The Scriptures of the Church of Virtuality\Reality Version 2.0 - The "Rush Job" Edition scripture.000 this file - prefatory material scripture.001 introduction to the basics of v\r scripture.002 miscellaneous ideas and short pieces scripture.003 general theme: the net scripture.004 general theme: altered states of consciousness scripture.005 Qix sees the world; "Diary of a Net Fiend" scripture.006 countdown to AO v1.0; early CafeNet material from Pippin scripture.007 transcription of insomniac tape by Qix, and Usenet stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello World. My name is Pippin. Not my real name of course. About a year ago, i started MUDing. This was probably not a good idea, because i suffered severe sensory overload, and basically fried my brain, and got excluded from uni. On the trail of my sanity, i found a round Tuit. i discovered doing the things that i always wanted to do but never got around to doing. One of those things was writing down all these THOUGHTS that had come to live in my mind. And my friend said, hey we have a Religion here. so the Jottings, the map of my mind, are here with some additions from friends and other people that i don't even know. These are the Travelling Scriptures of the Church of V\R. The Scriptures are a living growing body, organism of thoughts. This document may, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic or machine or human readable, or printed and posted in any postal system. But the Church of V\R and Gaia2000 retain the right to make any money out of this document. We gotta eat somehow. Anyone wishing to contribute to the feeding of these arrogant little bastards can email me at: larysa.fabok@bbs.oit.unc.edu or if you are ever passing Nambour, Australia way drop me a line on (074) 411 053 for the THOUGHTS need company and like to be talked to. And your thoughts can join our thoughts in the Grand Growing Body of the Church of V\R. *slosh* So C U in Cyberspace someday. I still MUD as Pippin. *wave* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHAT TO DO WITH THESE SCRIPTURES There is every chance that you are reading a copy of a copy of... the original Scriptures of V/R. They may well have been added to, compressed, decompressed, edited, etc. This is OK. BUT: it will help the scholars of the future, when they try to understand what happened to Planet Earth in the 1990s, to distinguish the different editions of V/R floating around. Something somewhere should indicate which edition this is that you are reading. If you make any additions or amendments, please alter the edition name - to something that is not likely to be duplicated by someone else. FOR EXAMPLE: The version you are reading may say, "Scriptures Version 1.1". If you add some of your own work to it, *don't* call the new version "Scriptures Version 1.2". Call it something like "Traveling Scriptures of Church of V/R, Greg's Edition B" or "V/R Scriptures, Version 3.14159 [from the disk of Vanessa]" or "Count Zero's Newly Amended and Expanded Concordance on Virtuality/Reality" or *anything* that will help the archaeologists of the 21st century to differentiate between the billions of different editions they will have on their hands. Also: Snail-mail contributions, communiques, etc intended for the Church can be sent to: The Elder Gods c/o PO Box 1620 Toowong, Q 4066 Australia As of this writing we don't have a stable email address, but you might try Larysa.Fabok@launchpad.unc.edu (but don't expect a reply within 12 months). In particular, try to send us a copy of anything you add to the Scriptures. Of course, if you're creative enough, you may decide that you don't want to attach everything you come up with to the V/R mythos - that's OK. Start your own religion. We'd still like to hear from you anyway. If you are so inspired, you might mention our address somewhere in what you write. Start a zine serializing your favourite parts of Scripture - this could be a way to make quick $. Send copies and instructions to your favourite celebrities and media personalities. Start a discussion group on V/R. Form your own GAIA 2000 cabal and plot to take over your country/street/whatever. IF you're on a network of some sort: keep your copy of the Scriptures in a Scriptures subdirectory. Quote the Scriptures in your .sig, and mention both the snail-mail address of the Elder Gods and an ftp site where the Scriptures are kept. Try to get the Scriptures installed on every ftp site you can, and maintain a list of people and places you know have heard of the Church of Virtuality/Reality in some form. Start discussion areas on bbs's related to V/R and GAIA 2000 and other such topics. Start Usenet newsgroups (example: alt.religion.virtuality_reality or alt.religion.v_r, alt.gaia2000, alt.fan.abulafia, alt.fan.dave.who.is.god). Assemble some gif's you think might be eye-catching and relevant. Get V/R-related discussions going on your newsgroups with local distribution (eg qut.chat, ky.misc, etc) - there will always be people who haven't heard. ALSO IF YOU'RE ON A NETWORK: Show as many of your non-net friends as possible the wonders of networked computing. If you have the means, do something like getting them into a real-time conversation with someone on the other side of the planet. In short, *get them as hooked as you are*. The more people are clamoring for net access, the more enterprises like CafeNet, BBS networks, networks, SF NET, public Communications Centres, etc, are likely to take off. Think of it this way: we're trying to reach everyone on Earth by December 2000 *at the latest* - and trying to get contributions from them - meaning primarily intellectual contributions, although financial ones won't go astray. Remember, these Scriptures are meant to be interactive - so while it's fine to copy them and evangelize, it's just as important to *add something yourself* - your Stray Thoughts - you could even write a searing critique of the nature and intentions of V/R! Your informed criticism could be the one thing that stops the juggernaut, or at least gives it a sense of direction. We anticipate that techno culture will crossbreed with net culture, so: get people to display gifs of V/R, Kibo, "Bob", etc at rave light-shows... write some rap lyrics about us and put them in the public domain somehow... Etc. !!!IMPORTANT!!! - *try to avoid reliance on what already exists*. If V/R makes sense to you then you may get some enjoyment out of mentioning it to others, propagandizing, making "in-jokes", etc, but this should soon turn stale. We are trying to inform you and get you moving if you're not already doing so; the best thing you can do is create, criticize... don't just consume! It would be great to discover people taking V/R or V/R-inspired concepts in directions we couldn't even imagine. By the time you read this version it may have grown to an intimidatingly huge size. Don't worry that anything you write will be lost, or that you cannot hope to equal the standard already set. We have faith in you! Qix HOW TO READ THE SCRIPTURES OF V/R Better understanding may perhaps be reached with the help of MUD or LSD. i) If you're running a MUD try installing a miniature version of the Scriptures somewhere that people will read it. The concept of `virtuality' will make sense much more quickly if encountered that way. A good starting point is /abul/sthought.doc. ii) Reading the Scriptures in the course of a trip may help clarify those `hard-to-understand' parts. Qix II BECOMING A REGISTERED READER You too can become a registered reader of the Travelling Scriptures of the Church of V/R! Just send us something between $5 and $500 Australian and we'll send you a little card saying `I am a registered reader', or something like that. We might even send you something extra... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X-NEWS: wattle bit.listserv.christia: 9846 Relay-Version: VMS News - V6.0 1/9/90 VAX/VMS V5.5; site qut.edu.au Path: qut.edu.au!news.qut.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!uunet! olivea!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!swrinde!gatech!paladin.american.edu!auvm !SAUPM00.BITNET!FACN34B Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia Subject: scripture/tradition Message-ID: <920912.145918.SAT.FACN34B@SAUPM00.BITNET> From: FACN34B@SAUPM00.BITNET (zane of dhahran) Date: 12 Sep 92 14:00:14 GMT Sender: CHRISTIA@ASUACAD Organization: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, S.A. Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU X-Acknowledge-To: Lines: 19 For a little more discussion, here is an interesting quote from _The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church_, by Rev. Michael Azkoul, Ph.D. published by Dormition Skete in 1986: "The New Testament is not the only "scriptures." The nineteenth century Russian Orthodox philosopher, Alexi Khomiadov (1804 - 1860), was right when he wrote that there "are no limits to our Scripture and every writing which the Church acknowledges as Her own is Holy Scripture. Such pre-eminently are the Creeds of the General Councils...wherefore the writing of Holy Scriptures has con- tinued to our day, and if God pleases, yet more will be written." p.12 ibid. So maybe we need to define what we mean by Scriptures? Most of all, I hope that the living letters continue to be written...that is, I hope we are all striving through the Power that dwells in us to live holy lives. This is the only Book that some will read. It is the sign instituted by the Lord so that the world may come to a knowledge of Him. Peace in Christ, the Living Word, zane. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ this index comes from an earlier edition that was circulated on a single floppy. the contents of directories bookworm, black and hack have been removed from this edition, and more recent material can be found in scripture.005 and scripture.006. -Qix INDEX TO SCRIPTURES - Edition "Jack" - Version 1.4 README - contains messages from Pippin, Qix, and zane of dhahran (sorry zane!) script.arj - Compressed version of an early draft. scriptar.Z - Scriptures available via ftp as "script.tar.Z" as of 19-09-92. \PIP = by Pippin \pip\rave\reality.doc The Grand High Aromaress's original discourse. \purple.doc Stray Thoughts in the course of a month. \house.doc The house of silence within you. \diary.doc The nature of diaries. \puppy.doc The puppy self. \poetry.doc The nature of poetry. \quest.doc Rave about Words. \sleep.doc Rave about sleep. \depress.txt Rave about depression. \blue.rav Rave about the blues. \truth.rav The nature of truth. \cspace.rav Rave about cyberspace. \rave.bat Makes a single file containing \pip\rave. \pip\poems\alone.poe Poem on solitude. \dark.poe Poem on the dark. \grey.poe Quote on greyness. \madness.poe Poem on madness. \diode.poe Dreamweaver. \life.poe Poem. \mud.poe Poem on MUD. \cliff.poe Meditation on solitude. \rok.poe Proem on a rock. \sun.poe Quote on Queensland. \pig.poe Ode to the pig. \rain.rav Rave on rain. \pip\mint\reveg.doc Outback revegetation project. \utopia.doc The true story of Pippin's computer addiction. \mint.bat Makes single file containing .doc's. \cafe1 Historical document, CafeNet. \cafe2 Historical document, CafeNet. \pip\cloud\bits.not Ideaettes. \conshus.not Consciousness. \longevit.not Longevity ideaette. \chat.not Stream-of-conversation. \babel.not Idea for a story. \gaia.not Stream-of-conversation. \amnesia.ide Idea for a story. \roaches.ide Idea for a story. \false.txt Creating the devil. \cloud.bat Makes single file containing \pip\cloud. \QIX = by Qix \qix\vslashr.txt What *is* this all about? \ksundeen.txt The War on Drugs and the end of history. \gaia2000.txt What is GAIA 2000? \alphomeg.txt On "Alpha and Omega". \qanda.txt Question concerning "Alpha and Omega". \t15.txt "Bob", V/R, CNN, Internet, and the Apocalypse. \prophecy.txt Prophecy concerning the future of V/R. \essay86.txt "We Created the World". \bent.rav Transcript of taped 1990 conversation. \t6.txt Account of a trip (from alt.drugs). \ABUL = by Abulafia \abul\sthought.doc The Profit of Cynicism's original discourse. \mulber.doc The Great Mulberry Depression. \musical.rav What is religion for? What is *this* one for? \ABRA = by Abraxas \abra\me.poe Poem. \cosmic.doc Story of Qix and Velax. \stories\gordon.sty Story: "Biochip Dreaming". [Pippin] \angie.sty Story: "The Dreamcrackers". [Pippin] \redgum.sty Story: "The Sentience of Redgum". [Pippin] \pandanus.sty Story: "Pandanus Dreaming". [Pippin] \bill.sty Story: Bill in the afterlife. [Pippin] \dave.sty Story: "Dave's Reality Model". [Pippin] \daniel.sty Story: "Daniel and the Library". [Pippin] \sty.bat Makes a single file of all but 1999.sty. \1999.sty Story: "1999". [Qix] \VOL2 - will appear in second volume of printed Scriptures. \vol2\qix\aya Communications concerning the "vision vine". \4aug91.txt Worldview as at 4 August 1991. \91ttd.txt Agenda for 1991. \aboutvr On various aspects of V/R and GAIA 2000. \biblio Qix's Recommended Reading List. \semper Qix travels the world (article from Semper). \qixatuq.not Qix at UQ (notes). \cvrmisc Miscellanea concerning V/R and GAIA 2000. \qix92.not Qix in '92 (notes). \BOOKWORM - These files have to do with a bookworm picture that appeared in the very first bound hard copy of the Scriptures. \bookworm\bookworm.cdr \bookworm.prn \bookworm.wpg \BLACK = by Bob Black \black\work.not Bob Black's essay, "The Abolition of Work". \HACK = by Anon \hack\0014.fil Toll-free numbers, etc. \pizza.cob The obligatory COBOL assignment. (see \qix\vslashr.txt) \badeggs Mysterious file uploaded to CVR BBS one day. <<<<<<<<<<<<"/copyrite" files missing from this disk!>>>>>>>>>>>> Copy of q.exe editor thrown in at no extra cost. Version 1.1 - 9 Sept 1992 Version 1.2 - 0014.fil, pizza.cob, pyth, birthr added - 13 Sept 1992 Version 1.3 - r.bat, \copyrite removed; readme1, badeggs added - 16 Sept 1992 false.txt, rain.rav added - 16 Sept 1992 \cafenet created - 17 Sept 1992 Version 1.4 - \bookworm added - cafe1, cafe2 moved - \vol2\qix moved - scriptar.Z introduced - corrected versions of \pip, \qix files introduced - 19 Sept 1992