Consider the following film in light of the recent spate of “Ag Gag” laws that have passed in a number of states criminalizing acts that would make the factory food system visible. Mercy For Animals presents Farm to Fridge. Narrated by Oscar-nominee James Cromwell, this powerful film takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration behind the [...]
I was at Indiana University for the past week giving a lecture on war’s increasingly intimate relationship to video games. After cocktail hour on November 11, Veterans Day, I settle into the hotel room to watch some of the old cathode ray tube. There was a story on Fox News about a California mayor who [...]
In the mid-90′s, the fellows from the band KLF (later known as the K Foundation) burned in a great fire their entire net worth in cash – about a million pounds. This is a talk show clip where their decision is “debated.” It reveals something essential about our relationship to money and the notion that [...]
Apparently the psychology department at the University of Central Florida has been granted some defense dept. money to see which video game controller might be best for flying unmanned drones. Even stranger, they cited my article, which mentions the disturbing confluence of trends. If you want to know about advances in this arena see for [...]
Chrysler is marketing a special edition Jeep based on one designed for gameplay in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Goodbye Hummer, hello Jeep. This is an interesting reversal of the usual mimetic logic of war and video games. And of course it begs the question of what this metaphor implies about our highways and [...]
I’m showing this wonderful documentary in my Rhetoric and Pop Culture class:
A video I’m making about activism and online war games, is set to appear on the scene in February of this year. The Media Education Foundation is putting the finishing touches on it as we speak, and I’m excited. Here’s a synopsis: Returning Fire: Interventions in War Game Culture Video games like Modern Warfare, America’s [...]
I’ve been thinking again about The Secret: the book, the movie, the scented candles, the T-shirt, etc. There was a screening of the film – a rather controversial one – at the Yoga Adventure Club (a bunch of elite yogis in training) at the Rubber Soul studio. I was along for the ride as my [...]
Burger King is currently pushing the Transformers II movie along with its Triple Whoppers. In the restaurant, Transformers are nearly seeping through the walls. It occurred to me while I ate my BK Veggie (highly recommended, by the way) that Transformers approach perfection as tools for movie merchandising. This thought came as I contemplated a [...]