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Page 13

The Brundlebox
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

The greatest logistical invention in the history of humankind is transformed into a gruesome brundlebox because of a seemingly irrational drive to transport organics in David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986).

The MULE
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

M.U.L.E., a game in which up to four players attempt to settle a distant planet with the so-called help of a mule-like machine they all learn to hate.

Logistics of the Couch Gag
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

The Simpson home exhibits a surprising degree of consistency for a show whose broader geographic (and temporal) constraints undergo nearly continuous adjustments.

Monster Island
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

Where do all the Kaiju live? Good question. Initial forays into the genre were content to have giant monsters awaken deep under the sea, but the increasing population (and frequency) of these atomic attacks began to necessitate a logistical solution to explain their regular appearances. While recent entrant Pacific Rim solves this problem with less fanfare—Kaiju arrive via dimensional rift at the bottom of the ocean floor—Toho offered Monsterland and Monster Island as (sort of) different homes for Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and the rest. Brought there by the United Nations, or by the dreams of children everywhere, you can be sure they are in reasonable proximity to Tokyo.

Portkeys
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

Portkeys are one of the most confusing magical tools of the Harry Potter series.

Weyland-Yutani Corp Powerloader
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

Like Chekhov’s gun, Ellen Ripley’s skill with a Weyland-Yutani manufactured powerloader delivers a crushing demonstration of logistical force in the final act of Aliens (1986).

221B Baker Street
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

Russell Stutler’s 221B Baker Street illustration offers a design for deduction.

Logistical Fictions
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

I’ve been impressed by the curatorial capabilities (or rather, the curatorial popularity) of tumblr.

Yellow Brick Road
Matthew Hockenberry
Matthew Hockenberry

Baum’s “road of yellow brick” (and its allegorical reference to the gold standard) becomes MGM’s famous "Yellow Brick Road,” the seemingly only relevant and reliable path through the whole of Oz.

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