Spinifex Press - CyberFeminism

A Hypertext Fable and Some Explanation	`Suniti Namjoshi`
`Explanation`	`Fable`
<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Other Locations</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <P><P> <A NAME="11"> <CENTER><H1><A HREF="#1">Other Locations</A></CENTER></H1></A> <DD>As blood from the sunsets seemed to stain the world repeatedly, and as the world itself wobbled increasingly on an unstable axis, there was a whispering among the people, especially the women, that escape was possible. Some women scoffed, "We're not likely to be chosen to <A HREF="#2">man</A> the spaceships. And as for going as paying passengers, we can't afford it!" But these women were told that access to cyberspace was both cheap and easy, well, relatively cheap, relatively easy, cheaper and easier than going to the moon, and in the end likelier than the moon to provide heart's ease. Some women tried it. "Zip! Zap! Bing! Bang! Ha ha! Hoo hoo!" Tarzan and the apes having a party and no place for Jane... <DD>They were told to try again. There were other locations, playgrounds, not battlegrounds ... "Why should we?" they protested, "We thought cyberspace was a place that was well governed, lawful and orderly...." Other women, who had been out there (and lived to tell the tale) explained patiently. "Unlike India and Australia, and other places which were once seen as colonies, a location in cyberspace, doesn't actually exist until it's perceived. And anyhow just sticking a flag somewhere and saying it's colonised, doesn't mean anything." <DD>"Well then," asked the women reasonably, "what does mean something? Why go out there? Why not stay at home peacefully?" <DD>"Because," was the answer, "there's a job to be done. And if it's to be well done, you'll have to do it." <DD>"Do what?" <DD>"<A HREF="#3">Create a pleasant garden</A>," said some. <DD>"Write poetry," said others. <DD>"Exchange recipes," said still others. <DD>"Why?" asked the women. "What has any of this to do with cyberspace?" <DD>"It's the shared space inside people's heads," the voyagers replied. "It has always been there. Bits of it grow, other bits die. If as a species we're to survive, you'll have to work on it." <DD>The women sighed. A formidable task. But it was, after all, what they had always done: spinning, weaving, managing the <A HREF="#2">web</A> - they would deal with it. <BR><BR> <CENTER><I>copyright <A HREF="#4">Suniti Namjoshi</A></CENTER></I> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <A NAME="1"><DD>This particular URL is to another place on the same page - very like a footnote. A word or group of words that has a link attached to it is highlighted. Here I'm using bold print. This next link however would take you to the <A HREF = "http://www.spinifexpress.com.au">Spinifex Home Page</A>. In order to get back you would have to choose "Back" on your browser. </A> <BR><CENTER><A HREF="#11">Return to the top of the page.</A></CENTER> <BR><BR> <A NAME="2">Intentional pun, of course. Just trying to illustrate linking.</A> <BR><CENTER><A HREF="#11">Return to the top of the page.</A> </CENTER> <BR><BR> <A NAME="3"><DD>I was trying to find a suitable link to explain formatting tags, and decided to use gardening imagery. You have to use these peculiar brackets for html tags. After that it's just a matter of typing in a formatting tag, like "I" for italics, to turn it on and a cancellation, "/I", to turn it off. Some tags, like "P" for line space or "BR" for line break, don't need turning off. If you want to see how a particular page has been formatted, ask to view the "source" through your browser. This will reveal the marked up text. </A><BR> <CENTER><A HREF="#11">Return to the top of the page.</A> </CENTER> <BR> <BR> <A NAME="4"><DD>Good Luck with all this.<BR> <DD>Visit <A HREF = "http://www.ex.ac.uk/~smnamjos/ welcome.html">my Home Page</A> or <A HREF = "http://www.spinifexpress.com.au/ babelbuildingsite.htm">The Babel Building Site</A>.<BR> <DD>If you type this page into your computer, starting with "html" and finishing with "/html", and then open it with the "Open file" command through your browser, what you see should look like a Web page. </A>.<BR> <CENTER><A HREF="#11">Return to the top of the page.</A> </CENTER> <BODY> </HTML>	Other Locations As blood from the sunsets seemed to stain the world repeatedly, and as the world itself wobbled increasingly on an unstable axis, there was a whispering among the people, especially the women, that escape was possible. Some women scoffed, "We're not likely to be chosen to man the spaceships. And as for going as paying passengers, we can't afford it!" But these women were told that access to cyberspace was both cheap and easy, well, relatively cheap, relatively easy, cheaper and easier than going to the moon, and in the end likelier than the moon to provide heart's ease. Some women tried it. "Zip! Zap! Bing! Bang! Ha ha! Hoo hoo!" Tarzan and the apes having a party and no place for Jane... They were told to try again. There were other locations, playgrounds, not battlegrounds ... "Why should we?" they protested, "We thought cyberspace was a place that was well governed, lawful and orderly...." Other women, who had been out there (and lived to tell the tale) explained patiently. "Unlike India and Australia, and other places which were once seen as colonies, a location in cyberspace, doesn't actually exist until it's perceived. And anyhow just sticking a flag somewhere and saying it's colonised, doesn't mean anything." "Well then," asked the women reasonably, "what does mean something? Why go out there? Why not stay at home peacefully?" "Because," was the answer, "there's a job to be done. And if it's to be well done, you'll have to do it." "Do what?" "Create a pleasant garden," said some. "Write poetry," said others. "Exchange recipes," said still others. "Why?" asked the women. "What has any of this to do with cyberspace?" "It's the shared space inside people's heads," the voyagers replied. "It has always been there. Bits of it grow, other bits die. If as a species we're to survive, you'll have to work on it." The women sighed. A formidable task. But it was, after all, what they had always done: spinning, weaving, managing the web - they would deal with it. copyright Suniti Namjoshi This particular URL is to another place on the same page - very like a footnote. A word or group of words that has a link attached to it is highlighted. Here I'm using bold print. This next link however would take you to the Spinifex Home Page. In order to get back you would have to choose "Back" on your browser. Return to the top of the page. Intentional pun, of course. Just trying to illustrate linking. Return to the top of the page. I was trying to find a suitable link to explain formatting tags, and decided to use gardening imagery. You have to use these peculiar brackets for html tags. After that it's just a matter of typing in a formatting tag, like "I" for italics, to turn it on and a cancellation, "/I", to turn it off. Some tags, like "P"for line space or "BR" for line break, don't need turning off. If you want to see how a particular page has been formatted, ask to view the "source" through your browser. This will reveal the marked up text. Return to the top of the page. Good Luck with all this. Visit my Home Page or the Babel Building Site. If you type this page into your computer, starting with "html" and finishing with "/html", and then open it with the "Open file" command through your browser, what you see should look like a Web page.. Return to the top of the page.

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