Comments: 5 Comments (Go to Comments)
Categories: Commentary, Interview
Tags: holodeck, internet, library, politics, sex, star trek, violence
My exploration of The Holodeck Problem continues.
My premise, for those now joining us, is that the violence and sexuality present in gaming becomes more problematic as the separation between the gamer and their avatar decreases. As a librarian, however, I appreciate the need for intellectual freedom and I think librarians have an interesting perspective on this issue since many libraries are using gaming to reach out to patrons and also balancing patrons’ Internet access with government filtering requirements and community standards.
With this in mind, I presented some librarians I admire with a hypothetical situation. And I heard back from a fraction of them. Well, here’s what I have and I’d love to expand this with more responses.
Your library has been given a Holodeck by the Bill and Melinda Gates/Daystrom Institute Foundation. Would you limit (filter) what your patrons could do in it? Are there any policies or guidelines you would have in place before it went live?
Jessamyn West, librarian.net
I hate to admit it, but I’m only very vaguely aware of what a holodeck does, but I’d refuse most gifts from the Gates Foundation on general principle because I’d assume it ran crappy software and came with no support structures and had a less than three year lifespan.
And to your question of what I *think* a holodeck does, it seems like it’s the internet filter issue in 3D and that is still a huge mess, in my opinion. Large advocacy organizations like ALA can’t take a position on filtering because many libraries have to filter because of CIPA and you can’t kick them out of ALA. And, lots of people like filtering, sadly. My platonic question for librarians is “if you could have a filter on your library computers that worked *perfectly* if it only filtered hardcore pornography and left all the breast cancer/gay teen things alone, would you use it?”
The internet is like a giant library without space or financial restrictions and yet we treat it like it’s somehow able to be managed by us. At some level your question comes down to “do you want people to use the holodeck at the library, or out on the street where anything cold happen…”
David Lee King, davidleeking.com
Interesting question! Most public libraries have policies already in place for what types of material are/are not acceptable - ie., material considered by the local, state, or federal government to be obscene or harmful to minors is usually not part of a library’s collection. Same thing for web sites - patrons viewing this type of material are asked to leave in some libraries, while others filter this type of material.
I’d assume that that same standard would be adhered to in your holodeck scenario.
The Effing Librarian, effinglibrarian.blogspot.com
First of all, I’m a very important person and I hope you appreciate my valuable time…
This is such a timely appropriate question with Groundhog Day having just passed. In Groundhog Day, the movie, Bill Murray lives in a real holodeck since none of his actions could cause permanent damage to the real world. In the film, Murray plays a man who lives out the same day over and over and over again: he can kill people or save them. He can bed women or men or ponies. He can eat or drink anything and never regret it the next day. Because every day is the same day all over again. At times, he acts like an ass, but ultimately, he arrives at a point where he is a good man with lovable qualities.
So the holodeck offers us a similar experience. The main difference is that Murray was involuntarily trapped in his world; he had to stay until he learned to be a good person. The holodeck is not a punishment, but an entertainment, valued for being able to create an alternate realistic tangible reality, regardless of the potential violence or perversion it might unleash. The potential for transforming people from moderately repugnant to full-blown aholes is not only real, but given Murray’s timeline, fully expected.
Since libraries have already lost the battle against filtering the Internet (basically anyone can request that the filter be lifted), if a holodeck device was sold as an Internet-ready device, libraries would have little control over what patrons might do in one, other than to hose down the walls with bleach between users.
People are not generally ethical or moral or patient or chartable or respectful: these are qualities learned over time. And libraries have often partnered with schools to assume this educational responsibility. So I could see a place in a library for a holodeck with limited programming. A place where students could kick George Washington in the crotch, but be blocked from assassinating him. A place where the sexiest woman is Eleanor Roosevelt, and where Abraham Lincoln shoots back.
I could see how existing library policies might satisfy for a holodeck: no open containers, clean up after yourself, no smoking, and no flash photography. And please limit your ass-kicking of Adolf Hitler to twenty minutes. And your beatings to George W. Bush, to ten; after all, there’s a line.
On February 5th, 2008 at 10:57 am, Chuck wrote:
This is easily the damn stupidest thing I’ve read about this year. And I love Star Trek.
Why don’t people just write about what Battlestar Galactica character they’d have liked to have taken to the senior prom? Then about what they’d wear. Then what their date would have worn. Then what planet they’d get the corsage flowers from and would class M planet flowers be prettier or more pedestrian.
Hey, could Superman beat up Mighty Mouse? I mean, Superman is, like, a real person!
Would Spock and Superman and Hiro work at my library? Gosh, would Spock be a cataloger or would he …
BANG!
On February 5th, 2008 at 12:38 pm, Susan wrote:
I agree with David. Proper conduct in the library has already been established for hoomans. Holodecks are not made to be viewed by anyone else not in the same holodeck so technically whatever happens happens with only the computer the wiser.
I’m thinking it would be cooler to walk through the Stargate into a strange world. And, btw, Battlestar G. gets way more credit than any show deserves. Talk about violence, war, hatred and bigotry all wrapped up into one boring storyline. [uh, you have a holodeck for me to hide in?]
On February 5th, 2008 at 12:42 pm, KAAAHHHHNNNNN wrote:
Depending on which series you consider to be more “Real”tm holodeck programing is either very easy, (See TNG where vast densely woven period pieces are created with vague requests like “Computer, give us a mystery that will take Commander Data 45 minutes to solve. Oh, and teach him about humor and all of us about life.”) or very hard (See DS9 where you must give Quark some gold pressed latinum to get him to subcontract an order for a holoprogram of a lobotomized Nana Visitor in an empty room which will still take months to produce.) If holodeck programming is very easy there is basically no point in trying to regulate it. Just keep a hose, a disposable mop, and incinerator, and some industrial disinfectant on hand for between session clean-up. (Much like the libraries of today.) If holodeck programming is very difficult then initially it will probably be easy to enforce what it is and isn’t used for, and existing collection development policies can be used to justify future acquisition decisions. Though the odd yoga holoprogram may still be abused.
On February 5th, 2008 at 1:34 pm, John Miedema wrote:
Just close the door and let them do whatever they want! Since no one will see them, what does it matter? (Unless Worf or Tuvok has to watch as part of security, but I they don’t seem like the fussy types).
On a different track, imagine how many books you could fit in a holodeck. The technology, according to ST, can simulate a space much larger than it is by clever misdirection and other techniques. You would you get the impression that of an enormous library, and be able to pick out any book, while only using a limited space. Cool!
On February 6th, 2008 at 9:21 pm, anon wrote:
looks like you may get justification for your “stupidest thing”–
Holodeck 0.1: the durable, rewritable holographic display,
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080206-holodeck-0-1-the-durable-rewritable-holographic-display.html