean - 6

Today was a frustrating day on LambdaMOO. I set out with the intention of finding the First National Lambda Bank to see what I could do with my welfare check. This failed, but I ran across some interesting things. I started exploring the House for a bit, but I got trapped inside a mirror (yes you read that right) and couldn't get out of a wine cellar maze, so I had to restart the Telnet Client a couple of times. At this point I was cursing the Wizards and the whole concept of command-line interface up and down. And it does present difficulty; it is often a challenge to remember what compass direction you came from and how to exit a room. Later, I got stuck in Julia's Living Room (don't ask) and had to quit for the last time. I asked several people how to get to the Bank, but got no responses. I did find a couple interesting things related to the community and global flavor of LambdaMOO.

There is a place called Singles Street, which a limousine actually takes you to. I decided to explore the Singles Courtyard which was a real nice garden. There was also a gate which led down to a nude beach, but this gate was closed. Might I remind you again that this is a completely textual world. Anyways, I went into the Singles office and upon inquiring, was given an automatic email. It gave me instructions for obtaining an apartment home in the Singles building, but also said that it was not a place for singles to meet, just a virtual living space. That's hard to believe, considering the name of the place. It shows however, that there is even a spot for virtual romance in LambdaMOO - a sub-community within the greater virtual community! In this way, this world is functioning somewhat like reality; people naturally grouping with those most like them.

There was also a Parisian district that I stumbled into. There were many French language signs and descriptions here. The architecture was distinctly French, and there was a Parisian cafe which I entered. There was a virtual waiter who would make you any drink you wanted. I ordered a White Russian because, well...that's just like...my opinion, man. I wonder if a real Frenchman designed this place or if it is someone else with an idea of French culture. It is probably the latter. This, like Commonwealth Ave really reflects the LambdaMOO's desire to be an all-inclusive, global community. Utopia? Well, make the command-line interface easier, and then maybe it will be.