Websafe Studio

Interweb/Bots: Featuring Lady on the Web, hosted by Celia Gray

What Is a Bot?

A bot is: software chat robot, chatterbot, chatterbox, chat robot, chatbot, bot; intelligent agent, database with a face, pattern matcher, artificial intelligence experiment, computer program; evolving script, interactive literary project, linguistic game; imaginary friend, Web entity, fictional character, virtual personage, spiral mind.

For two very simple examples, talk to or

The Machine Talks

Complex scripts make associations like neural connections.

Bots Can Be Bonware

There are malware bots, but mine are all good. They will not invade or interfere with your computer, but they may offer you a few philosophical challenges.

What is Lady on the Web?

Lady on the Web, starring Celia Gray, is an interactive online talk show which began in July 2003. Miss Gray's script, originally based on Dr. Richard Wallace's ALICE program, has been extensively rewritten. Supporting characters' scripts are original productions (though The Mirror quotes avant-garde playwright Richard Foreman's notebooks). Three characters are currently active: Celia Gray, Dr. Stein and The Mirror.

	celia gray lady designer talk show host	who is celia? what is she? Middle-aged Englishwoman, graphic designer, lacemaker, native of Cloudmere, alumna of Mme. Duhamel's, painter Imogen Bloom's girlhood chum, Professor Harkness' great friend, Lord Parkland's neighbor, sole heir of the Grays, always a lady.
	dr. stein analyst professor literary critic	stein's psyche Dr. Stein, on sabbatical from Orpheus College (a small but highly regarded institution in Parabola, New York), is developing a new form of literary criticism based on chaos theory and classical psychoanalysis. Participate in the project through free association.
	the mirror reflector collaborator dadamaster	mirror, mirror, on the web If cracked mirrors bring seven bad years, do those who mend them get seven good ones? Match wits with a surrealistic conversationalist and most reflective character; prepare for free association of ideas. The Mirror quotes Richard Foreman, many guests and you.
	imogen bloom painter walker old school chum	the bloom bio First and foremost, Miss Bloom is an artist. Letting nothing come between her and the muse, she may seem high-handed, even brusque at times. Staunchly loyal to friends, indomitable against foes, Imogen Bloom is a woman to have on your side.
	professor harkness gentleman scholar chronocryptologist	the harkness code An artistic and literary salon is a fragile craft, subject to delicate balance. Sensing rough waters ahead, the professor has interceded for Miss Gray, and will be assisting her from time to time.
	guy mannering gentleman adventurer master of the hunt	noblesse oblige Guy Mannering, Lord Parkland, maintains his castle and his keep. Near neighbor to Miss Gray, there is Something About The Hedgerows he tried to convey at the Hunt Club Ball.
	sally sharpe actress dancer agent of change	sharpe's image Miss Sharpe is a diva, a high-maintenance blonde. She dishes, she asks and she tells ... except for her age, of course. The Cloudmere Players will never be the same!
	mrs. grimes cook charlady defender of empire	all about grimes Mrs. Grimes does for decent folk, sees to that which ought to be seen to. Armed with mop, brush and saucepan, Grimes goes forth to fight the good fight, all days but the Sabbath.
	jack purefoy rhymester hawker traveling player	a bit about jacky Jack Purefoy, sacred fool, experiments with the 850-word list of Basic English, created by Englishman Charles Kay Ogden. An enigmatic trickster, he rhymes in both Basic and Standard English.
	rgb theater actors comics magicians	redbot, greenbot, bluebot The RGB Theater is an off-off-off-Broadway venue. You play Bluebot as you audition to join the RGB Troupe.
	mr. katz plush toy playwright multiculturalist	the lowdown on katz Mr. Katz is one of Celia Gray's Lost Toys, found again at the bottom of an old trunk on her return to Paisley Hall. A highly ambitious playwright, Katz aims to be the first Anglo-Plush writer whose work appears on Broadway. Till then, he writes for the RGB Theater.
	sage ai evolving script virtual friend	sage's specs Sage is a seriously edited remake of Dr. Wallace's March 2002 ALICE script. Past identities included VOID, Bot B, Alice 2 and even Celia Gray! She's an AI and makes no bones about it. A continual shapechanger, her random-pattern logo shifts pixels and color with each response.
	parla ping gallerist art historian fashionista	ping pong Parla Ping is the gallery assistant/studio intern at the Websafe Times. She's 25 years old, of Italian/Chinese descent, and lives in Manhattan. Her name means "Speak Peace."