MSA: New expectations come with new capabilities
I found Lexia to Perplexia to be a little too ergodic. It wasn't the physical effort to explore and find links, but the mental effort to make sense of it that wore me out.
I think a large part of my experience was shaped by the "medium ecology". While the work explores how our human experience is shaped by technology, it was exactly this environment that undid any initial enjoyment of Lexia. When I'm sitting at my computer--as I do so many hours of the day--I'm in information processing mode--answering student questions, grading assignments, writing webpages and programs, and surfing for quick, accurate answers. When I surf webpages in this mode, I'm constantly evaluating whether this page is reputable and useful, and I'm skimming it for the gist. Lexia reminded me of those times I've taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on some incomprehensible "crazy's" website, where normally I quickly hit the Back button--time is short and I can find what I'm looking elsewhere. (And having to wait for Lexia to preload over a 28.8k connection, and then needing to switch browsers and download again, already wore on my patience.)
However Hayles chapter did improve my estimation of Lexia somewhat. Lying back on my bed, I could peruse her examples. Following her orientating lead, I better understood the work's intent. Then I was able to catch the wittiness of constructions such as "cell.f" and "I-terminal". It reminded me that many (fine) things in life--wine, beer, literature, jazz--need to be studied closely to understand their subtlety to be enjoyed. Yet this means more ergodic expenditure on my part, overcoming my Web-based expectations of clear structure, quick information, and obvious navigation.
I also wasn't all that impressed with Memmot's code "creole." I've seen much better examples of witty and insightful "code poems", clearer both in the code and the underlying sentiment. Admittedly, these were mostly very short works (usually on T-shirts).
Though I'm embarrassed to reveal how impatient a "reader" I was of Lexia, I do think much of this was shaped by my expectations of the Web medium. I think being aware of this is important for Web authors, as well as for me, next time I try to approach a piece of digital literature.