The Mattechi Annex

"Mr. Lévi-Strauss […] regularly visited an antique shop on Third Avenue in Manhattan that sold..."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:37:41 -0500

“Mr. Lévi-Strauss […] regularly visited an antique shop on Third Avenue in Manhattan that sold artifacts from the Pacific Northwest, leaving Mr. Lévi-Strauss with the “impression that all the essentials of humanity’s artistic treasures could be found in New York.””

- Claude Lévi-Strauss Dies at 100, NYT, November 2, 2009

"The “one shot, one kill” mantra that was drilled into infantrymen for decades has been replaced by..."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:41:41 -0500

“The “one shot, one kill” mantra that was drilled into infantrymen for decades has been replaced by training that emphasizes shooting foes multiple times. One Marine warrant officer put it this way during training that I observed at Camp Lejeune in 2006: “Anyone worth shooting once,” he said. “Is worth shooting twice.””

- The M-16 Argument Heats Up, Again, NYT, C.J. CHIVERS, November 3, 2009

"For if there is one thing [Ayn] Rand’s life shows, it is the power, and peril, of unjustified..."

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:56:50 -0500

““For if there is one thing [Ayn] Rand’s life shows, it is the power, and peril, of unjustified self-esteem.””

- “Ayn Rand’s Revenge,” NYT, ADAM KIRSCH, October 29, 2009

For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:56:28 -0400

For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking:

“If someone yelled at you at work, you’d find that pretty jarring. We don’t apply that standard to children.”

My Friends If I may brag for just a little bit. My friends gave...

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:15:05 -0400

My Friends

If I may brag for just a little bit. My friends gave me a computer to take with me to Singapore for school. What could I have done to deserve such good people in my life? It’s not the gift so much - since they know very well that I would’ve disapproved of any such extravagant gesture - but the fact that knowing this, they kept it a secret until the very end and even led me on about helping me ship my own computer… this is what warms my heart. I’m actually a little unpredictable and usually would’ve sniffed out the plan or messed it up somehow, but they persevered. They truly know me. I love these folk, and I hope they know I would do anything for them at a moment’s notice. I could do with everything gone from my life, but without my family, without these friends, I would have absolutely nothing. They say that a man can best be measured by the quality of his friends, and if that’s true then I’d be a giant in this world if I were only half as good as they are. Friends - I love you all, I miss you all already and I promise to give it everything I’ve got and then some until I return.

Synchronised blinking stops viewers missing the action

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:18:10 -0400

Synchronised blinking stops viewers missing the action:

“[M]oviegoers who sit through a 150-minute film have their eyes shut for up to 15 minutes[…] And because we tend to watch films in a similar way, moviegoers often blink in unison, researchers find.”

"The aim everywhere - not least at the leading edge of biological research - is to effect a genetic..."

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:53:31 -0400

“The aim everywhere - not least at the leading edge of biological research - is to effect a genetic substitution[…] to achieve the linear and sequential reproduction, cloning or parthenogenesis of little celibate machines.”

- Jean B.

Happenstance or Homage? Herzog’s “Aguirre, Wrath of...

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:14:47 -0400

Happenstance or Homage?

Herzog’s “Aguirre, Wrath of God” has a ship in a tree, Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” has a chopper.

Found this guy laying in the middle of the street so I picked...

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Found this guy laying in the middle of the street so I picked him up and took him for a walk instead.

Happenstance or Homage? Shots from Abel Gance’s...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:02:08 -0400

Happenstance or Homage?

Shots from Abel Gance’s “Napoleon” and David Lynch’s “Eraserhead.”

When Wes Anderson Met Pauline Kael

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:23:02 -0400

When Wes Anderson Met Pauline Kael:

She was a few inches under 5 feet tall, and she stood shakily with a metal cane that had four legs at the base. We both had on New Balance sneakers.

Register Now for the 6th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout! What is...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:05:24 -0400

Register Now for the 6th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout!

What is the 72 Hour Film Shootout??? The Shootout is a nationwide competition where filmmaking teams have 72 hours to complete short films up to five minutes in length. Teams compete for cash and prizes and the chance to have their films screened at film festivals. The Shootout intends to create opportunities for Asian Americans to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry, and to have an impact on the visibility of Asian American stories and characters in film and television.

Registration is now open for the 6th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout with new online registration this year! The competition is just around the corner on June 26 - 29, 2009 and remember online registration is the fastest way to get to get started! AAFilmLab members get an additional $20 discount off the Regular Shootout entry fees. Just sign up to be a member first on www.aafilmlab.org

Marion Cotillard in Lady Dior I wanted to like this, but the...

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:29:17 -0400

Marion Cotillard in Lady Dior

I wanted to like this, but the style (tongue-in-cheek as it is) - full of every tracking shot imaginable - is so distracting. Just me?

rbigwood: Match in the video: Rob Bigwood vs. Shawn...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:54:32 -0400

rbigwood:

Match in the video: Rob Bigwood vs. Shawn Lattimer

Take a peek at this short teaser Matte Chi cut from yesterdays Big Apple Grapple tournament. Matt is the most amazing director, videographer, and editor - a really talented guy. Contact me if you want his email for work purposes.

I ended up taking second place to Travis Bagent in the super lefties AND second place to Mike Selearis in the 225 lbs right handed class. Not too bad for training only 3.5 months and taking over two years off.

Headline Art

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:42:00 -0400

Headline Art:

I can’t hold a candle to the headline writers of the New York Post. I am not thinking only about the famously attention-grabbing headlines like “Headless Body in Topless Bar” (the title of a compilation put into book form by Post staffers), but of headlines that demand interpretive work of a kind usually associated with modern poetry.

-Stanley Fish, NYT

"The greatest thrill is that moment when a thousand people are sitting in the dark, looking at the..."

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:24:35 -0400

““The greatest thrill is that moment when a thousand people are sitting in the dark, looking at the same scene, and they are all apprehending something that has not been spoken. That’s the thrill of it, the miracle — that’s what holds us to movies forever. It’s what we wish we could do in real life. We all see something and understand it together, and nobody has to say a word. There’s a good reason that the very best sound an audience can make — in both the theater and the movies — is no sound at all, just absolute silence.””

- Mike Nichols

"Pride, in short, begets perseverance. All of which may explain why, when the repo man is at the..."

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:24:31 -0400

“

Pride, in short, begets perseverance. All of which may explain why, when the repo man is at the door, people so often remind themselves that they still have theirs, and that it’s worth something. Because they do, and because it is.

However much pride may go before a fall, it may be far more useful after one.

”

- When All You Have Left Is Your Pride

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/health/07mind.html

Wittgenstein's Powdered Eggs

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0400

Wittgenstein's Powdered Eggs:

Found this link on Amol’s blog - he happens to have a dissertation on “The Concept of Modularity in Cognitive Science” so he knows a few things about these philosophers, for he might be one.

Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:49:40 -0400

Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory:

“Suppose scientists could erase certain memories by tinkering with a single substance in the brain. Could make you forget a chronic fear, a traumatic loss, even a bad habit.”

Comforter and Comforted in an Unfolding Mystery

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:37:03 -0400

Comforter and Comforted in an Unfolding Mystery:

There was David, sitting up in his hospital bed, animated and joking with his sitter. The thick, tedious air that had occupied David’s room effervesced and became light, and it happened so quickly I could not catch my breath.

His sitter was Josh.

It turned out he had taken a job with the hospital after his girlfriend’s death.