LONG BEFORE THIS WEEK'S MASSIVE MEAT RECALL, The Meatrix has been sounding the alarm on the factory farming system.
Using animated shorts that parody "The Matrix," the three films -- "The Meatrix," "The Meatrix II 1/2 and "Meatrix II: Revolting" -- were created to expose practices used in factory meat and dairy farming and the fast-food industry.
The original "Meatrix" episode launched online in 2003. The viral Web video phenomenon, seen by more than 15 million viewers, won a Webby award and has been shown at film festivals and school. The sequels were released in 2006.
The films are also available as free podcasts from iTunes.
The Meatrix site is a consumer education campaign from Sustainable Table, an organization devoted to the sustainable food movement. In addition to the "Meatrix" films, it offers a discussion forum and information on how to buy safer, healthier foods. There are materials that can be printed and downloaded to take the the store or to share with others.
AFTER THIS YEAR'S OSCARS ARE HANDED OUT, movie fans who need something new to obsess about can play around with the entertainment equivalent of fantasy football. Fantasy Moguls is a game site for movie fans who also like to monitor box-office statistics.
There are two versions of the game. In Box Office Moguls, the winner is the studio, whose slate of film picks make the most money in domestic box-office numbers by the end of the season. In Ultimate Movie Moguls, the winning studio is based on four categories -- total domestic box office, per-theater average, Internet Movie Database user review score and where the film places in the weekly top five chart.
Each player or studio gets a budget out of which to pick up to eight movies. Players can compete against their friends in private leagues or join a public group. Seasons last for three months. The Web site has complete details on the scoring system.
THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH'S CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING MAKES A GREAT BACKDROP for a Harry Potter online video competition. Maybe that's why two Pitt students -- Joel Ambrose and Shannon Ruck -- made it to the finals of the Magical Tours Summer Internship Competition, sponsored by the Potter fan site MuggleNet. The Cathedral's Gothic Commons Room is featured in both videos.
The winning entry was announced Feb. 21: It's Thomas Pardee of Salida, Calif., and the alternate is Paula DeSeure of Kansas City, Ks. The winner will work as an intern/tour guide with Magical Tours' Harry Potter-themed tours this summer.
Ruck and Ambrose were among 24 finalists winnowed down from more than 600 applications.
The finalists' videos are posted on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJRdxpN1p7o (Joel)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzZY2Jt070 (Shannon)
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR INFORMATION AND NEWS you can't use -- but might get a laugh out of -- visit Uncyclopedia.
This Wikipedia parody, which bills itself as "the content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit," features encyclopedia entries and news stories reminiscent of the satirical web site The Onion. Sample headline: "Machines to be as stupid as humans by 2029."
As with Wikipedia, anyone is welcome to collaborate on entries.
First Published: February 22, 2008, 5:45 p.m.
