My name's Horse and I live in the UK. I picked up the name Horse around 1968/69 when barely into my teens. A few years later, when I started hanging out with bikers, low-lives and ne'er-do-wells in general, the name was adopted and stuck. Now, almost everyone that knows me calls me Horse instead of my "real" name. I ride motorcycles (I own 2 Moto-Guzzi's, a T3 California and a Le Mans Mk. 1) as often and as fast as I can and study Iaido (the Way of Drawing the Sword - a Japanese martial art). I also play the guitar ... badly!

I first came across Pirsig and ZMM in 1976 but at the time I was more interested in motorbikes than Zen or Quality. I re-discovered it again in 1990 when studying for a degree in Artificial Intelligence. I read the book straight through in 24 hours and wondered why I didn't 'get' it the first time around. Probably the state of mind (or lack of it) I occupied in the mid-1970's. Still, such is life.

I found Lila in the university bookshop a year or so later and read it looking for the same feeling that I got from Zen, but I couldn't find it! A couple of years later I read it again and realized the mistake I had made as this was, in my opinion, a more interesting book than ZMM.

In 1996, I was on an Open University summer school studying Ethics and the topic under discussion was the meaning of life and it's problems within the subject/object view of the universe. I was also re-reading Lila. The Quality revelation hit me straight between the eyes. I had suddenly realized the importance of the Metaphysics of Quality. I've re-read Lila and Zen several times since and never fail to be fascinated by the insight, clarity and beauty of the Metaphysics of Quality.

A couple of points about the MOQ itself. I feel that there is a strong connection between the MOQ, Fuzziness, Chaos and Complexity. I have read and continue to read about these subjects in the hope of making that all-important insight. I also think that there is a great deal of scope for incorporating at least some of Pirsigs ideas into my other main interest, that of Artificial Life. Anyone wishing to contact me can do so at: horse@darkstar.uk.net