My name is Michel Gignac, but I prefer to be called Mich. I have some experience with digital technologies, although not alot. The program GarageBand has given me an introduction to sound manipulation while Photoshop has shown me the possibilities of photo manipulation. I am experienced with cameras, editing softwares and other tools included in the creative process of movie making. I am eager to learn and love a challenge. The following was filmed in 2007 for the film festival Cinergie, enjoy!
| Binary | Hexidecimal |
|---|---|
| 0 = 00 | 0 = 00 |
| 1 = 01 | 1 = 01 |
| 2 = 10 | 2 = 02 |
| 3 = 11 | 3 = 03 |
| 4 = 100 | 4 = 04 |
| 5 = 101 | 5 = 05 |
| 5 = 110 | 5 = 05 |
| 6 = 110 | 6 = 06 |
| 7 = 111 | 7 = 07 |
| 8 = 1000 | 8 = 08 |
| 9 = 1001 | 9 = 09 |
| 10 = 1010 | 10 = 0a |
| 11 = 1011 | 11 = 0b |
| 12 = 1100 | 12 = 0c |
| 13 = 1101 | 13 = 0d |
| 14 = 1110 | 14 = 0e |
| 15 = 1111 | 15 = 0f |
| 16 = 10000 | 16 = 10 |
| 17 = 10001 | 17 = 11 |
| 18 = 10010 | 18 = 12 |
| 19 = 10011 | 19 = 13 |
| 20 = 10100 | 20 = 14 |
| 21 = 10101 | 21 = 15 |
| 22 = 10110 | 22 = 16 |
| 23 = 10111 | 23 = 17 |
| 24 = 11000 | 24 = 18 |
| 25 = 11001 | 25 = 19 |
| 26 = 11010 | 26 = 1a |
| 27 = 11011 | 27 = 1b |
| 28 = 11100 | 28 = 1c |
| 29 = 11101 | 29 = 1d |
| 30 = 11110 | 30 = 1e |
| 31 = 11111 | 31 = 1f |
In a dark room there is a man lying motionless as though in a state of unconsciousness. There is an eerie feeling, in part due to the fact that there is nothing other than the man in this room, but mostly because of the seemingly fake smile plastered on the man's face. A twitch of his eyes and the corpse-like man comes to life. He positions himself in an upright sitting position and begins to speak without uttering a word.
My name is Michel Gignac, but that no longer has any relevance. I am one hundred and eleven years young. If you are reading this, I am no longer. Let me explain to you how all this came to be.
I have no sense of time, therefore I cannot deduct when the following events took place but I can assure you it is all chronological order.
It all started with genetic modification: Bigger strawberries, juicier corn, peas that could survive winter, etc. In the name of science we attempted to make everything bigger and better. The producers were producing more and the consumers were consuming more. It was win-win for everyone, including the government. It was all going smoothly until one person got sick, and then another. Soon after, like a global plague, everyone was affected in one way or another. The lucky ones would get some kind of cold, but in some cases it was as bad as losing limbs to gangrene or death. The government was making too much money to admit that participated in the genetic modification, therefore all theories related to the widespread illness were abolished. Instead of addressing and resolving the problem at this point, it was simply masked with increasing amounts of funding for health care.
The funding was not wasted. Research led to the discovery of improved treatments. Medical science was able to replace limbs with an artificial limb of the same appearance and improved capabilities, people were flocking to receive treatments. The government who was funding this research ended up receiving a substantial amount in return for every treatment.
The economy came to a grinding halt when everyone was either sick waiting for treatment or actually receiving the treatment. Unemployment was through the roof, and instead of solving the problem, we masked it. The government cut all funding except from health care and placed it in developing artificial life forms, or robots if you will. Almost instantaneously, they were created and they were able to complete simple daily tasks and had the skills to sort mail, fix cars and even take orders at fast food chains.
Meanwhile, research into health care was still deeply immersed into discovering new possibilities for human existance. New advancements led to the replacement food, nourishment was now produced in microscopic form and introduced into the body like UV rays. It was programmed to give the exact amount of nourishment needed. Coincidentally, it was discovered at the same time that it was the genetically modified food sources that were causing the sickness. Everyone changed over to the new method of nourishment and all the genetically modified plants were destroyed. People, however were still getting sick. The genetically modified plants reproduced and contaminated other plants. Drastic measures were taken, plants were tested and if contaminated burnt on the spot. Many people took the situation into their own hands and began torching forests caused oxygen depletion.
The limited supply of oxygen in the ozone forced health care research to speed up the study into artificial body parts. This brought forth leading edge technology which could completely remove all the possible infected areas and to replace them with artificial body parts. People were forced to take action and receive full blood and organ extractions to be replaced with artificial body parts so as to survive with minimal oxygen. This procedure became a main priority as not receiving the treatment would result in death. Once the majority of the citizens received treatment, artificial life forms were developed to replace trees and all organic plant life was destroyed. This indirectly raised the life expectancy.
During these trying times, unemployment issues arose once more due to sickness. To create an equilibrium, robots were given completely functional artificial bodies and brains. The brains were programmed to complete any task required, therefore, the robots could take on more responsibilities such as completing desk job duties, deliveries and even management. Without the need for nourishment, sleep or break, the robots became more efficient than humans. At this point, the majority of the jobs in the world were then self-sufficient.
Artificial life forms with intelligence comparable to genius humans were partnered into research labs to make new discoveries. They were the leading factor in discovering a way to control weather. Natural disasters were no longer a cause of death. Again, the life expectancy increased.
Technology combined with research eventually led to the development of a chip that could be implanted into the neural cortex of the brain. The goal was to allow for the capacity to send and receive thoughts from others. This allows you to order artificial life forms without the need to program, communicate without language barriers, have an understanding of everything your body needs and gavee us the possibility of visiting a virtual reality world in your own mind. The virtual reality world tickles and teases your five senses to give you a false sense of happiness. Everything was great and everyone was getting them implanted but it all turned sour. People were accidentally sending compromising information, all the dirty secrets were out and this threw relationships into chaos. Friends and family broke-away from each other and found comfort in seclusion.
Due to life expectancy rising, there was then a population surplus. The government took the matters into their own hands. Using the implanted, they eliminated every human being’s will to reproduce. Even though this went above and beyond everyone’s rights, the reaction was minimal due to its timing. Most people had already isolated themselves from others, this last step just tore us further apart. Isolated from everything and everyone people would use their virtual reality world to escape their sad existence.
Now, human beings, if you can still call us that, are simply there. We have been squeezed out of reality like a pathetic pimple. We serve no purpose and it is just a matter of time before the government chooses to turn us all off. They have the…
As if falling back into a state of unconsciousness, Michel Gignac’s eyes twitch and he drops back into a reclined position. The eeriness of the room lingers even without his smile.
