Several years ago, it took a bit of sleuthing to find online culture in Paris. Using the grapevine method, I asked everyone who I had met through my virtual reality research in Paris to list a few names. Lionel Lumbroso turned up on a couple of lists. We started exchanging email, and although it has taken us years to unravel exactly what it was, we both seemed to recognize something sympatico in the other. By the time I arrived in Paris, we had exchanged a few dozen long e-letters about our online experiences, philosophy, favorite science fiction books. He became cotranslator, with Annick Morel, of La Realite Virtuelle. He became not only my favorite person to hang out with in Paris, but a reason for visiting Paris.
In The Virtual Community, you can read about Lionel's adventures in one of the few longtime virtual communities in France. I'm writing this page in Lionel's office in Bussy St. George. As soon as I find a way to get him a QuickTake and an ISDN connection, expect to read (hourly? weekly?) reports from branche' (French equivalent of "Wired") Paris.
One month later, Lionel has his first report from Paris: Internet in Paris: Year Zero
Lionel's second field trip into Parisian cyberculture takes us to The Cybercafes of Paris
Lionel makes his living as a translator. If you need a technology-savvy traducteur francais. If you are interested in services, contact
ll11@calvanet.calvacom.fr
