Above Left: Sloth discovers (to his happiness) that ground sloths made their mark in Nashville history. Above Right: A mere glimpse at the massive and majestic interior of the Opryland Resort. Right: Sloth and Steph give their all on the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry.

Sloth and Steph Escape to Tennessee!

After many, many years, hardened parents Sloth and Steph Ford were able to ditch the kids and leave on an extended road trip to celebrate their marriage. Their misadventures took them into Tennessee, where they visited the likes of Nashville, the Grand Ol' Opry, Gatlinburg, Knoxville, and Dollywood. Steph sampled the local breweries and breathed the crisp mountain air with a will; Sloth meanwhile found solace in the largest video game parlor / bowling alley / pool hall / bar he had ever seen, which appealed to him greatly. The lucky couple even spent several nights in their own private cabin, complete with hot tub and Smokey Mountain viewscape! Full documentation of this trip is forthcoming...

Team N3kk1d Wants YOU!

The MS 150 Bike Tour will be taking place in June 2004, and we are hunting down bodies for both our bike team as well as our brand new volunteer team! If you are up to the challenge of raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and biking 150 miles in two days, then we want to talk to you! If not, then we still want you: the MS 150 is always looking for able bodies to assist in their medical team, their rest stop staff, and sag wagon drivers. As December rolls into January, Sloth will be organizing these two groups and getting things rolling. Contact him via email at sloth@teamn3kk1d.com or check out our website for more information...

http://www.TeamN3kk1d.Com/

Mt. Holly Madness...

The Sloth-Ford Family enjoyed an autumn trip to the Mt. Holly Renaissance Faire. Although they missed some of their favorite acts (the Washing Well Wenches and Don Juan & Miguel, specifically), this did not stop Steph and James in trying their hand at some archery, nor enjoy a pint of bubbly merriment at the Guinness Pub. Heather enjoyed tramping all over the grounds and zapping passerby with her various stick wands, and the audio-minded Sloth was unable to resist banging on a few handdrums with other visitors. Yet another heady year of frivolity!

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Michigan SpiralScouts Camping Trip 2003

Sloth and Steph joined several adult volunteers, fellow scout leaders, and dozens of kids at Sleepy Hollow State Park for a state-wide SpiralScouts camping trip in July. The weekend was clear and hot, and the lake felt cool and wonderful. A refreshing artesian well fueled our water pump at our campsite, and several of the leaders got to show off both culinary arts and campfire saavy as we spent many evenings with delicious food, toasted marshmellows, and good friends. Everyone had plenty of fun, and we look forward to an even better time in the summer of 2004!

Interested in a scouting program with a basis in cultural inclusivity and respect for our planet? Learn more about West Michigan SpiralScouts and the SpiralScouts mission at...

http://www.slothwerks.com/spiralscouts/

SlothWerks.Com Renaissance...

Continuing his face-lift of SlothWerks.Com, Sloth has (inadvertantly) learned a rudimentary understanding of Cascading Style Sheets. He has also discovered that Server-Side Includes are pretty nifty, too. Utilizing these tools, we have crafted a new look to the website and newsletter. We also plan on upgrades to our SpiralScouts, Team N3kk1d, and Operation: Snow Weasel pages as well. Watch for these in 2004!

Catch a glimpse of our "new dawn" at...

http://www.slothwerks.com/

Sloth Reviews Matrix Revolutions

I'm going to receive email a-plenty for this one. Yes, it's true: I (Sloth) am one of the few individuals who enjoyed the most recent Matrix film - the third (and final) installment of a saga that has held us at the edge of our seats with its thrilling, mind-bending special effects and unique, imaginative universe. It is also true that virtually everyone that I have spoken to did NOT like the film. Why is this? Let's run it down...

It wasn't what we expected. No, it really wasn't. I told several friends of my "three predictions" for the final film, based upon what I saw in the second, and none of them were correct. This is the death-knell of every movie based upon a prior work: if you rock the boat too much with an established audience, you're playing with fire. I'm not sure why the final Matrix film was not what any of us thought it would be - perhaps it's because we simply didn't know what to expect - but it was enough to turn off many fans who thought they were going to get something, and they didn't.

It was confusing as hell. You bet it was. Both Matrix Reloaded, with its "Architect" scene, as well as Matrix Revolutions with its "what the hell?" ending, almost require repeated viewings to fully (well, almost fully) grasp the concepts of the dialogue and plotline. The problem is that, while Reloaded is at least decipherable, Revolutions leaves the viewer to draw her or her own conclusions on a number of topics, or leaves us completely stranded on other (more fine) points.

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"Sloth Reviews Matrix Revolutions", continued from page three...

What exactly happened to the Oracle to force her to acquire a new "skin"? Why was Agent Smith defeated after assimilating Neo? Was Neo killed at the end, or will he somehow "return", as the Oracle leads us to believe? The viewer is left with more questions than answers, and since we all know that this is the final and last Matrix film, this fact leaves us in the cold.

Because of the negative feedback I have thus far heard from friends, I offer you my own point of view on the film in an effort to allow the audience of this newsletter to enjoy Matrix Revolutions more than they possibly did - or to go see it at all. Here we go...

Matrix Revolutions warrants a second chance. I shelled out another $8 to go see the film in Muskegon, and it was well worth it. Revolutions seemed much more cohesive the second time I watched it - similar to a second viewing of Reloaded. In addition, several other facets of the film became more clear to me:

The Matrix is the Machine World's operating system. Once you begin thinking of the Matrix as the "Windows" of the Machines, it becomes easier to follow the plot twists and dialogue used in the second and third Matrix films. It also explains the existence of programs (such as the Indian engineer in Revolutions): they are the manifestations of sub-routines necessary to the smooth operation of both the Matrix itself, as well as the "hardware" of the Machine City. Therefore, the Matrix is not merely a construct for mental enslavement; more importantly, it is the "software" upon which the Machines depend upon for their operation.

Neo's electronic self contains the source code for the Matrix. This is the reason why he can do the things he can do: he can literally re-write "reality" within the Matrix as he sees fit. A pity that his human mind is too limited to fully grasp this; otherwise he probably could "erase" Agent Smith from the system. The Architect knows Neo has this potential, and this is why the Architect, in Reloaded, is under the impression that if Neo does not fulfill his role as "The One" and re-insert his code into the Machine City mainframe, the Matrix would shut down. As we see, however, this does not happen (for whatever reason).

Agent Smith is a nasty self-replicating virus. Smith is lurking around the Matrix, temporarily overwriting other programs (both human-based and otherwise) with his own code. As he does so, he is disabling the operating system from behaving correctly, and thus is also affecting efficient operation of the Machines. This is why the "head honcho" Machine (known as "Deus Ex Machina" in the credits) is willing to bargain with Neo for the purposes of getting rid of Smith.

Sloth's explains the end of Revolutions. Something about the Smith virus makes him impossible to "erase" by conventional means. Programs that he has over-written are no longer accessible by the system. However, when Neo's code is overwritten by the Smith virus, we see that Deus Ex Machina is able to utilize Neo's source code to break the virus. If you watch carefully, the Machines send a massive pulse into the wiring plugging Neo into the Matrix, which results in a backlash, eliminating the Smith virus from the system. Unfortunately, this pulse was far to powerful for Neo's frail human body to deal with, and results (we are led to believe) in his death. All programs that had been previously overwritten (including Seraph and the Oracle herself) were returned to their usual state, and we see that the system instability created by the presence of the Smith virus is repaired.

What we liked about the film: Matrix Revolutions is at least worthy of a couple bucks to see it in the theatre. The battle for Zion is some of the most intense footage I've ever seen crafted, and is a brilliant mix of in-computer CG wizardry and live-action. The Wachowski Brothers continue to lead you through the winding path of the rabbit hole, further exploring the concept of "rogue programs", karma, and the relationship between the Machine World and the Matrix. As usual, the action choreography by Master Yuen Wo Ping is unbelieveable, and Juno Factor creates an outstanding credit roll backdrop consisting of choral samples from Don Davis' score and Indian electronica.

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"Sloth Reviews Matrix Revolutions", continued from page four...

What we disliked about the film: We've already identified that Revolutions leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. The trouble is when the questions stem from the Brothers hopping outside of the universe that they have already constructed. Neo somehow acquires godlike powers outside of the Matrix, opening up an entirely new theological can of worms. The Matrix movies have always been extremely philosophical with its concepts of destiny and messiah references, but I felt that taking "The One" outside of the mainframe, as it were, was more of an irrational coinflip than a tesimony to the human spirit. In addition, the Brothers attempted to backpedal from the unfortunate death of Gloria Foster, who plays the Oracle in the first two movies. While Mary Alice does a wonderful job fulfilling this role in Revolutions, I felt that adding an "explanation" as to why she "looks different" was wholly unnecessary. This was also done to cover up the lack of the character Tank in Reloaded (perhaps Marcus Chong did not sign up for the second and third films?). The fact is: directors simply cannot count on having all of their principal actors and actresses remain with them through four years of movie-making. The re-write of a script to attempt to "gloss over" a replacement seems to make the change MORE obvious, rather than less.

So I hope that I have justly defended the film for those who have seen it, and ruined it for those who have not. Either way - consider checking it out. Who knows what the Wachowski Brothers have in store for us in the future?

Sloth Reviews Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

The fifth book in the popular Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling is the longest ever at a quarter of a million words and 870 pages. Was it worth the several year wait? The answer is YES - assuming, of course, that you can find the time to read it all. But what is the appeal of Harry Potter? Why does it strike such a cord with both youth and adults, making it the fastest-selling title in its first week of publishing?

The answer lies in Rowling's ability to create vivid characters: so vivid, so real, that one could probably argue how they might react in a given situation. We know Harry's strengths and flaws so well that we might as well be a family member. And there is no sugarcoating Harry's actions in this book - he has been through more in the past three years than any of us see in a lifetime, and he is sick and tired of being the victim. (Being a teen doesn't help either.) Thus, the tone of this novel is dark... even darker than its predecessor, The Goblet of Fire. Luckily, this mood is lightened by the mere existence of the Weasley twins, who offer the few moments of levity throughout the novel.

One can easily argue that The Order of the Phoenix might be one-half its length, once the excessive amount of "unnecessary" scenes not attributable to the main plotline are removed. But these scenes, while not wholly necessary, give definition to characters we already have grown to love... or hate. The sheer volume of the text leads me to believe that Rowling is now her own editor... she writes what she feels, corrects for content, and calls it good. Is this a bad thing? It depends. If you read for sheer content, Book Five may be disappointing due to its length. But the fact of the matter is, Rowling is an extremely entertaining author. Her fan base is proof enough. If you haven't had a chance to be drawn into her world, then you are most definitely missing out.

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NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC

Alicia Keys The Diary of Alicia Keys - For her second album, producer and music label guru Clive Davis allows Alicia and MBK producer Jeff Robinson to explore musical boundries their own. What we receive is an album that doesn't flow as well as her first, but takes more chances musically. We have an interesting mix of old and new school sounds, including samples ranging from Isaac Hayes (who appears as arranger on Alicia's first LP) to The Main Ingredient. On her second album, Alicia plays with old school funk ("Heartburn"), classic R&B ("You Don't Know My Name"), as well as contemporary urban beats ("Karma"). As with her first record, the later tracks are more melodic, with many a piano-driven ballad. While the sound of the album is slightly uneven, one thing is not: this lady has got it. Three and a half out of four stars.

Prince N.E.W.S. - Prince continues to throw curveballs with his newest LP, which follows suit with his 2001 album The Rainbow Children (reviewed in Newsletter #28). The record is definitely a concept album, recorded in a single day at Paisley Park. With N.E.W.S., Prince returns to the psychadelic electric 70's jazz funk style that infused The Rainbow Children LP - and for the first time, we hear not a shred of vocals. Instead, some of the best musicians that Prince has worked with in the past 10 years (Eric Leeds, Rhonda Smith) climb on board to assemble four 14-minute cuts that weave in and out of melody, chaos, and rhythm. This sound is certainly not for everyone, but as a fan of records such as Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, I personally am thrilled to hear Prince cutting albums for the sake of MUSIC rather than income. And as with many of his other dubious curveballs (Parade), it is a stop on a journey that has yet to see its end. Two and a half out of four stars.

Dido Life For Rent - Dido attempts to live up to her debut LP No Angel with a record further capturing her understated vocal style, lush orchestrations, and production wizardry. But has the dimunitive Brit grown as an artist? Dido certainly seems to deliver her warm, easily singable choruses in White Flag and the title cut. But my only issue with this record is the same one I had with India Arie's Voyage to India (reviewed in Newsletter #23) - it offers virtually nothing that the debut LP did not already give. There are slight departures: the dark, brooding electronica of "Stoned", the minimalist "Mary's in India", and the breathless, quirky "Sand in My Shoes". But while Dido's vocal and musical style is instantly recognizable, the question is: is she versatile enough to do anything else? Three out of four stars.

Everything But the Girl Like the Deserts Miss the Rain - Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have been making music for 20 years now, and this compilation covers highlights from 15 of them. Included on this album are cuts from their "light jazz" days from the mid-80's ("Each and Every One"), their early 90's acoustic pop ("Rollercoaster"), and their most recent (and brilliant) minimalist electronica phase. For fans of the band, the compilation includes remixes to three cuts from the hit LP Walking Wounded, as well as the breakthrough single "Protection" from Massive Attack (featuring Tracey on vocals). I was very happy to also hear their version of the Jobim-penned "Corvocado", which appeared on the compilation Red, Hot, and Rio from 1996. Overall, the collection is a good introduction to the band, but Everything But the Girl cannot be summed into one CD - further exploration is required. Four out of four stars.

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