MetaFilter posts tagged with story

"I'm interested in the way we tell stories about our lives"

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:06:38 -0800

Sarah Polley, previously, is a Canadian actress and director whose new documentary Stories We Tell is about her own family's story. Or stories. And how storytelling shapes us. Sarah Polley's Meta Masterpiece In a blog post for Canada's NFB, Polley writes:

I’m not claiming that my film lacks self involvement but what I wanted most was to examine the many versions of this story, how people held onto them, how they agreed and disagreed with each other, and how powerful and necessary creating narrative is for us to make sense of our bewildering lives. I wanted the story told in the words of everyone I could find who could speak about it. Whatever my own feelings are about the events that are outlined, about the many dynamic and complicated players or the stunning, vibrant woman my mother was, they are ephemeral, constantly out of my grasp, they change as the years pass.

Can Science Explain Why We Tell Stories?

Stories, more even than stars or spectacle, are still the currency of life, or commercial entertainment, and look likely to last longer than the euro. There’s no escaping stories, or the pressures to tell them. And so the pathetic story-pitcher turns to pop science—to Jonathan Gottschall’s new book, “The Storytelling Animal,” for instance— for some scientific, or at least speculative, ideas about what makes stories work and why we like them. Gottschall’s encouraging thesis is that human beings are natural storytellers—that they can’t help telling stories, and that they turn things that aren’t really stories into stories because they like narratives so much. Everything—faith, science, love—needs a story for people to find it plausible. No story, no sale. O.K. Anyone in dissent? But this claim, itself hardly momentous, then opens onto something sadly like a forced march of the platitudes: We all like stories.

Creatures of Coherence: Why We're So Obsessed With Causation

Others who have replicated Michotte’s test have discerned similar results. “Experiments have shown that six-month-old infants see the sequence of events as a cause-effect scenario, and they indicate surprise when the sequence is altered,” Kahneman writes. “We are evidently ready from birth to have impressions of causality.”

"Rule 1: Truth and Falsity Do Not Matter"

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:48:24 -0800

Frequently dismissed as trivial or unimportant because untrue, rumors are a potent in the information war that characterizes contemporary conflicts, and they participate in significant ways in the struggle for the consent of the governed. As narrative forms, rumors are suitable to a wide range of political expression, from citizens, insurgents, and governments alike. The authors make a compelling argument for understanding rumors in these contexts as "narrative IEDs," low-cost, low-tech weapons that can successfully counter elaborate and expansive government initiatives of outreach campaigns or strategic communication efforts.

Narrative Landmines - The Explosive Effects of Rumors in Syria and Insurgencies Around the World Narrative Landmines And America Abroad

The authors suggest that the most powerful rumors fit into “rumor mosaics,” collections of stories that together suggest a narrative. When a narrative and its mosaic connect well with the people’s experiences, hopes and fears, they are more likely to be believed. (In the case of the cattle inoculation program, Iraqis had seen more cattle dying than usual, and also saw their history as full of foreign depredation; these fed the poisoning rumor.) The people respond accordingly—“Rumors are the reality of the citizens who believe them.”

Emile Simpson: This is the strategic narrative we need in Afghanistan now - "(By ‘strategic narrative' I mean the explanation of actions: the lens that we propose to people through which to view the conflict.)" Tom Ricks: What a strategic narrative is -- and how to use it. "Another soft aspect of information warfare is rumor war."The British WWII Rumor Campaign Narrative Landmines on Project Muse. A National Strategic Narrative, previously

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Fizz — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:49:50 -0800

Fuck the straight line. by Chuck Wendig

Just In Time For The Equinox

The Whelk — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:47:07 -0800

About a week ago a series of tweets began to appear promoting a new TEDx conference taking place with all the normal social media bluster and back-patting - but was it? The event's isolated location should've set off warning bells (previously) when the tweets from "TedxSummerisle" because increasingly worrisome as the conference tumblr began posting videos with titles like "Our Friends the Bees, and Nanotech" and "The Secret Science of the Ancients". (via)

Aspiring Animators & Game Designers, Study Your Calculus & Combinatorics

zarq — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:20:49 -0800

Every film Pixar has produced has landed in the top fifty highest-grossing animated films of all time. What's their secret? Mathematics. Oh, and 22 Rules of Storytelling. Dr. DeRose has recently been giving lectures about the Pixar formula ("story, concept art, modeling, rigging, shading and lighting") around the country. On Youtube: Movies, Math and Making. PDFs of his papers are archived at Pixar's website. Vimeo: Math in the Movies: Making It All Add Up

I ♥ DULUTH, The Story of the Maria Bamford Show

Toekneesan — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:41:49 -0800

About a year after her participation in the groundbreaking Comedy Central documentary series the Comedians of Comedy, Maria Bamford was on stage at the Friars Club in LA when a heckler began shouting at her. What happened after that isn’t entirely clear, other than Bamford had a breakdown, walked off stage, and disappeared. She was found three months later selling clock radios on the sidewalks of Detroit. A fellow homeless person, who was also a Comedy Central fan, recognized Bamford and eventually her parents were contacted. They brought her back home to Deluth, Minnesota and began to get her help. Maria decided to document her recovery in a series of short videos called The Maria Bamford Show, which were first posted to the TBS networks' now abandoned Super Deluxe Web site. • The Maria Bamford Show: 01 Dropout • The Maria Bamford Show: 02 Maria Gets A Job • The Maria Bamford Show: 03 Kicked Out • The Maria Bamford Show: 04 Search for Meaning • The Maria Bamford Show: 05 Ready for Love • The Maria Bamford Show: 06 Mother's Day • The Maria Bamford Show: 07 Showtime • The Maria Bamford Show: 08 Crevasse • The Maria Bamford Show: 09 Bread • The Maria Bamford Show: 10 Dark • The Maria Bamford Show: 11 Will • The Maria Bamford Show: 12 Faith • The Maria Bamford Show: 13 Oh - CD • The Maria Bamford Show: 14 Death and Happiness • The Maria Bamford Show: 15 Boredom • The Maria Bamford Show: 16 Acting Out • The Maria Bamford Show: 17 Horror • The Maria Bamford Show: 18 Moving • The Maria Bamford Show: 19 Replacement • The Maria Bamford Show: 20 Exit Her latest effort solo effort is Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special which she recorded in her living room, for an audience of two—her parents. The Onion’s AV Club called it, “[O]ne of the most fearless and bracingly dark explorations of mental illness in recent memory. But since the special is the product of Bamford’s beautifully tormented mind, it has the benefit of being consistently hilarious.” Slate: Stand-up Comedy and Mental Illness: A Conversation with Maria Bamford. She is currently doing the voice of the Hot Dog Princess on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, and has apparently signed on to the Netflix re-boot of Arrested Development. Bonus Material: Maria on Jesse Thorn's The Sound of Young America, 2007. Maria joins Marc Maron during the live filming of What the Fuck at UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, 2009. Maria on Marc Maron's What the Fuck in 2011 (segment c). Maria Explains Global Conflict. Maria recounts her visit to a Morning Zoo radio show. Maria on and in Minnesota. The Maria Bamford Activity Guide. 2004 interview with Scene Missing magazine. previously 1 & 2

Kurt Vonnegut's diagram of how a story works

angrycat — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:55:56 -0800

Maya Eliam does a graphic representing Vonnegut's thesis of story-telling.

"This bout brought in about 2,000 people…in a town of 3,000 people"

iamkimiam — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 05:00:51 -0800

Journalists miss the real ($60M) roller derby story. Every time.

Nicholson Reads Kipling

Charlemagne In Sweatpants — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:47:15 -0800

Jack Nicholson reads Kipling's Just So Stories with music by Bobby McFerrin Part 2

The Ultimate List of Gawker Media Longreads

reenum — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:39:25 -0800

The Ultimate List of Gawker Media Longreads for 2012

H+

zarq — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:00:17 -0800

This past August, producer Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men) launched a new digital series: H+. The premise: in the near future, 33% of humanity has retired their smartphones, tablets and computers in favor of an implanted computer system, H+, which connects them directly to the internet 24/7. The story begins as a computer virus attacks the implants, killing billions. In intersecting storylines across four continents (told in part through flashbacks,) the series then unravels what happened, who caused it and why. In the storyline, the H+ System was developed by Nano Teoranta, which was originally a medical device company. H+ has financial backing from Warner Bros (reportedly $2 million USD,) was shot in Santiago, Chile and is almost done airing its first season. The first season of the series takes place over 48 episodes lasting between four and eight minutes, for a total running time of 255 minutes. Though Warner Digital Distribution plans to release the series on a weekly basis, like any regular series, the episodes are meant to be viewed differently than anything on TV. "We set out to write a nonlinear story," explains series co-writer and co-creator John Cabrera. "The big question for this disjointed story was whether there were ways to view it that felt good. At a certain point we started to realize that might be something we put into the hands of the audience." The fragmented nature of the short episodes means viewers are encouraged to mix and match to create episodic playlists that may better illuminate the show's intricate, ongoing mysteries. Instead of making watching a passive experience, being online encourages interaction.
New episodes premiere Wednesdays at 12pm PST. The series is broken up into ‘chapter’ playlists of 20-30 minutes each: Chapter 1: The Beginnings (Also see a new annotated playlist for Chapter 1) Chapter 2: Foreign Bodies Chapter 3: Connections Chapter 4: Malfunctions Chapter 5: New Visions Chapter 6: Convergences Chapter 7: Residual Effects Cast Interviews and Behind the Scenes Footage YouTube Channel / Official Site / Facebook (requires login) / Wikipedia (Includes cast list)

...and they were separated.

curious nu — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:23:43 -0800

Eleanor Davis watched some friends skin a roadkill'd fox, and illustrated the process.

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zarq — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:13:56 -0800

On November 30, the Tampa Bay Times published a sympathetic profile of Spring Hill, FL resident Gretchen Molannen: "Persistent genital arousal disorder brings woman agony, not ecstasy." Her condition, also known as PGAD, is a rare sexual disorder (not recognized by the DSM,) 'characterized by spontaneous, persistent, unwanted sexual arousal unrelated to feelings of sexual desire.' The Times reported that Ms. Molannen's condition had virtually destroyed her personal and professional life and led to several suicide attempts. One day after the article was published, she successfully committed suicide. The first link in this post describes Ms. Molannen's suicide attempts, which some may find disturbing. CBS News: Gretchen Molannen's suicide spotlights debilitating effects of persistent genital arousal disorder. Ms. Molannen was able to identify her condition after watching a 20/20 report several years ago. The second Tampa Bay article mentions an online PGAD support group. and gives an timeline of the newspaper's involvement: Molannen agreed to tell her story in July. The Times interviewed her for a total of 10 hours, about half in person and half on the phone. In August, she went before a disability judge for a second time. He later rejected Molannen's disability claim and she gave that rejection letter to the Times. Last week, after the story had been written and edited but before it was published, it was read to Molannen word for word. Several small details were removed at her request. Before publication, the Times thanked her over the phone and in an email for her help. She replied by email on Nov. 28:
"Thank YOU for taking an interest in doing a story for me! I am flattered that you cared so much to want to help. I just hope this will educate people that this is serious and really exists, and that other women who are suffering in silence will now have the courage to talk to a doctor about it. If men have suffered with the shame of impotence or even priapism, now it's time for women to get help as well. Thank you for your patience with me and for devoting so much time to this. I'm sure your editor is very proud of your work and I'm excited to see my own story online."
The Times tried to reach Molannen over the weekend by text, phone and email to see how she was doing. She did not respond. On Monday, her boyfriend sent the Times an email, saying she had committed suicide and the story "won't help her now."

"Asking where a fairy tale came from is like asking who invented the meatball."

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 07:32:19 -0800

Once Upon A Time - The Lure Of The Fairy Tale Do fairy tales still have appeal? - "The world’s stubborn refusal to grant our wishes lies behind the sudden revival of old stories" Author Philip Pullman has a New English Version of the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales.

The Ships We Sail - an Anthology of Stories about Love in Transit

Brandon Blatcher — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 10:40:42 -0800

The Ships We Sail - an Anthology of Stories about Love in Transit [via mefi projects]

Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work

Wordshore — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:03:05 -0800

The author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a popular MetaFilter topic, was born 177 years ago today (November 30th 1835) in Missouri. The printer, riverboat pilot, game designer, journalist, lecturer, technology investor, gold miner, publisher and patent holder wrote short stories, essays, novels and non-fiction under the pen name Mark Twain. This included The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (recently adapted into a musical), one of the top five challenged books of the 1990s, published in 1884-85 to a mixed reception and with an ending that still causes debate. The extensively quoted author of the Tom Sawyer stories, Mark's work and life are still the subject of research, imitation, analysis, interpretation (disturbing claymation) and inspiration (nsfw). Mark lived his last few years in Redding, Connecticut, where he donated many books to the local public library association. Footage of Mark Twain at his home; photographed in 1867, 1902, with family, as a lecturer and with various friends. Mark died on April 21st 1910 and is immortalised in Google doodles, stamps, benches and forthcoming commemorative coins. His works are widely available online in various digital formats, for ebook readers and at your local public library and bookshop. He also liked cats.

The computer /is/ your friend

DataPacRat — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:01:26 -0800

Friendship is Optimal is not a "My Little Pony" fanfic, but a SF story that starts with a procedurally-generated MLP MMO, and crescendos to what could very well be the Best Possible Outcome if self-optimizing algorithms are given /almost/ the right goals. Some readers are horrified by the implications; some want to move into "Equestria Online" anyway. Whichever camp you fall in, you'll never forget the phrase "satisfy human values through friendship and ponies".

<3

roomthreeseventeen — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:31:27 -0800

The Beautiful Daughter: How My Korean Mother Gave Me the Courage to Transition

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

Rhaomi — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 17:14:58 -0800

She sat zazen, concentrating on not concentrating, until it was time to prepare for the appointment. Sitting seemed to produce the usual serenity, put everything in perspective. Her hand did not tremble as she applied her make-up; tranquil features looked back at her from the mirror. She was mildly surprised, in fact, at just how calm she was, until she got out of the hotel elevator at the garage level and the mugger made his play. She killed him instead of disabling him. Which was obviously not a measured, balanced action--the official fuss and paperwork could make her late. Annoyed at herself, she stuffed the corpse under a shiny new Westinghouse roadable whose owner she knew to be in Luna, and continued on to her own car. This would have to be squared later, and it would cost. No help for it--she fought to regain at least the semblance of tranquillity as her car emerged from the garage and turned north. Nothing must interfere with this meeting, or with her role in it. "Melancholy Elephants," an enthralling, Hugo Award-winning short story by Spider Robinson about a disciplined operative, a powerful senator, and a crucial mission to preserve humanity's most precious resource. (some spoilers inside) Appropriately, Robinson's is not the only story on this theme -- as witness David Brin's 1997 tale "Reality Check." Some argue the limits of the possible are cosmic. But with the increasing proliferation of sequels and remakes, perhaps it's closer to 1,462. Or thirty-six. Or seven. Or four.

Click-Clack the Rattle Bag

kristi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:33:44 -0800

Neil Gaiman reads a story that scared people. A new Neil Gaiman story is available from Audible. It's free, and every copy downloaded means a donation to DonorsChoose or BookTrust. (Neil does ask that you wait to listen to it until after dark.)

"Many of the great political crimes of recent history were committed in the name of memory."

the man of twists and turns — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:50:17 -0800

Telling Stories About The Stories We Tell, An Interview with Philip Gourevitch

But what really interests me ultimately is not to record the past, so much as how people live with the past and get on with it. There’s a kind of fetishization of memory in our culture. Some of it comes from the experience and the memorial culture of the Holocaust—the injunction to remember. And it also comes from the strange collision of Freud and human rights thinking—the belief that anything that is not exposed and addressed and dealt with is festering and going to come back to destroy you. This is obviously not true. Memory is not such a cure-all. On the contrary, many of the great political crimes of recent history were committed in large part in the name of memory. The difference between memory and grudge is not always clean. Memories can hold you back, they can be a terrible burden, even an illness. Yes, memory—hallowed memory—can be a kind of disease. That’s one of the reasons that in every culture we have memorial structures and memorial days, whether for personal grief or for collective historical traumas. Because you need to get on with life the rest of the time and not feel the past too badly. I’m not talking about letting memory go. The thing is to contain memory, and then, on those days, or in those places, you can turn on the tap and really touch and feel it. The idea is not oblivion or even denial of memory. It’s about not poisoning ourselves with memory."

Philip Gourevitch (previously) is the author of We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families, which "chronicles what has happened in Rwanda and neighboring states since 1994, when the Rwandan government called on everyone in the Hutu majority to murder everyone in the Tutsi minority. " He has been interviewed by, among others, The Browser, The Economist, and PBS's Frontline.

Always wondered if Tom went on to work in banking.

Miko — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:10:04 -0800

John D. Fitzgerald had written three fictionalized memoirs of his family's life in the late 19th-century Utah west before the night he happened to regale a group of friends with childhood stories of his money-crazed brother, Tom. At their urging, he crafted a funny and clever series of children's books chronicling the adventures of The Great Brain. Like countless other readers, the blogger and researcher behind Finding Fitzgerald (and its companion blog and Facebook page) has been fascinated with discovering the real settings and stories behind the books. And the truly committed can even watch Jimmy Osmond in the 1978 film adaptation.

As you wish!

Artw — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:11:31 -0800

It's The Princess Bride's 25th anniversary! Little known facts about it. Fred Savage remembers. Why it's Jonathan Haynes's favorite film. Reunion. And don't worry, there's no remake in the works.

Second Person Feline

The Whelk — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:38:25 -0800

"You are a cat. You don’t know your name, or where you are, or how you got there. You are sitting on a pile of clothes that smell familiar, and the room around you is quiet and dark." So begins A Stray In The Woods, an online collaborate comic/illustrated interactive fiction about being an amnesic cat. Take control of the story by suggesting things for the cat to do. [via mefi projects]

Two Words: Extremist Sharks

vidur — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:43:45 -0800

"To aid the national security community in imagining contemporary threats, the Australian Security Research Centre (ASRC) is organising Australia’s Security Nightmares: The National Security Short Story Competition. The competition aims to produce a set of short stories that will contribute to a better conception of possible future threats and help defence, intelligence services, emergency managers, health agencies and other public, private and non-government organisations to be better prepared." (via)