Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 13:59:03 +1100
From: hbone <hbone-AT-optonline.net>
Subject: Re: The Matrix - Reloaded



Geof,

I never saw crows in Europe. Crows in U.S. are noisy, very wary, and
intelligent.  I saw one documentary in which a crow waits for the light to
change before flying to the street and picking up roadkill.

Ravens are also intelligent.  Scandanavians fishing through holes in the ice
decided they were being robbed.  They set up a camera and the tape shows a
raven lifting the fishline   a  few inches with one claw, standing on the
line with other claw, and repeating the operation until it retrieves and
eats a small fish.

regards,
Hugh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


> Steve asks,
>
> > Regarding the Matrix - do Crows in the USA behave as the Crows do in The
> > Matrix Reloaded ?  I ask because it occured to me that in Europe Crows
> > do not behave as in the movie and I wondered what a book on birds would
> > read like in the Virtual world of the Matrix.
>
> If I reca(w)ll correctly, the "crow scene" in Matrix 2 occurs right after
Neo
> speaks with the Oracle.  They fly forth from "the Virus" (Mr. Smith) in a
> regularity that somewhat foreshadows the crow-like doubling of Smith's in
that
> particular fight sequence.
>
> What's worth noting is that both the Oracle AND Mr. Smith are viral.  (I
do not
> know if this holds true of the causal-seeking Frenchman or his rather
curious
> double-dreadlocks-vampires, though.)  Before speculating on Crow's in the
> United States, it is worth ruminating on pairing of the Oracle and Mr.
Smith.
> The latter in particular intrigues me:  Consider his name as crow-like,
"Smith"
> is a common (crow) name, his uniform (like Resevoir Dogs) is black, and
his
> sunglasses reflect crow-like eyes.
>
> As to the Oracle, she selects a playground environment to await Neo's
> approach.  One question this raises is how common are crows in urban
settings
> like playgrounds?  A pigeon would seem a more likely resident.  But
pigeons are
> somehow more cow-like, they amble out of one's way; is the same true for
> crows?  I have seen crows often along rural roadside working on a carcass,
but
> seldom gathered in such a swarm in an urban area.  Were these crows
gathered
> for the breadcrumb amusement of the Oracle, though?  She makes reference
to
> them, if I remember correctly...what does she say, though?
>
> Of related interest, might it be said that Mr. Smith and the Oracle share
the
> same familiar?  Crows instead of Black Cats?
>
> Corvus brachyrhynchos, the American Crow, the "Common Crow." According to
my
> book on birds, they are most assuredly not Ravens, for the latter appear
only
> in wilderness areas (tho', admittedly, The Matrix is diff. from the US or
the
> UK on this pt. probably).  It says here that "crows make interesting pets
if
> obtained while quite young; some learn to mimic the human voice.  They
often
> carry off and hide bright objects."
>
> Your query as to what a book in the Matrix would say about birds is a
> provocative one.  Is there a Haraway of that landscape?  Someone who has
> written about the "cyb(ird)orgs"?  What would it say?...I wish I could
remember
> what the Oracle said to Neo in this respect...anyone?
>
> But to speculate further about the Orac(row)al, I LINK (for no good
reason! =)
> to Thomas Wilson's 1560 Art of Rhetoric text wherein he makes a mention of
> Crows.  He says, "For if we be fully disposed to remember a thing, we do
call
> up the memory and stir it to mind things like thereunto.  As if one be
called
> Wingfield and fear to forget this name, I might remember the wing of a
bird and
> green field to walk in.  Sometimes we remember the whole by keeping in
mind
> some part of the word.  As when one is called Crowcroft, I might be
remembering
> of a crow the rather mind his name" (240).
>
> caw-caw-caw =),
>
> g. c(aw)rter
>
>
>
>