Grouchogandhi - A Punch-Drunk Filter of FACTs: May 2006

Grab Your Stash of Substance D and Warm Up Your Scanners

— Tuesday, May 30, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

And then, as Fred watched, Connie's hard features melted and faded into softness, and into Donna Hawthorne's face.
He snapped off the tape again. Sat puzzled. I don't get it, he thought. It's—what they call that? Like a goddamn dissolve! A film technique. Fuck, what is this? Pre-editing for TV viewing? By a director, using special visual effects?
— A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick

With only just over a week left in the A Scanner Darkly trailer remix contest, the competition has already produced some interesting submissions.

People have much more time on their hands than I figured, and a few entries show significant effort and talent.

Here's my Top 3 so far:

Darkly 2 Remix by Matrixgal — this one is better than the real trailer. I'd be interested in seeing this movie.
Motion Remix: A Scanner Darkly by JordanGray
SUPER!ALRIGHT! mix by erkhorn

Pretty k00l schtuff. So far, your humble host has only managed small and timid steps towards cutting together his own remix trailer.

He doth suck.

Movies | A Scanner Darkly
Philip K. Dick | Richard Linklater
Trailers | Remix | Contests

What the FACT Scanner Sees

— Saturday, May 27, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

Interesting tidbits currently being reported and discussed about A Scanner Darkly...

Let me know if you find anything interesting!

Buzz | Movies | A Scanner Darkly
Philip K. Dick | Richard Linklater
Morgellons Disease | Viral Marketing

A Critic Darkly - Reviews of A Scanner Darkly

— Friday, May 26, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

"Nobody home, I guess," he stated aloud as usual, and was aware that the scanners had picked that up. But he had to take care always: he wasn't supposed to know they were there. Like an actor before a movie camera, he decided, you act like the camera doesn't exist or else you blow it. It's all over.

— A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick

Here's a current roundup of early critic reviews for A Scanner Darkly:

And while Richard Linklater's animated account of Philip K Dick's 'A Scanner Darkly' has considerably more intelligence than may be found in those two films put together, it must be said that it is so verbose as to be somewhat dull and soporific. Fans of the book may enjoy the movie, and Linklater still appears to have some diehard cult followers, but this is very far from being up there with the finest of his films, and perhaps even less generally accessible than 'Waking Life'.
— Geoff Andrew
Richard Linklater's film version of "A Scanner Darkly" is the most truthful and accurate adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story to date. Dick, with his often extremely complex investigations into the nature of identity and reality has never been the easiest author to approach much less adapt into a visual medium, but Linklater pulls it off with high style. He once again uses the roto-animation technique of "Waking Life" to add a heightened sense of unreality to a fairly real world, and in so doing creates just the right level of unease for the audience to feel what [protagonist Bob] Arctor himself is feeling.
— Joshua Starnes
"Darkly" is right. Everything about this movie from director Richard Linklater is murky, mysterious and confusing - but intriguing and often weirdly gripping, too.
— Peter Bradshaw
“A Scanner Darkly” is a talky, twisted hodgepodge of sobering ideas centered on people who are anything but sober.
— Associated Press
Philip K Dick is today the most adapted modern author after Stephen King. A Scanner Darkly makes a worthy addition to the list: few of the previous decantings have come this close to the kooky, paranoid, digressive spirit of the author’s work.
— Lee Marshall

Up and down it appears.

Movies | A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick
Critics | Reviews | Films

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

— Thursday, May 25, 2006 —
FACT: 3 eigenstates

Let these be guidestones to an age of reason
Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.

Guide reproduction wisely, improving fitness and diversity.

Unite humanity with a living new language.

Rule passion, faith, tradition and all things with tempered reason.

Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.

Let all nations rule internally, resolving external disputes in a world court.

Avoid petty laws and useless officials.

Balance personal rights with social duties.

Prize truth, beauty, love, seeking harmony with the infinite.

Be not a cancer on Earth. Leave room for nature. Leave room for nature.

With the wild predictions of Comet 73-P's impending strike into the Atlantic Ocean, it seems right to turn our gaze back to those Georgia Guidestones, the granite monuments etched with a strange Masonic message for mankind.

That message is meant to be a guide to future generations. A pathway to balance man, nature and life with each other. A New World Order, if you prefer. Parts of it are disturbing, obviously. The first bit is annoying. Especially if you haven't been added on to the right secret society's myspace friends list. d00d, Thanks for the Add! Not.

It's obvious the Masons like to plan way ahead. Looking at all the standard tell-tale Masonic symbolism and cryptic message incorporated by it's designer, "R.C. Christian" — C'mon! — into a huge granite monument that is astronomically aligned way-out in the middle of a nowhere chicken-farm-smelling Georgia field that sits atop the disaster-resistent Piedmont's thick granite for hundreds of miles just to deliver a message to sheep and cattle seems like a Stonehenge PowerPoint Presentation meant to last.

Or perhaps, meant to last to deliver the last wisdom from Before to the decimated survivors of the world After.

After the Comet that some French-sounding named former military air traffic controller thinks is gonna hit the Earth today that is. Masonic blogs are giving this thing all kinds of coverage. Videos included.

That's odd. Why would the Masons care? Oh yeah, the Guidestones were built by Masons. Well since they meet in secret, you'll have to use your own imagination for the rest of the story.

There's something for you to think about during your last few hours in the world as we know it.

On the bright side, at least we know that Taylor won. Soul Patrol!

A Scanner Darkly - Meet Your New Big Bug Brother

— Tuesday, May 23, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

"How'd you like to gaze at a beer can throughout eternity? It might not be so bad. There'd be nothing to fear."
— A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick

So, while you're busy remixing your A Scanner Darkly trailers, I thought you might like some inspiration from VFX firm Rustmonkey.

They created this spec animation trailer based on A Scanner Darkly when they heard the novel was up for being greenlighted as an animation project.

Big Bug Brother, good call.

Movies | A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick
Trailers | Rustmonkey | Bugs

Just take another hit, everything is cool

— Monday, May 22, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

"Once a guy stood all day shaking bugs from his hair. The doctor told him there were no bugs in his hair. After he had taken a shower for eight hours, standing under hot water hour after hour suffering the pain of the bugs, he got out and dried himself, and he still had bugs in his hair; in fact, he had bugs all over him. A month later he had bugs in his lungs."
— A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick

RES Magazine has a cool contest in progress for remixing the A Scanner Darkly movie trailer. They've provided for download a really good set of clips, FX sounds, music and the original trailer for you to re-edit. You can also use your own original materials, video, music, etc. It's almost too many options.

The prizes are actually decent and to win them, submit your ingeniously creative entry by June 7th, so not a lot of time left. Find everything you need for downloading and registration over at the contest's website.

Enjoy the bugs and paranoia.

Movies | A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick
Contests | Trailers | Remix

The Da Vinci Coda

— Friday, May 19, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

"Taken literally, these texts were
a pile of absurdities, riddles,
contradictions."
— Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco

Now that we can stick a spear in the side of the Da Vinci Code and declare they nailed it, never to — God forbid — rise again, how about some real authentic FACT-based occult conspiracy goodness?

Behold a world of light and wonder:

The Grand Duchy of Avram
The Holy Grail: The Basics
Holy Grail discovered at last?
The Holy Grail, The Holy Chalice, The Cauldron, Sangrail, Sangreal, Sang-real, The Cup of the Last Supper, The Cup of the Crucifixtion... you get the idea.
Da Vinci Grail Controversy!
And then we have it on good authority that people don't know what they're chattering about.
People Talking About Talking About Foucault's Pendulum.

Great. Now that that's settled, I can focus on other things.

Like what does the scanner see?

Remix Brian Eno and David Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

Do you hear voices? You do. So you are possessed.

You are a believer born again and yet you hear voices and you are possessed.

Okay, now are you ready, Elizabeth?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...
&mdash The Jezebel Spirit

FACT: I first bought and heard My Life in the Bush of Ghosts some time around 1984. A friend and I were in the local record shop and we decided to buy the most oddly titled unknown album we could find and we struck gold when we stumbled upon My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. It was a nicely odd title.

Upon listening, I'd found a new world of possibilities from the droll radio cliches of the day. This album was unique and new. The sampling, the odd compositions, the complete engineering of atmospheric soundscapes. Sweet Perfection.

Anyway, if you know the album, you know how it goes as you dig into it: Oh, David Byrne of Talking Heads is on this record. Oh, Brian Eno has produced the Talking Heads albums. Oh, Eno has records of his own from the 70s. Oh, those weren't anything like the pop static being pushed up-and-down the FM dial. Etc., etc., good stuff.

And now, a few years later, Eno & Byrne are re-releasing My Life in the Bush of Ghosts with 7 previously unreleased tracks from the original album and at the same time, bless their hearts, are offering up two tracks for your remixing pleasure on the album's website.

Complete multitracks, everything. They're yours! To do with as you please. Remix, create new songs, add your own stuff, put theirs in yours, whatever. They've even thoughtfully provided a place for you and others to upload your remixes to share with the world. EGgxcellent marketing, at the very least.

Definately check out the first one on the site, HELP ME CHEESE AN[can't read the rest of the title]. Pretty gr00vy.

Just register, agree to the hippie licensing, and grab the source files on the Remix site. Let me know what mixing masterpieces you produce!

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - The Last Supper

— Thursday, May 18, 2006 —
FACT: 1 eigenstates

And the location of the Holy Grail in Da Vinci's The Last Supper is:

See it yet? Now go annoy your Da Vinci Code friends.

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - It's on HIS Right

— Wednesday, May 17, 2006 —
FACT: 2 eigenstates

Sophie paused, realizing it was the trick question. And after dinner, Jesus took the cup of wine, sharing it with His disciples. "One cup," she said. "The chalice." The Cup of Christ. The Holy Grail. "Jesus passed a single chalice of wine, just as modern Christians do at communion."

Teabing sighed. "Open your eyes."

She did. Teabing was grinning smugly. Sophie looked down at the painting, seeing to her astonishment that everyone at the table had a glass of wine, including Christ. Thirteen cups. Moreover, the cups were tiny, stemless, and made of glass. There was no chalice in the painting. No Holy Grail.
— Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

No, HIS right.

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - Belief Doesn't Require Faith

— Tuesday, May 16, 2006 —
FACT: 2 eigenstates

Find Da Vinci's Grail! The quest continues as we locate the Holy Grail in Da Vinci's The Last Supper. We'll keep looking as we countdown the last few days to the release of the Da Vinci Code movie worldwide.

As promised, we'll let you know where the grail is on May 18th. Here's your latest, mostly vague you-might-have-a-chance-maybe but entertaining clues:

Paint by Numbers

Blue Apples at Noon!

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt
The Quest - Steps 1, 2 & 3
The Quest - Step 4
The Quest - Step 5

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - Step 05 - The Source of Parsifal

— Friday, May 12, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

The drama of the world’s sin and pain, its cause and cure.

Bonafide FACT Bonus: Wagner made a pilgrimage to visit Rennes-le-Chateau before composing his opera Parsifal. Hmmmmm...

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt
The Quest - Steps 1, 2 & 3
The Quest - Step 4

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - Step 04 - In This Sign Conquer

— Thursday, May 11, 2006 —
FACT: 3 eigenstates

After the pink beam of light hit him in the head, Disciple PKD was marked by the Chi-Rho.

The Empire Never Ended.

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt
The Quest - Steps 1, 2 & 3

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - Get Started!

— Wednesday, May 10, 2006 —
FACT: 1 eigenstates

Since some folk seemingly want to avoid myspace.com as much as they can, I'm reposting the first three Steps of the Ggreat Ggrail Hunt here on Grouchogandhi.com. I'll continue to post clues on both sites from here on out.

STEP 01 - Finding the Grail

One only need stand back
and behold the Holy Grail.

STEP 02 - Perhaps a Ploughman

Who Knew What Bartholomew Knew?

Bring me the head of St. Bartholomew!

STEP 03 - You seek the Holy Grail!

TIM:
Yes, I can help you find the Holy Grail.

KNIGHTS:
Oh, thank you. Oh...

TIM:
To the north there lies a cave-- the cave of
Caerbannog-- wherein, carved in mystic runes
upon the very living rock, the last words
of Olfin Bedwere of Rheged...
[boom]
...make plain the last resting place
of the most Holy Grail.

Good luck!

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - The Da Vinci Code, The Last Supper & The Holy Grail

The Ggreat Ggrail Hunt - The Da Vinci Code, The Last Supper & The Holy Grail

— Tuesday, May 09, 2006 —
FACT: 6 eigenstates

Discover the location of
Da Vinci's Grail
where it has always been
but isn't suppose to be —
in Da Vinci's The Last Supper!

Over on the ever-goofy Grouchogandhi myspace page, I'm playing a little game of Find-the-Grail during the pre-hype build-up for the release of The Da Vinci Code flick.

A revelation in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code makes the point the Holy Grail is not present in Da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper, because the Grail is actually something else, Mary Magdalen. The heroes view this information as poignant proof to further their self-conceived conspiracy theory that they're on the right track.

Sophie paused, realizing it was the trick question. And after dinner, Jesus took the cup of wine, sharing it with His disciples. "One cup," she said. "The chalice." The Cup of Christ. The Holy Grail. "Jesus passed a single chalice of wine, just as modern Christians do at communion."

Teabing sighed. "Open your eyes."

She did. Teabing was grinning smugly. Sophie looked down at the painting, seeing to her astonishment that everyone at the table had a glass of wine, including Christ. Thirteen cups. Moreover, the cups were tiny, stemless, and made of glass. There was no chalice in the painting. No Holy Grail.
— Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

I resolve that I will present to you absolute proof that the above contention is not only wrong, but flat-out false. The Holy Grail is indeed in The Last Supper and you will see it. FACT!

The rules are simple. I'll slowly dribble out vague and odd clues as to the "hidden" location of the Holy Grail in Da Vinci's The Last Supper over on the Grouchogandhi myspace page. These Step-by-Step items will usually hyperlink to other web sites for depth of vision to aid you in your attempt to locate it on your own if you so choose.

If some worthy soul doesn't comment the secret location to everyone beforehand, all will be revealed on May 18th. This way you'll have a neat trick to pull on everyone you know who goes to see the movie.

Have fun!

Principles of Uncertainty

— Wednesday, May 03, 2006 —
FACT: 0 eigenstates

Historian Lisa Jardine has written a nice little article on the fundamentals of the FACT phenom and its implications.

Also, check out this rip-roaring debate on truthiness of science.

Facts | Science | Truthiness

Replicant (M) Des: LEON	NEXUS-6 N6MAC41717
Incept Date: 10 APRIL, 2017	Func: Combat/Loader (Nuc. Fiss)
Phys: LEV. A	Mental: LEV. C

STEP 01 - Finding the Grail

STEP 02 - Perhaps a Ploughman

STEP 03 - You seek the Holy Grail!

Discover the location ofDa Vinci's Grailwhere it has always beenbut isn't suppose to be — in Da Vinci's The Last Supper!

Discover the location of
Da Vinci's Grail
where it has always been
but isn't suppose to be —
in Da Vinci's The Last Supper!