The New Jerusalem/El-HEJERA Project .
Appendix J:
Designing El-HEJERA
in tested Environments: MUD and iPEX.
In searching
proven technologies to build and maintain a multi-user interface for pilgrimage
to the Heavenly/New Jerusalem, we found that the MUD technology, used in over
1,000 active multi-user Role-Playing /Adventure Games on the Internet, is
proven and inexpensive. (MUD denotes the “Multi User Domains” or “Multi
User Dialogues” technology)
Not only can we produce fairly
readily with it the following two foci, but also the entire map of the Old City
as special domain for meaningful (multi-level) interaction between humans,
reaching to the divine domains. The map can be comprehensive, even if many
places will at the first stage be empty or under construction. It is very
likely that players in the game would proceed themselves to design and add
modules of these loci as their acknowledged contribution to the evolving game.
Such modules might exist or desired places of study and worship available
at/for various denominations within the Old City of Jerusalem.
Characteristically, a most common hero figure in such
MUD games is that of The Knight. With the endemic association of the
Knight Templars (“The Poor Knights of the Temple Of Solomon”) and Jerusalem, a
scheme of “New Jerusalem/Templar Knights” is a natural choice. The
characteristic labyrinth of the knight’s journey translates her well to the
real maze of the alleys of the Old City.
There can be introductory maps
– (a) “The Pilgrim’s Map to the Heavenly Jerusalem Temple”, using our “Orientation”
picture of “The Quest for the Heavenly Jerusalem”; (b) a map of the Old
City, a veritable labyrinth, with many points linked to scanned photographs of the
places – with a button to highlight the places where the HEJERA already
operates (or might well do – leave your request that you’d rather enter through
this place if it were available); (c) Clicking on the Academy of Jerusalem
locus, you’d find yourself at the Reception Gate at the Academy of Jerusalem
Chambers in the Old City; (d) clicking at the Dome of the Rock marker, you could enter the
virtual model of it under certain different regimes. (Apart from current and
envisioned settings, an apt setting is a reconstruction of the Knight
Templars’ rituals. It could also be depicted as reconstructed Temple of Hera,
the Goddess of Wisdom, at Hadrian’s temple).
At the Reception, you will fill a questionnaire about
your goals and preferences. These will be processed to assign you an
individualized A-to-M (13 stage) course – the “New Jerusalem Pilgrims’
Progress” subset of Course Cards. The first of these stages could be
obtained at the Academy of Jerusalem Chambers, whereas others may include other
sites at the Old City, virtual and actual, and the performance of certain
procedures (such as sacred rites and/or social/divine services) in them. The
finals would take place, at this stage of the project anyway, at the Dome of
the Rock, acting as a Door to Heaven.
The
Journey of All Souls - Creating, forming and reforming Soul-maps and Profiles.
It is customary in MUD RPG
(Role Playing Games) that the entering player creates a personal profile that
characterizes him/her in the game. The profile may remain fixed or change in
the course of the game. In the Pilgrim’s Progress Games, the intrinsic
objective would be to change and improve one’s character-profile, even to
reconstruct it.
Underlying all the particular
profiles, we’ll provide an integrated “Yeru-Shalem All-Souls-Map” (an
elaborate “Cyber-Map of the soul”) modeled on the Dome of the Rock Pattern. We
envision the legend of the map will be based largely on teachings and
constructs of the Hebrew Kabbalah. (A system of “Visual Cyber-Kabbalah”, that
can form such maps, is being developed by hi-Or Ltd and will be available for
the project).
As fitting for the Jerusalem context, the soul maps
themselves contain walls and gates nodes. The souls want to enter these gates.
But they would pass the gate if and when their own pattern matches the design
on the partitions of the gate. They will have to affect and modify specific
nodes in their own profile to enter the relevant gate.
Utilization
of iPIX technology. This is one available
inexpensive technology that allows the insertion of 3600 spherical
photographs or pictures in any marked point in a hypertext. Special cameras
capture the spherical scene, which are converted to 100-500 KB .ipx picture
files. These pictures give a realistic virtual tour of that scene. A simple
free download plug in one’s browser allows viewing these scenes in any desired
order, making a virtual tour between these scenes. (There are still simpler and
faster systems).
We can readily photograph any number
of scenes of the old city – in street junctions, cafes, squares, and
church/mosque/synagogue interiors – and create instant realistic pilgrimage
routes and places of procurements, of meeting, and of devotions. The photos can
be treated, parts of them replaced by fitted important images. This way,
imaginary, even “heavenly”, pictures can be placed amidst the realistic Old
City scenes, to give a sense of some invisible presence beyond the everyday
scene.
Indicative
prices: (by Max Richardson, well seasoned
architectural photographer) 1-3 iPIX images $500.00; 4-10 iPIX images $1500.00; 11-20 iPIX images $2700.00; 120 iPIX images $15,000.00.
E-Learning ware: We are versed with much
simple and/or integrated software to produce and conduct any of the learning
experiences, fixed or interactive, even with a live teacher.