[Meta] RE: [MUD-Dev] Re: MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #163 - 25 msgs

[Matthew Mihaly]

On Sun, 16 Jul 2000, J C Lawrence wrote:

<snipped discussion by Raph of why so many people deceive themselves and
the pollsters about being builders/explorers>
 
> While that may account for some, I suspect there's also a larger
> factor: romance.  Explorer/builders have a certain cachet with the
> primary population of MUDs and it becomes a question of unexamined
> self-image.  Conan the empire builder.  Conan the Discoverer of new
> wonders.  Conan the guy who has been where none have gone before.
> Damned few people's self-image is as a pot-bellied balding dough
> faced corporate grunt, even if that's an accurate description of
> them.  They might not say they look like Arnold Schwartzeneeger, but
> its going to be something in that direction from the previous
> description.  Ditto they tend to be explorer/builders.

I agree completely. Ask how many people 1) If they care deeply about human
suffering, 2) What they are actually doing to alleviate it, and 3) Do they
generally consider themselves to be rank hypocrites?

We all deeply deceive ourselves. The tools aren't the problem. All the
tools that need exist already exist for writing fiction, for instance, yet
I know a lot of people who call themselves writers that never really get
around to writing.

 
> > What will make it a success? When the tools are so easy that they
> > make anyone look good. Then we'll see the population come into its
> > own.
> 
> Excuse me if I find that unsubtley depressing.  I'm not interested
> in making it difficult, but I am interested in the difference
> between mastery and idle dabblings.  I appreciate demonstrated
> skill.  

Quite. Unless you can stick AI in to actually do all of the work, the
average level of quality will be crud, no matter how good the tools are.
You could give me the most expensive, best artists paintbrush in the
world, the widest variety best quality paints, the finest canvas that
exists, and I'd still paint you a bunch of ugly crap, because I suck at
painting. 

--matt




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