click on picture for a more detailed view
Tom plays break-out. Tom is very good at break-out. Look at the score he got (532760, top right hand corner of the break-out screen), and compare that to the score to beat (31780).
Tom is never disheartened by the fact that once all the bricks are gone they just get replaced. He sees his role as removing the obstacles put in place by the machine god - "you put up walls over there, i'll keep knocking them down"-, until he finally admits to defeat, not through his dogged determination to overcome obstacle in his way, but through tiny unseen glitches in the computer system, the system he needs for life. His task is made impossible by the rules of his engagement, rather than any fault of his own, never seeing that both the system and the task he is assigned are inexplicably linked. If only he could change the system - the same system which allows him to perform his task.
As Tom hits a ball notes from the the internationale are played, reminding Tom of his task. As the game develops more balls are introduced and the song becomes more frenectic and rousing, as balls are dropped the song becomes sparser , reminiscent of the constant flow and ebb, highs and lows of the workers struggle . A permanent revolution .
Another meditation on tom pain could be seen as a time killer, hopelessly addicted to finishing the last screen before he can carry on with the days tasks. Something that maybe be expanded upon when investigating biological programs.
Here is a video of tom doing his thing
Heres the Lyrics to the Internationalie , the ones i remember
The Internationale [variant words in square brackets] Arise ye workers [starvelings] from your slumbers Arise ye prisoners of want For reason in revolt now thunders And at last ends the age of cant. Away with all your superstitions Servile masses arise, arise We'll change henceforth [forthwith] the old tradition [conditions] And spurn the dust to win the prize. So comrades, come rally And the last fight let us face The Internationale unites the human race. So comrades, come rally And the last fight let us face The Internationale unites the human race. No more deluded by reaction On tyrants only we'll make war The soldiers too will take strike action They'll break ranks and fight no more And if those cannibals keep trying To sacrifice us to their pride They soon shall hear the bullets flying We'll shoot the generals on our own side. No saviour from on high delivers No faith have we in prince or peer Our own right hand the chains must shiver Chains of hatred, greed and fear E'er the thieves will out with their booty [give up their booty] And give to all a happier lot. Each [those] at the forge must do their duty And we'll strike while the iron is hot.
wiki's got a literal translation of the lyrics on it| French lyrics | Literal English translation |
|---|---|
| First stanza | |
Debout, les damnés de la terre Debout, les forçats de la faim La raison tonne en son cratère C'est l'éruption de la fin Du passé faisons table rase Foule esclave, debout, debout Le monde va changer de base Nous ne sommes rien, soyons tout |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | Stand up, damned of the Earth Stand up, prisoners of hunger Reason thunders in its volcano This is the eruption of the end Of the past let us make a clean slate Enslaved masses, stand up, stand up The world is about to change its foundation We are nothing, let us be all |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be human race :| |
| Second stanza | |
Il n'est pas de sauveurs suprêmes Ni Dieu, ni César, ni tribun Producteurs, sauvons-nous nous-mêmes Décrétons le salut commun Pour que le voleur rende gorge Pour tirer l'esprit du cachot Soufflons nous-mêmes notre forge Battons le fer quand il est chaud |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | There are no supreme saviours Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune. Producers, let us save ourselves Decree the common salvation So that the thief expires, So that the spirit be pulled from its prison, Let us fan the forge ourselves Strike the iron while it is hot |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be the human race :| |
| Third stanza | |
L'État comprime et la loi triche L'impôt saigne le malheureux Nul devoir ne s'impose au riche Le droit du pauvre est un mot creux C'est assez, languir en tutelle L'égalité veut d'autres lois Pas de droits sans devoirs dit-elle Égaux, pas de devoirs sans droits |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | The State oppresses and the law cheats Tax bleeds the unfortunate No duty is imposed on the rich The rights of the poor is an empty phrase Enough languishing in custody Equality wants other laws: No rights without duties, she says, Equally, no duties without rights |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be the human race :| |
| Fourth stanza | |
Hideux dans leur apothéose Les rois de la mine et du rail Ont-ils jamais fait autre chose Que dévaliser le travail ? Dans les coffres-forts de la bande Ce qu'il a créé s'est fondu En décrétant qu'on le lui rende Le peuple ne veut que son dû. |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | Hideous in their apotheosis The kings of the mine and of the rail Have they ever done anything other Than steal work? Inside the safeboxes of the gang, What work had created melted. By ordering that they give it back The people want only their due. |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be the human race :| |
| Fifth stanza | |
Les rois nous saoulaient de fumées Paix entre nous, guerre aux tyrans Appliquons la grève aux armées Crosse en l'air, et rompons les rangs S'ils s'obstinent, ces cannibales À faire de nous des héros Ils sauront bientôt que nos balles Sont pour nos propres généraux |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | The kings made us drunk with fumes, Peace among us, war to the tyrants! Let the armies go on strike, Stocks in the air, and break ranks If they insist, these cannibals On making heroes of us, They will know soon that our bullets Are for our own generals |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be the human race :| |
| Sixth stanza | |
Ouvriers, paysans, nous sommes Le grand parti des travailleurs La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes L'oisif ira loger ailleurs Combien de nos chairs se repaissent Mais si les corbeaux, les vautours Un de ces matins disparaissent Le soleil brillera toujours. |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :| | Workers, peasants, we are The great party of labourers The earth belongs only to men The idle will go to reside elsewhere How much of our flesh have they consumed, But if these ravens, these vultures Disappeared one of these days The sun will shine forever |: This is the final struggle Let us group together, and tomorrow The International Will be the mankind :| |
Tom might end up singing these.......
How Tom works
Tom pain break-out uses a max/msp jitter patch, in conjunction with the aka plugins ,safari and apple script to run.
The patch launches safari to go to an online version of break-out, then uses apple script to position the screen correctly so that the patch can use screen recognition to "watch" where the ball is falling. Then using the aka mouse plugin, it positions the paddle directly under the ball, and other tasks such as starting the game.
The pictured game is a single game that took place over 8 hours, tom manage to keep the ball up for that long.
On a techie note the system could be adapted (tho we are talking a lot of time here ) to play most video games, the program uses the same techniques as us to move the paddle, i.e it looks where the ball is and makes calculations to where its going to fall. As long as video games require us to use our eyes to position something else (e.g a gun, a character jumping over something. a space ship dodging a meteorite).
