Someone had to do it. I think it’s a brilliant illustration of what we’re doing to the planet.
Larrysays
300 matches per box
42000 matches / 300 per box = 140 boxes
140 boxes as $5/box (current price on Amazon) = $700
Final analysis: Mildly interesting but $700 would buy a lot of artisan IPA and some primo BBQ.
Verdict: Tremendous waste of time and money
peteshsays
Artisan BBQ & primo IPA are fine, but I paid exactly nothing to watch this (over and above sunk costs) and it was worth more than nothing to me. Not a lot more, admittedly, but if it gives momentary pleasure to enough people, then it’s cheap at the price, and generous. Also, what Caine said.
vucodlaksays
@ Larry, #2
Funny, I might say the same thing about spending $70 on booze and BBQ. I might, given that neither of those things holds the slightest appeal for me, but I wouldn’t, because it’s neither my time nor my money.
One man’s waste of money is another man’s pleasure. To each their own, as long as it does not hurt anyone, there is no need to judge. I think it looked beautiful.
140 boxes as $5/box (current price on Amazon) = $700
How do you know he bought all the matches, or where? I have several boxes of those exact matches in my house right now. I would have happily donated two of them. Perhaps a lot of people did that. Maybe Mr. Matches is swimmin’ in money. Maybe he’s been collecting them for years on end. Could be he bought 5 boxes a month for a while. You’re not just a fucking idiot, Larry, you’re an arrogant ass too.
For every piece of art ever, there is always someone who calls it this.
Larrysays
My goodness, so many sensitive souls who find another’s expressed personal opinion to be an affront to their own requiring a bitter personal attack in response. I trust your comments have made you all feel better about yourselves but not to the point of exhausting your outrage for things that actually matter.
jazzletsays
I wish the video had shown us what the ball looked like at the very end. Did he end up with a ball of carbonised matches or did it burn up completely? I hope it ended up a carbonised ball of match spikes.
chrislawsonsays
Larry, I see that your expressed personal opinion criticising someone else is OK, but other people’s expressed personal opinions criticising you are not.
FossilFishy (NOBODY, and proud of it!)says
Subjective opinions don’t need to attacked or defended.
That’s one of the things that I love about art, both in the consumption and the creation. Unlike the rate of acceleration of falling bodies, the trend in air temperature on the earth, or who holds the balance of power, I’m free to feel about art however I like without consequences.
So let’s be clear about this Larry: I don’t care how you feel about this guy’s project.
But I do care that a large percentage of people seem to be completely unable to empathise with the creators of art. Or indeed with anyone else at all. They pass verdicts upon anyone whose motivations and actions don’t match their own, even when those motivations and actions harm no one.
It is a narrow and bigoted world view. And there’s more than enough of that in the rest of life without adding it to art and entertainment.
vucodlaksays
@ Larry, #10
My problem is not that you expressed an opinion. My problem is that you rendered a judgement; namely, that the art was a “tremendous waste” because that’s not what you would have done with your resources.
There’s nothing wrong with you deciding that you would not do what the artist did. There is something wrong with you implying they shouldn’t because you wouldn’t.
Artisan beer is just real ale for snobs, and pale ale of any description is as close as they can get in ale-form to the cheapo lager they’d actually prefer but can’t drink in public as they don’t want to be seen as un-hip. “Tremendous waste of time and money.”
[Views expressed in this comment are employed for the purpose of sarcasm/irony and are quite probably not the actual views of the author.]
tiffkramersays
I thought it was a smart decision to ignite it on the leeward side. Or, maybe that was the only way he could keep the starter match from blowing out? Either way the effect was more interesting than if it were ignited at any of the other poles. I suppose it’s risky to do something like this in the woods. But if that’s where your private property lays, I guess you’ve got no other choice.
Rob Grigjanissays
Wonder if the slo-mo at the end was inspired by the ending of Koyaanisqatsi. Probably not, since the guy just seemed to think this was a cool way to play with matches. Still…
justaguysays
I bet it’s just a flattening-in-depth effect from the camera (I don’t know much about that stuff), but *man* does that raging sphere of flame look close to those trees. Scary!
Ragutissays
So Australia will be the last to burn?
lauriansays
Why does the smoke pulse as it does once the match heads have burned out?
rietpluimsays
That was beautiful.
Surprising how it appeared to be going out between ignition and burning up.
blfsays
Why does the smoke pulse as it does once the match heads have burned out?
My impression is the burnt-out ball is spinning, and the “smoke pulses” are the smoking areas spinning into and then out-of view. (I admit I didn’t watch the entire video and could easily be mistaken.)
jamiejagsays
Why didn’t he just use the strike pad directly on the ball instead of wasting all those matches trying to get it lit? ;-)
sc_cf67521d06de66549b93107fecc68ecbsays
Did the person make a hollow sphere freehand? That would be more impressive than the flames.
Someone had to do it. I think it’s a brilliant illustration of what we’re doing to the planet.
300 matches per box
42000 matches / 300 per box = 140 boxes
140 boxes as $5/box (current price on Amazon) = $700
Final analysis: Mildly interesting but $700 would buy a lot of artisan IPA and some primo BBQ.
Verdict: Tremendous waste of time and money
Artisan BBQ & primo IPA are fine, but I paid exactly nothing to watch this (over and above sunk costs) and it was worth more than nothing to me. Not a lot more, admittedly, but if it gives momentary pleasure to enough people, then it’s cheap at the price, and generous. Also, what Caine said.
@ Larry, #2
Funny, I might say the same thing about spending $70 on booze and BBQ. I might, given that neither of those things holds the slightest appeal for me, but I wouldn’t, because it’s neither my time nor my money.
Didn’t the Mythbusters do this?
One man’s waste of money is another man’s pleasure. To each their own, as long as it does not hurt anyone, there is no need to judge. I think it looked beautiful.
Larry:
So, you’d waste $700 on foolish behaviour, piss and shit.
Verdict: You’re a fucking fool and an idiot.
Larry:
How do you know he bought all the matches, or where? I have several boxes of those exact matches in my house right now. I would have happily donated two of them. Perhaps a lot of people did that. Maybe Mr. Matches is swimmin’ in money. Maybe he’s been collecting them for years on end. Could be he bought 5 boxes a month for a while. You’re not just a fucking idiot, Larry, you’re an arrogant ass too.
For every piece of art ever, there is always someone who calls it this.
My goodness, so many sensitive souls who find another’s expressed personal opinion to be an affront to their own requiring a bitter personal attack in response. I trust your comments have made you all feel better about yourselves but not to the point of exhausting your outrage for things that actually matter.
I wish the video had shown us what the ball looked like at the very end. Did he end up with a ball of carbonised matches or did it burn up completely? I hope it ended up a carbonised ball of match spikes.
Larry, I see that your expressed personal opinion criticising someone else is OK, but other people’s expressed personal opinions criticising you are not.
Subjective opinions don’t need to attacked or defended.
That’s one of the things that I love about art, both in the consumption and the creation. Unlike the rate of acceleration of falling bodies, the trend in air temperature on the earth, or who holds the balance of power, I’m free to feel about art however I like without consequences.
So let’s be clear about this Larry: I don’t care how you feel about this guy’s project.
But I do care that a large percentage of people seem to be completely unable to empathise with the creators of art. Or indeed with anyone else at all. They pass verdicts upon anyone whose motivations and actions don’t match their own, even when those motivations and actions harm no one.
It is a narrow and bigoted world view. And there’s more than enough of that in the rest of life without adding it to art and entertainment.
@ Larry, #10
My problem is not that you expressed an opinion. My problem is that you rendered a judgement; namely, that the art was a “tremendous waste” because that’s not what you would have done with your resources.
There’s nothing wrong with you deciding that you would not do what the artist did. There is something wrong with you implying they shouldn’t because you wouldn’t.
Artisan beer is just real ale for snobs, and pale ale of any description is as close as they can get in ale-form to the cheapo lager they’d actually prefer but can’t drink in public as they don’t want to be seen as un-hip. “Tremendous waste of time and money.”
[Views expressed in this comment are employed for the purpose of sarcasm/irony and are quite probably not the actual views of the author.]
I thought it was a smart decision to ignite it on the leeward side. Or, maybe that was the only way he could keep the starter match from blowing out? Either way the effect was more interesting than if it were ignited at any of the other poles. I suppose it’s risky to do something like this in the woods. But if that’s where your private property lays, I guess you’ve got no other choice.
Wonder if the slo-mo at the end was inspired by the ending of Koyaanisqatsi. Probably not, since the guy just seemed to think this was a cool way to play with matches. Still…
I bet it’s just a flattening-in-depth effect from the camera (I don’t know much about that stuff), but *man* does that raging sphere of flame look close to those trees. Scary!
So Australia will be the last to burn?
Why does the smoke pulse as it does once the match heads have burned out?
That was beautiful.
Surprising how it appeared to be going out between ignition and burning up.
My impression is the burnt-out ball is spinning, and the “smoke pulses” are the smoking areas spinning into and then out-of view. (I admit I didn’t watch the entire video and could easily be mistaken.)
Why didn’t he just use the strike pad directly on the ball instead of wasting all those matches trying to get it lit? ;-)
Did the person make a hollow sphere freehand? That would be more impressive than the flames.