going to other worlds on other computers (what I mean beyond P2P)

When Howard Sterns asked me what I meant by P2P, he also generously gave examples to show me I didn't really know what I meant when I claimed the article as allowing this P2P. I realized that I was covering what I really wanted in my initial response to it which I let incubate in my outbox.

I'd like to believe he was "inviting me out to play in the dark". I have thought and journaled to myself on this hoped for invitation. What does it really mean to be invited to play rather than "picked for the team" which I never was as a child. Picked for the team has, in it, the metaphor of ranking in one dimensional thinking where there is a trichotomy. This has absolutely nothing to do with a team becoming self-aware, self-referential and concious in the sense of Hofstadter in the GEB:Eternal Golden Braid book. How does a list become self aware?

I really want to set up an iChat and postcard as xml through iChat and ask the whole list will anyone play with me in the dark at collaboration until things start to make sense. I want someone to join with me in process before things make sense, not merely report to a boss I work for but to actually work with people. Chain of command does not entail intelligence, information must flow, not only up and down, but there was some talk of lateralism (and other dimensions).

What I see croquet as is a multidimensional metaphor for synchronized yet distributed "control" of participating beings.

Sometimes some sort of abandonment issue gets muddled up with defining my own terms (outside of a community giving imprimatur as politically correct definition) preventing the victory of owning one's own (or one's pair on a page) lonely victories.

In order to collaborate rather than be merely 1 dimensional as, the crazy bomb rider in Dr. Strangelove, one must be emotional literate enough to define (politely) what one wants. I don't know whether "fears of stealing one's vital essense" prevents list self-awareness and play. These are fearful times.

;-)

I've read all the e mails posted since I joined this list. I was very interested in posts concerning "Where is the "Tools" menu, to connect to other worlds?" and will look at Stern's writing linked into this. I have two computers, one with menu in restricted worlds going to any on another computer without many, so I've already solved menu problem by having rabbit make several hops.

All this croquet stuff bears on Wm.James Stanford speech 1900 on Space as the Moral equivalent of war, a metaphor perhaps of self awareness of a group as opposed to ranking in a group, a metaphor of neocortex in Sagan's "Dragons of Eden". The mirrors of Croquet look like stargates to me which warps in Star Trek led to discovering the possibility of peace in the play thing. Stargate, however, is dangerous and run secret by NSA and explores issues with space as the moral equivalent of war. The original had an enemy and Atlantis has its wraith as adversarial.

Howard Sterns kindly responded with quite a bit of writing. OK in internet there is always a router somewhere, so peer to peer, though a term used by merchandizers as if it had meaning, needs resolution into finer "wants". What do I want? What would be meaningful to me? That is the question!

I stumbled about below, but rewrote and answered my question above.

I want my rabbit to jump from my computer onto a trusting friend's computer as a beginning of non blaming collaboration and playing in the dark together.

iChat is sold as P2P but the salesmen don't actually define what that is. Whatever I call it rather than P2P has meaning to me in the old adversarial politics of central computers versus personal ones, better laptops. I want to be a peer of the realm and not someone paying lip service to somebody who controls a central computer who wants me to cost justify what I am (my life) to his sense of value for time on his machine.

My library in Richardson, Texas, allows ichat and I can chat with theorist interactive. There's an open source chat mechanism called Adium where Diane advises on multiple screens on algebra problems to distance education, say to Louisiana flood victims or lawyers on trainrides. She collaborates on solving algebra problems. I don't begin to know how to do that. I'd ask a student to go out in the dark alone.

There is something that looks very much like iChat on iPhone keynote presentation, but I couldn't confirm whether it would be there, much less a squeak virtual machine.

Wifi is getting broadcast free in Richardson, Texas in 9 months, microwave towers and retransmitters on the top of lights  :

http://www.freepress.net/news/print/18168

I hope the strongarm processor on the iPhone will ensure an oop smalltalk variant such as newtonscript. Widgets are dismissed with little x's at 10:30 just like all smalltalk objects in squeak are dismissed. Widget programming is coming with Leopard but not promised developers for iPhone. Steve Jobs just tested interest with a widget sdk pre Leopard retro release and security research.

Widget programming don't have a steep learning curve to frighten off kids not wanting too much "dark" before the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm  going to be grateful for Stearns link to help my rabbits jump on other computers around the world. I want to play in the dark.

As for me, long dark tunnels are the only way to other worlds .

;-)