Hack The Matrix

The Matrix on TBS...

I recieved an e-mail from Seth Miller, the Web Producer at TBS Superstation.com, letting me know that The Matrix is going to be shown on TBS November 2, 3, and 4th. Along with the film I gather that there are going to be some extra things as well. Here is a link to the TBS page that talks about their "special."

TBS: The Matrix

And on he 7th day there was rest...

This is an e-mail from Logan,a reader, about a few theories on Neo and the Merovingian, as well as the Dual Matrix Theory, and a few more things.

On ideas about the "previous ones"....


Two things that I came across. One, it is possible that the whole theory that Neo is the sixth one which was not a special number in the bible could also be interpreted as a reference to genesis. God worked on the Earth for 6 days and on the 7th their was rest and peace. It is possible that Neo is the last of the
ones to "work" at freeing the humans from the matrix. In which case there would be no need for a 7th matrix, or anomaly for that matter.
Two, the theory that Neo and the Merovingian are both "Ones" (for lack of a better term) and therefore Neo is a program is either false, or it
supports the dual matrix theory. Neo should not be able to be as he is (in appearance and manner) in the real world if he is indeed a program.
So either the theory is false, or there is a matrix inside of a matrix. If the latter is true, then that means that if Neo does succeed in
"re-freeing" the human race, then he will not be able to share their bliss, but will die with the matrix.

Thanks for the e-mail Logan.

Reference Site

I got this from an e-mail the other day. It is a good reference site for the films, absolutely chock full of information.

http://www.geocities.com/rushi4687

Give it a look.

Plotinus and "The One"

A friend of mine told me the other day of a Greek philosopher he had learned about in history class named Plotinus, and how some of his concepts may apply somehow to The Matrix, he just didn't want to look into it. So, I did a little research and there seems to be some possible connections between Plotinus' philosophy and The Matrix. I found an excellent website that from what I can tell has all of his works organized and available. Here are some more pertinent excerpts from the stuff that I read, and here is the link if you want to check out all of it.


To quote from the website, Plotinus developed a complex spiritual cosmology involving three hypostases: the One, the Intelligence, and the Soul. From this it is easy to see the almost immediate implications that Plotinus could have on some ideas that exist in The Matrix. Reading further however it is also easy to find a lot of ambiguities, meaning that some of his ideas could be associated with The Matrix if one wants to believe that. What I am trying to say is that if you are trying to find some connectino between Plotinus and The Matrix, then you will find one. This does not mean however, that there was meant to be a connection found. Anyways, as stated above there are three main pervading ideas in Plotinus' spiritual cosmology, I will look at them in three separate parts. So, today will be the first part, which is appropriately Plotinus' idea of "The One".

The One: Part 1 of 3

The 'concept' of the One is not, properly speaking, a concept at all, since it is never explicitly defined by Plotinus, yet it is nevertheless the foundation and grandest expression of his philosophy. Plotinus does make it clear that no words can do justice to the power of the One; even the name, 'the One,' is inadequate, for naming already implies discursive knowledge, and since discursive knowledge divides or separates its objects in order to make them intelligible, the One cannot be known through the process of discursive reasoning (Ennead VI.9.4). Knowledge of the One is achieved through the experience of its 'power' (dunamis) and its nature, which is to provide a 'foundation' (arkhe) and location (topos) for all existents (VI.9.6). The 'power' of the One is not a power in the sense of physical or even mental action; the power of the One, as Plotinus speaks of it, is to be understood as the only adequate description of the 'manifestation' of a supreme principle that, by its very nature, transcends all predication and discursive understanding.....

The perfect contemplation of the One, however, must not be understood as a return to a primal source; for the One is not, strictly speaking, a source or a cause, but rather the eternally present possibility -- or active making-possible -- of all existence, of Being (V.2.1). According to Plotinus, the unmediated vision of the 'generative power' of the One, to which existents are led by the Intelligence (V.9.2), results in an ecstatic dance of inspiration, not in a satiated torpor (VI.9.8); for it is the nature of the One to impart fecundity to existents -- that is to say: the One, in its regal, indifferent capacity as undiminishable potentiality of Being, permits both rapt contemplation and ecstatic, creative extension. These twin poles, this 'stanchion,' is the manifested framework of existence which the One produces, effortlessly (V.1.6). The One, itself, is best understood as the center about which the 'stanchion,' the framework of the cosmos, is erected (VI.9.8). This 'stanchion' or framework is the result of the contemplative activity of the Intelligence.


In bold are some key words or concepts that help secure the tie between The Matrix and Plotinus, but I also decided to make the references to the "Intelligence" bold because the "Intelligence" is the second part of Plotinus' cosmology.

So, we have here some pretty vague things that need to be expanded upon to make them a bit more crystalline. We read here about the One itself is something beyond comprehension and reason, it is something that exists to lay a foundation and give a place for all of existence to well, exist. This can be brought back to Neo quite easily with the notion that his job is to clear out the machines and make safe a place for all of mankind to exist, or, to at least make it so that both mankind and machine can co-exist. Also, there is a mention to the power of The One. Plotinus states that the power of the one is not a physical, or even mental power, but rather it is " the 'manifestation' of a supreme principle that, by its very nature, transcends all predication and discursive understanding". Meaning again that The One, and the powers that he would posess bypasses all human understanding and reason. This says a lot because at the end of Reloaded we see Neo able to bring his "powers" over into what we believe is the real world. The whole time this is happening everyone is saying that it is impossible, that Neo can't do that, but if there is any validity in the tie between Plotinus and The Matrix, then I believe this definition of The One may shed some light on our confusion.

The second part of Plotinus' explanation of the one holds some interesting terms,such as "the source", "the Intelligence", and "ecstatic dance of inspiriation". First off, we read that to understand The One, to perfectly understand The One, is not thinking that The One exists in a primal state or simplistic state, like that of someone who reaches Nirvana in the Buddhist fate. This correlates loosely to the point in Reloaded when Neo disregards the Architect and leaves the source. The Intelligence isn't something that I am going to elaborate on now, because it is the focus point of the second part of this, but it is something to be thinking about. Finally though we read about how The One, and how his "undiminishable potentiality of Being, permits both rapt contemplation and ecstatic, creative extension". Very loosely said, this could have something to do with the whole rave/dance cave scene after Morpheus' speech in which he promises an end to the war, and eludes to the potential resurgence of the human race. Indirectly all of this is tied to Neo, and that is where the connection occurs.

In conclusion, one could read into Plotinus' cosmology pretty deeply and no doubt find many connections. At the same time though, one must entertain the idea that these are only coincidences, and maybe not purpseful. Either way, I believe this is fun, and thought provoking, and again,here is the link to the site that has the entirety of Plotinus' works available to you, The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

So, leave me some feedback with your thoughts, and as always, if you have something of your own that you want other people to read, just send it my way and I'll put it up, my e-mail is justingauthier@mail.com.

Some New Links

It has been a while, and I apologize, I have been getting aclimated to the college lifestyle. I am pretty settled in now, so I will start back with the banter. I recieved an e-mail from David with some pretty interesting links. As he said in his e-mail..

[The first is fun (how to have a Matrix party); the second is a more serious (but short!) philosophical article, about why the Matrix is real and in fact, man has always been a "world-builder".]

It is some pretty interesting conntent and I would recomend checking it out. Here are the links.


How to throw a Matrix party.

Men as World Builders


Here is a little excerpt:

The problem of the matrix in The Matrix is not that the humans are in an artificial environment; we've been in artificial environments ever since we built our first homes. The problem is that the matrix is a prison – it's an environment that people are unaware of, and cannot (easily) escape from. As the character Morpheus says, it is a “prison for your mind.”


Thanks for staying with me all this time, there is more to come so stay tuned.

And the results are in...

After a few weeks up the poll for the best Animatrix episode has come to a close, and the winner is......(dramatic drum roll).......

The 2nd Renaissance: I & II

It grabbed 31% of the votes, and the rest of the episodes came in as follows...

Final Flight of the Oriris 19%
Matriculated 13%
Beyond 12%
Kid's Story 9%
A Detective Story 6%
World Record 5%
Program 5%


There you have it. I am sorry that I have not been keeping up on this blog, but I am running out of things to write about...soooo...if you have something to say about the matrix, new or old theories about anything involved with the movie, or just want to voice your opinion on something that has been written here, drop me a line, justingauthier@mail.com, or catch me on AIM, runningmazungo. I will be more than happy to talk with you about The Matrix, or anything for that matter.

Iterations

I received an e-mail from Del talking about the different versions of the one and how, or if, they are able to exist in the newer versions of the matrix, which I touched upon a while ago in my post, Where'd the Ones Go? on May 26th, but here is a new interesting take on things.

Iterations
By: Del

As The Architect stated, Neo is the sixth emergence of The One... Version 6, if you will. From this, we gather that there are five previous iterations of The One who may or may not continue to exist within The Matrix.

Many have theorized that The Merovingian is one of these previous iterations. This theory is largely based upon Persephone's statement to Neo just before she kisses him: "He was once like you". Also, the Merovingian's restaurant is on the 101st floor. Remember, Thomas Anderson lived in apt 101.

If The Merovingian is one of the previous iterations of The One, then he cannot be from Version 5. Just before The Merovingian exits the chateau, he says to Neo: "I survived your predecessors, and I will survive you, as well." Because "predecessors" is plural and not singular, The Merovingian must be from Version 4 or earlier.

However, there may be more than one previous iteration of The One still within The Matrix. I'm referring to The Trainman. He was seen briefly in Reloaded, had one line in Enter The Matrix, and appears in the trailer for Revolutions. Before I talk about his brief appearance in Reloaded, his line in Enter The Matrix is: "72 hours...that's how long Zion lasted last time..."

From this, we gather that The Trainman is aware of what's going on. He describes himself as "Nobody... a spectator".

If we theorize that The Merovingian is one of the previous iterations of The One, then it is equally possible that The Trainman is another iteration. This is further enforced by his single appearance in Reloaded.

At the end of Neo's scene with The Oracle, she tells him to go to The Merovingian. She hands Neo a slip of paper with a location and time on it and says "Be there at that exact time, and you will have a chance." When the rebels arrive at the Merovingian's restaurant, at the exact time specified by The Oracle, we see The Trainman being escorted out by Cain & Abel.

Furthermore, in Enter The Matrix, The Oracle explains her new face to Niobe by saying "The Merovingian warned me that if I made a certain choice, it would cost me. He is, among other things, a man of his word." She then explains that the choice was to help Neo or not.

From The Oracle's new face, we gather that she did, in fact, help Neo. It is also worthy to note that both The Architect and The Merovingian display disgust and anger when they speak about The Oracle.

The Oracle describes The Merovingian as "a very dangerous program" who was "one of the first", and holds great power within The Matrix.

Given this fact, if we theorize that The Merovingian is a previous iteration of The One (possibly Version 1), then it must be postulated that all iterations of The One are, in fact, programs. As far as I know right now, this theory is the only current explanation as to how previous iterations of The One can continue to exist within a later version of The Matrix.

It is also worth noting that The Architect says Neo "carries code" that must be reinserted to create Version 7. I don't know how a human can carry code.

Given the following:

1. The Merovingian is a previous iteration of The One. 2. The Merovingian is a program.

Then how does Persephone fit? If The Merovingian is Neo, then Persephone is Trinity.

In the first film, Cypher tells Trinity that he used to be in love with her. Before Apoc dies, his last word was "Trinity"... not "Switch". I believe this alludes to the fact that he also was in love with Trinity. In Enter The Matrix, we learn that Ghost also loves Trinity and that his love will always be unrequited.

If Persephone is The Merovingian's Trinity, then it is logical to assume that Trinity, also, is a program. In Reloaded and Enter The Matrix, we see that Persephone likes to do a lot of kissing. She affects men in a certain way. It would appear that Trinity also has that effect among the men she serves with.

This leads me to one more conclusion:

The machines will succeed. All of the rebels will die. Zion will be destroyed. I came to this conclusion based upon what I've seen in the films. First, The Wachowskis are obsessive about numbers within The Matrix. In Reloaded, we learn that Neo is from Version 6.

That's the wrong number.

In the Bible, which the Wachowskis reference almost constantly throughout their films, 6 is not a good number. If Neo were indeed to save Zion and all of humanity, then shouldn't he be from Version 7? In the Bible, seven is a holy number. It is one of God's numbers. I do not believe that Neo being from Version 6 is a simple oversight, simply because such things are practically impossible to find within The Matrix.

The Wachowskis have made some oversights, but nothing major that would affect the story in any way. For instance, in Enter The Matrix, Sparks says "I don't think you're crazy... I think you have a death wish! A major, full-on Bronson!" The problem with this sentence is that Sparks is an operator. He has no plugs in his body, and has never entered The Matrix. He is a Zion native. If that's the case, then how can Sparks know who Charles Bronson is?

A minor glitch. Nothing that will affect anything. It was just a cute throwaway line that wasn't quite right.

I don't believe they'd make the same mistake with Neo's version number. I believe the fact that Neo is from Version 6 was intentional.

Given this, I believe The Matrix will still continue to exist after Revolutions. Perhaps there will be more Matrix movies, perhaps not.

Lastly, I believe Sparks, as a character, is an homage and/or direct copy of Sparks from Sealab 2021 on Adult Swim. Both are antagonistic assholes who are self-centered, nihilistic, and utterly lacking in compassion. They also both wear earpieces with boom mikes and function as operators.

Finally Some Answers

Over at Matrix Essays there is some interesting stuff involving the licence plates and such in Reloaded. For a time I have been trying to convince my friends that the plates have signifigance in the film, otherwise they wouldn't be in such plain view deliberately in the shot. They just thought I was overanalyzing, but alas ther is some light shed on it! For example...

"When Agent Smith pulls up in an Audi at the beginning of the film, his license plate is 'IS 5416'. In the King James Bible, Isaiah 54:16 says, 'Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.'"

That is just a little bit of it, so go and read that, good stuff. Another thing that comes right to mind is on the Ducati motorcylce that Trinity and the Keymaker ride in the highway scene. Its "ID" number is on the side of it in plain view quite a few times during the chase, I cannot recall what it is at this point in time so I am going to try and find some pictures of it, unless someone else knows what it is.

A Little Facelift

I was having some problems with the old template so I decided to try some things to see if I couldn't fix the problems that I was having. I'll be working a little on the new look with hopefully some new graphics and such, nothing important really, just changing the aesthetics of the site. If you think it it ugly or looking decent please let me know, justingauthier@mail.com

Reasons Behind the Ethnicity of Zion

I've heard people asking about why is Zion made up mainly of darker skinned people and not caucasian people. I hadn't given much thought to it personally, but I stumbled upon an article that explains it. Here is the little snippet I am talking about...

People of color outnumber whites in the world's population, he noted. "It's not just the representation in numbers but the humanity displayed," said West, whose writings urge cross-cultural tolerance and a recognition of the power of diversity. "The acknowledgment of the full-fledged and complex humanity of black people is a new idea in Hollywood, given all the stereotypes and distortions," he said.

The article is rather interesting and it explains a little about the actor who plays Counciler Haman, Cornel West, who is actually a professor at Harvard University, and how he got the part and so on. You can find it here.

Some New and Some Old

I was posting on a message board this morning in response to someone asking a question about the scene where Bane/Smith cuts himself, so I thought I would just put my thoughts up on here as well. This is mostly old stuff but there is some new theory in there as well.


There is some signifigance in the scene where Bane/Smith cuts his hand. The obvious being now that Smith is in the "real" world he wants to feel pain, and other things that he never could have experienced. However, he cuts two slices in his hand, that also resemble the Roman numeral 2, and two has signifigance in the film. First of all back in the matrix Neo's first name was Thomas, which means twin or two, and also the audience is starting to see the similarities between Smith and Neo now that each one has copied part of himself onto he other, which would suggest that they are alike, or twins, we see the theme of two tying together quite nicely.

Also, if anyone has played Enter the Matrix then they would have seen that cut scene where Bane/Smith adds a third cut to his hand, this time at the top of the two pre-existing lines, which represents the mathematical symbol of PI. As we all know number theory and mathematics are a big influence in the matrix, PI itself occurring somewhere else in the film, when the Keymaker says they have exactly 314 seconds(3.14 the abbreviated form of PI). Anyway, Bane/Smith putting the symbol for PI on his hand may suggest that Smith, just like PI, is becoming infinite. As we know PI, in decimal form, has yet to repeate itself, thus making it infinite, just like Smith who is duplicating himself and will continue to until stopped, thus making him infinite.

Matrices or Matrixes?

I was just sitting around today, not that that is different from any other day really, and I was just doing the proverbial "surfing" of the world wide wow, sorry, I mean web, there was just an annoying AOL commercial on the TV. ANyway, I was reading an article on some random site when I came across a word that I had not seen before, so in my questioning nature I immediately set forth to Dictionary.com and looked up the word. So one thing led to another and suddenly I was transported back to my days in Algebra where I learned about what a matrix is. Of course I have forgotten the exact definition, so I went and looked it. I apologize for the completely irrelavant intro, but that's how the web goes.

Anyway, I just thought that it would be interesting to see why the Brothers Wachowski chose "the matrix" to be the name of the centeral focus and of course the title of their films. As we all know there is seemingly neverending amounts of symbolism and reasoning behind just about everything in these movies, so of course the name is going to be chosen for a reason, that just goes without saying. Some of the things I found were pretty interesting, and of course some of the things I found were pretty useless, but again, that's what you get with the web.

So here are the dictiionary defintions of the word "matrix", the ones that mean anything.

1. A situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates, develops, or is contained: “Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every form of freedom” (Benjamin N. Cardozo).

This is of course just saying that a matrix is just some benign substance or thing in which something else takes place or happens. As we all know the matrix is the "neural interactive simulation" created to occupy the human's minds whilst the machines use us for batteries, or if you subscribe to the school of thought presented in the essays entitled "The System", which can be found at the Matrix Essays, then it is something different, but I will stay away from that for now. What was really interesting was the quote attached to it, as Cardozo states that a matrix is the embodiment of free will. The matrix in the films is obviously the polar oppositte to that since it is nothing but a means of control, just something interesting.


2. The womb.

When you see the fields of humans being grown they look much like a fetus looks while it resides in its mother's womb. The humans are even curled up in the fetal position and surrounded by a placenta like substance in the pods, where they grow and mature, just like a baby in a womb.


5. A mold or die.

The matrix is a program designed as a mold where we the machines put our minds so that everything turns out the same and they can continue to have dominion over us.


9. Computer Science. The network of intersections between input and output leads in a computer, functioning as an encoder or a decoder.

In terms of this defintion the matrix is the intersection between the human mind and the machines, it decodes our brain waves and electrical signals so that they can be read by a computer and then it decodes them as they go back into our brains.



The one avenue that I have not explored is the actual mathematic defintion of what a matrix is and how that correlates with the movies. Mainly because I couldn't find any ties from the definition, but there is more behind it than just the defintion so there is probably something there that I am missing. Anyways, this stuff isn't anything ground breaking, just some interesting reasoning behind the name of the movie and all, just some brain candy.

One of the best theories I've heard

You have got to read this three part essay over at Matrix Essays, it discusses another theory that explains the trilogy. It is extremely well written and something that you have to read, here is just a little taste of it.

Therefore, the System, which is the real Matrix, is actually an iterative, adaptive program engineered by our future selves to facilitate the emergence of a truly intelligent artificial entity that will have a belief in free will indistinguishable from our own, and will ultimately become aware of its own nature and its relationship to the world in which it was conceived.

It is entitled "The System" and was written by Michael, it comes in three parts, just scroll down to find the first two parts, and I strongly suggest that everyone takes the time to read through these and read through all the comments left as they add even more to the essays, bravo for Michael for writing this and Tom for putting in on his site.

Quick question about archives...

To anyon who is readiing this that has experience with blogs I have a query. My archives were spazzing out for a while but I was able to fix most it, however, all of the archives before this week are gone, and I went through the FAQ and have found nothing letting me know how to retrieve lost archives because they aren't showing up, so, if anyone knows what to do, please let me know, thanks so much.

Cast your vote!

I have put up a little poll over on the side of the site so you can cast your vote on your favorite episode of the Animatrix. Lets see what you guys all think!

The Animatrix Awards

After watching through the Animatrixa few more times I have decided to write a little something about some of my favorite "episodes". First though, I would like pick some favorites of mine in some different categories that I devised while watching the Animatrix.


Animation
I have to go with "A Detective Story" and "Final Flight of the Osiris". It goes without saying that the level of realism achieved in Osiris is unparalleled, especially when Thadius and Joanne(I am not sure this is her name but it is the closest thing I could come up with) are face to face in the very beginning during the katana fight scene, it is just ubelievable! The amount of skin that is shown is also quite astounding, for anyone who has ever tried doing CG Animation, you know how difficult it is to make skin and hair look real, well, they nailed it on the head in Osiris. Finally, "A Detective Story" really wasn't anything groundbreaking, I just loved the feel of it, especially the snow, the fact that it was done by the guys who made Cowboy Bebop, just an overall joy to watch. Now, I'm not saying that all the other ones weren't good, these are just my two personal favorites.


Style
Style wise I have to go with a tie again, "World Record" and "Kid's Story". Both were refreshing to watch, the best of these two though goes to 'Kid's Story", I loved that shaky hand drawn type of style, espeically towards the end when everything begins to get distorted, very nice. Overall though I was very pleased with the Animatrix, going into it I just expected to see a whole lot of Anime, which isn't a bad thing, but I was certainly both surprised and pleased with it.


Story
Ah, this is a tough one to choose. How would I go about rating the stories? Well, first of all, I love the Matrix, and I extremely enjoy finding out more stuff about it, that's partly why I created this blog. That is what the Animatrix does, it gives you a glimpse at other facets of the matrix that are not explored in the films, so, overall I loved all the stories, but, I have to pick favorites so here it goes. "World Record" and "Beyond". For me, these two sessions really gave interesting and exciting glimpses into the matrix. In "World Record" you have a guy who "realizes" that the reality he believes is reality is really only a transitory state of mind, so he runs so hard that his muscles rip and snap, but he doesn't accept that as real so he goes on, and in doing this he "wakes up" from the matrix. Unfortunately though, the machines were aware of this, so right after he woke up, they simply reinserted him. This story shows us what happens to all the not so Neo's, that are able to realize the existence of the matrix, but don't actually make it out. Secondly, "Beyond" was amazing, this episode shows us more of the anomalies in the matrix. It has been pointed out that the matrix is not a perfect equation so there are mistakes. In Reloaded we are told that natural disasters, or freak occurrences are nothing more than mistakes in the matrix. In "Beyond" however, we get to actually see these mistakes. Also, we also get to see how the other 99% of humanity would deal with something like this. The main character, after experience these freak occurrences, doesn't really give a second thought to them and just keeps on with her life, like she doesn't care. Anyways, in my mind, these were the two best stories, although I have to give an honorable mention to "Kid's Story" and the whole self-substantiation idea, that was way cool.


Entertainment
Now obviously all of these episodes are extremely entertaining, but the ones that I would want to watch the most are Osiris and "Matriculated". Both of these episodes offer me a great deal of entertainment, there isn't much else to say about that.


Knowledge/Insight
This category is a lot like the Story category, but point of the Animatrix was to inform, and give us some history on it. So, for this category it is a no brainer. "The Second Renaissance: I & II" take the cake. I know I am not the only one who wanted to know, when Morpheus was giving us the cliff notes version of the war in The Matrix, what actually happened. This episode I believe had the most to offer in terms of knowledge, history, and insight as to why there is even a matrix to begin with. I am glad that they decided to show us all of it.



Well, that is it. As I have said before, overall I loved the Animatrix. It was an excellent edition to the trilogy and I am very glad that the W. Brothers decided to go through with it. I strongly urge any of you who have not seen it to go out and buy it or rent it or whatever, but is a must see for anyone interested in the matrix. I also would like to know what you think, so e-mail me, or leave a comment, let me know which ones you thought should've won in the above categories or just things that you liked about something, let me know.

Some Interesting Links

Here is a link to the abridged version of the Matrix Reloaded Script, a rather humorous take on it.
-THE MATRIX RELOADED: THE ABRIDGED SCRIPT By Rod Hilton


This is an extremely intersting site. The owner e-mailed me about and asked me to check it out, I did and needless to say I am very intrigued with it. I suggest that you check it out and help with the search for the answer to the "question that drives us mad", what is the matrix?
-Jon Lippe's Cell Phone

Has Smith Gone Unnoticed

Okay, so obviously as we have seen in Reloaded, the machines are often times more worried about the exiles, the renegade programs, than they are about the rebels. So, why haven't the machines done anything to try and get Smith taken care of. Especially now that he has started duplicating himself. Think about it, at that rate Smith could probably "take over" the whole human race inside the matrix. If that were to happen the machines would have quite a problem on their hands.

PI(MMMMMM)

No, not that kind of PI,

3.141592653589798594254864360313829340438145573431763425042576916719999025782926484920135789853191185950452987295269682469844607569190204601072121260892773947526465387520939147889838379128943

That kind of PI.

I was playing through Enter the Matrix the other day and I saw a cut scene with Bane, now, for those of you who have not yet played the game I will include a short description of the scene for it lasted only a few seconds. I can't recall where he was, but it showed Bane for a second then he looked down at his hand, the one that he sliced twice with a knife in Reloaded before attempting to kill Neo. The two cuts were slightly healed, then Bane made a third cut that was at the top of the two previous slices and intersected both of them, much resembling the symbol used to portray PI, 3.14 for that is, which can be seen here, with some explanation.

Another occurence of PI in Reloaded is, when talking with the Keymaker, the rebels discover that they have exactly 314 seconds after the power is cut to get into the door that will eventually lead to the source.

The Matrix is full of numerology and that is just a tiny bit of it. I was wondering also if there were any more incidents where PI popped up in the two pictures? E-mail me or leave a comment if you can think if one, and for a more in depth history of PI, check out this page.

Babies and Residual Self Image

Crowley left a comment asking the question about babies inside the matrix.

If babies are "grown" in the matrix pods, from the liquified dead, then their parents in the matrix "really" are not their parents, right? They really don't have parents. Because their parents in the Matrix didn't really have sex together?

So, there has to be a program in the matrix that keeps track of when a new baby is ready to be inserted into the Matrix, and then "matches" the it to a woman programmed to be pregnant? Right?

This raised a very interesting question that I don't think has been explored. So, how do babies occur within in the matrix? If you were to think about it then a possible explantion would be the machines would let people naturally have sex inside the matrix. The machines would then have some regular interval worked out for when a baby needs to be created to keep the population up. So the machines would then randomly choose a couple having sex and match the sperm and egg which ends up creating a baby. This has quite a huge hole in it though. If there are multiple farms then what happens if someone plugged in over in asia has sex with someone plugged in say in South America, it would be quite a hassle to get the sperm and egg together to create a baby.

Another thing is RSI or residual self image. If no one ever sees themselves inside the matrix then how come their RSI matches how they actually look? My answer to this is that a persons RSI is purely sub concious, and that is why people can't change what they look like inside the matrix, because their RSI is so deeply entombed in their mind that it would take quite a bit of meditation to dig down that deep and find it. So I believe that your RSI occurs naturally inside your sub-concious, and that your body "knows" what it looks like, even if your eyes have never seen it.

I don't know, both of these things need to be explored, so let me know what you think.