It is a rather interesting place, though. Maybe someone could set up a
CytoMOO or CytoMUD (not to be confused with a CytoMutt). :)
Don't ask me what MOO stands for, but MUD is Multi-User Dimension. Basically,
it is a computer that runs a program that allows several people to connect
using telnet to interact with either the program or each other. The
interaction takes the form of typed-in commands: look at sign, say hello!,
e ( = go east), open door, tell ron what?, ... The program is designed to
be a collection of "rooms" that you can navigate through (typically with
compass directions, like "e"). Each room has a description that usually
includes includes available "exits" (directions to adjacent rooms). A room
may contain objects, such as signs or bulletin boards, that you can interact
with ("read sign", "examine board"). To interact with other people, there
are various communication commands. "Say hello!" would send "Eric says hello!"
to everyone who is in the same room. "Tell ron what?" would send "Eric tells
you what?" to Ron only, regardless of "where" he is. There are quite a bit
more commands, but these are the most basic, and should give you a feel for
what is possible.
On BioMOO, (supposedly) there are several conference rooms in which you
may hold interactive meetings. (I first found out about BioMOO from the
bionet.immunology newsgroup. Some people were discussing how it was being
used to hold journal clubs. I haven't actually attended any of these
meetings yet, though.) The bulletin boards hold announcements and job
listings (and maybe other information).
(1) Is there any interest in starting a CytoMUD? (2) Does anyone have a
Unix machine capable of supporting a MUD?
(I haven't heard of any MUDs that run under VMS, so I cannot support a MUD.)
/\/\/\_ Eric Van Buren, vanburen%flovax.dnet@rocdec.roc.wayne.edu
\ \ \ Immunology & Microbiology, vanburen@oncgate.roc.wayne.edu
\_^_/ Wayne State University, 313 577 1009 voice, 313 577 1155 fax
CD-ROM Vol 3 was produced by Monica M. Shively and other staff at the
Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories and distributed free of charge
as an educational service to the cytometry community.
If you have any comments please direct them to
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Phone: (765)-494-0757;
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