[MUD-Dev] Re: META: FAQ: Location, etc

[Nathan Yospe]

On Wed, 17 Dec 1997 s001gmu at nova.wright.edu wrote:

:On Sat, 13 Dec 1997, Sauron wrote:
:> Matt Chatterley wrote:
:> > On Fri, 12 Dec 1997 s001gmu at nova.wright.edu wrote:
:> > > Name: Greg Underwood
:> > > Occupation: Foole  :P  Student, primariy, Simulation design Co-Op to pay

OK, just to get into the spirit of things...

Name: Nathan F. Yospe
Occupation: part time student, contract programmer, writer, cartoonist. 
(yes, really, all of these.) As a student, my area is physics, specializing
in elements of solid state and materials science, and biochem, specializing
in molecular genetics and crossover areas with biomedical science. My goals
are not particularly relevant to this list, aside from the fact that I have
written sucess at them into the ancient history of my mud universe, by some
anonymous other, fifty years after I'll likely be dust. The goals: complete
supplemental immune system simulated by organic nanotechnology.
Mud Stuff: Physmud++ - a unique codebase/mud (not designed to be extendable
in the manner of LPC, ColdC, or whatever internals Tiny-* muds use, but for
construction of physical worlds in a lego-like manner using whatever laws I
have currently configured for the universe) that functions as a client with
a single server, similar to the current telnet/mud model, except that every
text transaction and most decision-tree transactions are handled clientside
and passed to teh server as tokened sequences. Physmud++ has evolved in the
time I have been on this list, from a Diku-like C++ mud (how long ago was I
doing that?) to what it is today, completely unique. GURU - with a goal for
completion of December, 2002, and a starting date two and a half years ago,
this is perhaps the most ambitious project I have ever attempted. There was
a team at one point, but I'm all that's left of it. GURU is a graphical, VR
oriented, mass scale distributed fantasy world. It was designed from the go
for scaleability, and most of the innovations in Physmud++ are really those
of the GURU, simplified and tested in an environment that I can, piece at a
time, actually accomplish.

:> > I think I can claim the accolate of youngest, since I am only 18 (I feel
:> > older, if that counts!)
 
:> I rarely divulge my real age over the i-net because I have found as much
:> as people say that they acknowledge all ideas based on their own merit
:> instead of the "experience" (which I have sadly found is almost always
:> considered proportionate to age not actual experience) I have not been
:> take seriously in some circles. I think I can claim the title of
:> youngest being of age 15 (16 in April). 

:I would have guessed a bit higher, but I shall do my best to forget the 
:actual age.  I do my best to disembowel any of those nasty prejudices 
:that pop up from time to time, but I find it best to just short-circuit 
:the whole mess by ignoring key info that triggers the prejudice. :)

One of the most impressive people I know, a kid I've been working with for
several years, was 14 when I met him on a cheesy Diku. At the time, it was
obvious how old he was. A year later, as an imm, he transformed. I'm still
impressed to this day. Age is releant, but it certainly isn't absolute.

:> My personal interest in mu*'s started with the "ow, wow, I want one of
:> those" comments. As I actually began to take my own MUD's creation
:> seriously I started to collaborate on other projects and really get into
:> C and some of perl (the perl came from an in-the-browser MUD named
:> ROCK). Currently I am taking a set of structured courses on C (though I
:> tend to have more fun doing the "learn by hacking" method). 

:aye, hacking is more fun, but 'structured' courses have a lot to offer as 
:well.  If I recall, there are a couple other ppl on the list who are self 
:taught... or there were at one point.  I'd say about 1/2 of my training 
:is from classes, the other half from tinkering.  It probably also helps 
:that I am a programmer's son... computers have been in my blood for as 
:long as I recall. :)

Hey, I'm self taught, but I'm no hacker. I've purchased and read most of the
textbooks the ICS students here use, though I've never taken a course in any
sort of computer science. I am fluent and book pure in several languages, in
several OS's, and with several APIs, but all of it was gained hands on or by
massive amounts of time reading and thinking. Having math/physics background
doesn't hurt though. Nor does the fact that the hands on was, from the go, a
real work setting thing.

--

"You? We can't take you," said the Dean, glaring at the Librarian.
"You don't know a thing about guerilla warfare." - Reaper Man,
Nathan F. Yospe  Registered Looney                   by Terry Pratchett
yospe at hawaii.edu   http://www2.hawaii.edu/~yospe           Meow