Isn't that the Wolfram & Hart office building from "Home"?

How odd to list her as being from a college that doesn't exist any more.

daylight | August 17, 02:58 CET

Cool set-type-pictures there. Little confused as to how this ties in with everything else, though (I haven't looked at any of this since the last whedonesque thread about the dollhouse ARG, what was it, a month ago or so?).

Do we also need to "investigate" the people who wrote him testimonials? Or are those actual comments?

GVH | August 17, 03:06 CET

I'm confused. What the hell is this about?

Nevermind, if it is an ARG, I don't want to know. I hate ARGs.

[ edited by TamaraC on 2008-08-17 03:12 ]

TamaraC | August 17, 03:06 CET

Before I look, is this still coming across as kind of half-assed?

The One True b!X | August 17, 03:15 CET

Sheridan Owen is the same name as in http://findkimi.com/ - not sure how he's "another person." And Sheridan's Friendster profile indicates that he's a male - so not sure who's the "her" you're referring to, daylight?

Per wikipedia, The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 2004 "merged with the Victoria University of Manchester to form the University of Manchester" - but it doesn't seem odd to me that he is listed as having attended something that later merged or changed - he is noted as being 29, so it seems reasonable.

More telling, I think, may be the fact that a Kimi Lassek is listed as being in Sheridan's friend group, and as having attended both the University of Rochester & University of Manchester.

Lemme check out their photos...

(Tamara, this appears to be related to the Dollhouse ARG that first appeared back in May?)


ETA: daylight - which photo is it that you think looks like the Wolfram & Hart building?

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2008-08-17 03:30 ]

QuoterGal | August 17, 03:26 CET

Am I the only person here who is seriously confused... ?

Rogue | August 17, 04:28 CET

No, Rogue, I'm confused, too.

floofypooh | August 17, 04:33 CET

I'm also confused, at least about this. I don't even know what an ARG is.

Ivalaine | August 17, 04:33 CET

Grrr! ARGs!

napua | August 17, 04:36 CET

ARG = Alternate reality game

sea0tter12 | August 17, 04:55 CET

I'm confused as well and ARGs hurt my head and my feelings. I steer clear ever since LOST broke my brain.

Linnea1928 | August 17, 05:07 CET

Some info linky-links:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

QuoterGal | August 17, 05:08 CET

Ha, napua you are too funny.

Buffy the Slayer Layer | August 17, 05:08 CET

How can it be an alternate-reality game if there's no goal for the "player" to accomplish? It's not a game, it's just viral marketing. Really bad viral marketing.

Invisible Green | August 17, 05:15 CET

Invisible Green, it goes from simple viral marketing to ARG when there's puzzle-solving and interaction and immersion and things to discover. Though lots of ARGs aren't marketing in the first place - they're more an alternate form of storytelling than anything else, really.

Though it's true that this one is pretty bad.

omnie | August 17, 05:44 CET

I doubt this is supported by Fox unless they simply started too early and dropped it until the campaign begins in late fall. To me it feels more like something a fan cooked up. Though I would be happy to be wrong, since it's so simple maybe I could even solve it. ;)

cabri | August 17, 06:29 CET

Yeah, Cabbie, I think you're right - it feels to me all of it together is a combination of one or two Fox early ARG "seedings," if you will, and then several unrelated fan efforts - although obviously this is impossible to know.

I spent entirely too much time checking out the photos from the two friendster profiles, and some of them seem sorta interesting: Sheridan's photos are: 1) an interstitial shot from the 1st trailer, 2) shot of the Manchester Central Library - the front portico, with another building in the background 3) another interstitial shot from the 1st trailer, 4) the Radisson in West L.A., 5) Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre at the University of Manchester, 6) a shot of L.A. and 7) a version of the coat of arms for the family Owen.

Kimi has 1) a doll avatar called "me" and 2) the Radisson hotel photo, called "my hotel."

QuoterGal | August 17, 07:29 CET

Hey I went to the University of Manchester. That doesn't make me part of the ARG?

Also I'm guessing this was set up back in May judging by the URL of the Friendster blog. So not really new then?

Simon | August 17, 08:05 CET

I knew it!
Simon, come clean right now. Obviously you are orchestrating this, probably sitting there at your computer with a refreshing beverage saying "dance, puppets, dance!" and chuckling at the fact that you involved your alma mater in the charade.

Oh goodness...can't get involved. Must. Not. Get. Addicted. Especially as I have no time for the bureaucracy games I play in reality. Although this does smell more of fan than fox. At least, until we see a flaming Z carved into our monitors.

BandofBuggered | August 17, 08:31 CET

There have been at least two previous Whedonesque stories about the Find Kimi ARG, but they aren't tagged and I've had to use the search tool to find them:

Fox begins Viral Campaign for Dollhouse. (May 24)

Future on Fox confirms DOLLHOUSE viral/ARG/transmedia game on. (May 26)

Gag Halfrunt | August 17, 11:11 CET

Do you think they realised there is an actual Southland Lab in NZ?

Ivalaine | August 17, 12:35 CET

Kimi who cares?

Pumps | August 17, 13:58 CET

Well, I was taken in because I hadn't been paying attention and I recognized that "Lassek" is the last name of editor Lisa Lassek, so then I thought, "Oh no, is Kimi her sister? Is she missing? So scary! What can the fans do?" Then I read the comments, and all was revealed, except what wasn't.

Kiba | August 17, 14:18 CET

@Kiba Is Lisa editing Dollhouse??? That's awesome if she is! She's amazing.

dulce_serenidad | August 17, 17:03 CET

Is Lisa editing Dollhouse???

Unless things changed (and I have no idea) since a couple months back, no.

The One True b!X | August 17, 19:43 CET

Wow I was seriously confused when I clicked that link. I went to UMIST and am still at the Uni of Manchester. In fact I was at UMIST when umm he was :D

[ edited by Paul_Rocks on 2008-08-18 10:51 ]

Paul_Rocks | August 18, 10:47 CET

Wow, so don't have time for this right now. And those profiles reek of "fan"ness. I'll need more proof before I bite again and waste my week.

But, when they do get their act together and put on an ARG, I'll play.

korkster | August 18, 22:45 CET

Quotergal, sorry for getting the genders mixed up. I just thought it was interesting that they chose a now-defunct institute as his almer mater rather than a currently existing one. Although thinking about it, it probably helps them avoid potential litigation issues. (In reality, ie the one that's actually real, the UMIST was merged with Manchester University into one big disorganised mess which is now considered to have even lower teaching standards than the neighbouring Metropolitan University, it made my university experience a whole lot of not-fun let me tell you.)

daylight | August 19, 02:57 CET