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My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in the Virtual World
 
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My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in the Virtual World (Paperback)

by Julian Dibbell (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 324 pages
  • Publisher: Henry Holt & Company (Jan 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0805036261
  • ISBN-13: 978-0805036268
  • Product Dimensions: 23.3 x 15.6 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,168,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
In the early 90s, writer Julian Dibbell dwelt in LambdaMOO, at a time when a virtual rape took place--forcing the stirring of what he calls a tinysociety.

A MOO, or MUD object-oriented (MUD for multi-user dungeon), is an online role-playing game where players share virtual space, build rooms and interact socially. Dibbell watched, listened and participated while the community--for such the conglomeration of players had become--debated what action to take against the "rapist": whether to "toad" him (shut down his account) or simply subject him to some form of virtual shunning.

Dibbell, who also writes for Village Voice and Time magazine, chronicles his time in LambdaMOO in My Tiny Life, alternating between various RL (real life) locales and his life in VR (virtual reality). But the book offers more than just a timeline of virtual conversations and some racy cybersex encounters. Dibbell examines not only the evolution of politics on the MOO-- "Labmdamocracy", as he puts it--but also how the MOO fitted into the context of concomitant technological developments.

The book's biggest drawback is that it reads like a series of magazine articles strung together, and the RL sections attempt give you the feeling you're in a real-life MOO by repeating phrases like, "The Author is here". It seems unduly pretentious: since the author is narrating the story, do we really need to be told this? Nevertheless, the book is beautifully crafted and well worth reading.--Liz Bailey --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

i-D
A gnostic parable of a fall from Nirvana' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly a cracking read, 12 May 2009
By John C. Pollard "johnnypoll" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World (Paperback)
This book is superbly written. I can't remember what drew me to getting hold of and reading this book but I am glad I did. It may have been a vague interest in the concept of virtual worlds that is sure to become more and more important to with the advance of technology. I concede that not everyone would get into this, but it worked for me.

Virtual worlds must be of great interest to sociologists and psychologists. It is astonishing how the virtual world takes on many of the attributes of a real world, including politics.

I even created my own account in this virtual world and was amazed to find it there, just as the author had described it. I didn't stay long, but I did get chatting to someone who had known the author (by his virtual name) and didn't think much of the book; I suspect he hadn't read it or didn't appreciate good literature.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars An infuriating book I had to finish., 23 Nov 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World (Paperback)
The temptation to yell "GET A LIFE" throughout this book is almost overwhelming, yet I had to finish it. It was weirdly compelling. I kept expecting it to turn out to be a novel rather than a true account, and even now I can hardly believe that anybody would choose to spend large parts of their lives in the 'virtual' world described in the book. Ultimately Dibbell did not convince me to come to a conclusion other than that people who spend a minimum of 30 hours, and sometimes up to 60 hours a week, logged on to their computers playing this game are seriously wacky. Still, it is at least thought-provoking.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly intoxicating, 5 April 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World (Hardcover)
This is the story of the author's travels in a text-based landscape. What I didn't expect was how intoxicating a vision it would be - you can make your home in the roof-space of an opera house entirely contained in the jewelled eye of the trout on the cover of 'Little, Big', and the body you wear can be seven-foot and freckled, or small, plump and with tawny fur - or either on alternate days. I followed the events with interest, and ended the book much more tempted by LambdaMoo than when I began, and also more wary - and respectful. I have friends who have online relationships which I never quite understood - I guess now I'm closer.
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