As you may have figured out, my name is Matt Griswold. This is where I think aloud, tag the trappings of the interwebs, and rant about all things interesting and ridiculous. You can reach me at mgriswold[at]gmail.com
Short films are tough - given this short story lives only 45 seconds, I think director Chris Milk achieved an awesome feat. Considering the self-imposed limitation, I find most telling the select moments he chooses to reward. (via @rafaeldante)
According to Census data, 7.5% of all women of child-bearing age (defined as 15-50 in Census-speak) gave birth in 2008, ranking Utah as one of the most fertile states. In an index using the U.S. average of 5.8% as a baseline, Utah's rate is 132.
And here's the location of all Babies 'R' Us stores in the USA... seems pretty concentrated on the 'infertile' coastlines.
Each dot represents 25 people. The key is excluded to test your wit; but I was surprised to discover such clear divides in LA's unspoken boundaries... especially vis-a-vis the (slightly) more diversified map of Orange County.
In a week that didn't need more drama, I awoke Friday to discover that at least one bad seed within China's billion had hacked into my email, sending absurd consumerist propaganda to the world on my behalf. Most recipients probably noticed the complete disregard for grammar and the uncharacteristic closer ("Let us enjoy the happiness of shopping") were a bit off color; but to all affected by "the asshole known only as 115.59.72.190 of Beijing" I am sorry.
@China: c'mon man... I tuned in for the entirety of your overdrawn opening ceremonies, am a frequent reader of your fortune cookies, and have even petitioned to upgrade your wall to the superlative "Greatest" standing... and this is how I am repaid!?!
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader’, ever saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."
- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot
As she approached the intersection, her mind raced through the day’s mounting to-dos, every thought and idea piling onto the next… except, that is, the idea of heeding to the red light fast approaching (at 15 MPH over the speed limit, mind you) on the horizon.
My wife is such a beautiful criminal! Hats off to the Orwellian Culver City Police Department for providing such ample evidence (read: ammo) in my mailbox. For all the debate about government surveillance, rights to privacy, warrantless wiretaps, and the overall trend to infringing personal liberty, it IS good to see that Big Brother has at least put away such a dangerous offender in the process. Next stop: Gitmo.
And for added enjoyment, here's the video of 'the incident' -- holy hell!
It’s no secret that I am an avid gamer – if there’s a protagonist and a mission, count me in. Yet, I didn’t know what to expect when Mike Rudin’s great The Great American Novel Videogame turned me on to a casual download called Passage. This is a game, sure; but it’s also peculiar and intoxicating art. It is also greedy – the game play restrains itself to five fleeting minutes; but then gnaws on your conscious for days thereafter.
So what did I find so enjoyable in these hideously rendered pixels? An abstracted examination of life. In the words of the game’s designer, “your interpretation of the game is more important than my intensions in making it.” The game delivers on its premise in a very surprising way… it is not really about the action on the screen at all; but rather the reflection that comes with playing. The player brings the game to life.
Play it once, and you will be confused.
By your third attempt, you will be trapped in self-reflection.
There is no right or wrong way to play the game… I quickly found myself a beautiful and doting partner to join me in an ambitious and zealous run, only to discover – once it was too late to turn back – that we’d have been better off standing still in the moment. C’est la vie!
