J. Birringer from Houston writes "... the image streaming on the ZKM website worked perfectly ...". A simple but robust script based CGI setup and a solid Linux installation made that possible.

The system kept serving images throughout, but the server load crept up to 25 from time to time ... serving thousands of concurrent external visitors (rather than only the intended GlobalBodies participants) was too much for our Pentium 200 box ... who posted that URL publically?

A CD-ROM features most - if not all - the material that was gathered on the ZKM Server on the 18th and 19th of October 1997 during the Global Bodies Event.

GlobalBodies.iso.bz2

Some of the interesting questions posed at the event to participants:
1. Are our eyes our Targets?
2. Do we become what we see?
3. How do you think technology will change our body?
4. How many personalities do you think you have inside you?
5 Are sounds born, do they also only spend a lifetime in certain places and then die?
6. Are we already Cyborgs?
7. What is the difference between genetic memory and cultural memory?
8. How do you think it would feel to be touched throughout the network?
9. What percentage of your being is connected intimately with technology?
10. Can the human Body be an interface?
11 How do we determine whether an entity is conscious?
12 Is intelligence the allowance to decide what it considers to be useful for itself?
13. Do you fear Machine Intelligence limiting your free will?
14. How does the constant use of technology effect our thought processes?
15. Which is worse for you....alone in a room with Email or a room filled with people but no Net connection?
16. Do you believe in virtual sex?
17. What is your definition of _Nature_.
 

A few things have to be mentioned:

To start the CD-ROM, double click on the "startw31" or the "startw95" icon, depending on your operating system. You don't need to have any special software installed, but some parts will remain unavailable if you don't have Quicktime, DirectX or Netscape installed.

When you start the CD-ROM, you will see an intro that runs in a loop. To go on, press the mouse button. You navigate the CD-ROM by clicking on any red box. Some clickable areas are identified with a hand cursor. To quit, press the escape key or choose quit from the menu. You can return to the interface with the "main" menu button or the "Global Bodies" box. "intro" will run the intro loop

System Requirements:

- Windows 3.1 (Windows 95 recommended), 256 Colors, 640x480 screen size
- Speakers or headphones for music and soundtrack
- Quicktime installed
- Netscape 4 installed
- DirectX installed

You can find the most recent versions of the required software for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 in the "install" folder on the CD-ROM.

In order to view the included websites, you will have to install Netscape on your computer. There is no need for an online connection, but some of the material will be unaccessible if you view it offline.

Thanks to the production team: Bernd Diemer, Markus Lacher, Andreas Schiffler, Jill Scott, Wanda Webb