the LOLkid effect

chances are that if your computing experience includes the following two things:

- a pair of speakers, in either stand-alone or headphone variety
- instant messaging with Trillian (the all-in-one app that combines your AIM, Yahoo, and MSN, etc. IM applications)

that you have heard the spirit-lifting peal of a child's laughter whenever you or the person you're conversing with types "LOL" in response to some hilarity-inducing quip that was just sent by the other party

this LOL kid appears, based on multiple observations of mine, to have broadened his reach outside of instant messaging into the medium of film and television (maybe beyond that too; is his pure innocent squeal bouncing off of meteorites as part of a government attempt to contact alien life?)

on more than one occasion i've been watching a movie or tv show and suddenly, "hahhahahahaha", there it is , the Trillian "LOL" kid laughing it up, his young voice hanging in the air above a bunch of kids that just ran by the screen or are enjoying the great taste of Cocoa Puffs or something.

(seems i'm not alone in noticing this phenomenon - this less-lazy-than-me blogger also posted a sound clip of LOLkid, feel free to take a listen)

Crowdspark laments the dearth of actual laughing children available for sound mastering in media

pay no mind that this guy scooped me on the subject by a year and five months

Recent occurrences of LOLkid include:

i saw a pretty weird but good (but really twisted) movie called Oldboy that i recall had some childhood flashback scene where LOLkid made an audio appearance (or maybe it was LOLkid's adopted Korean cousin)

also, most notably and in his most dangerous role, LOLkid pops up in the new Rambo movie as one of several Burmese (Myanamerese? Myanmaran?) village children playing chase amongst the thatched straw huts in happier times - moments before the evil military rides through and blows them all up.

it's just kinda strange - i'm sure, in Rambo let's say, that when they were filming the kids running around and playing the kids were more than likely actually laughing and generally sounding like happy kids. did some grip record over that audio while making a kick-ass mix tape for the cute caterer's assistant?

who knows, LOLkid probably just has a very persuasive agent; trust me, after you've heard LOLkid once you'll find yourself noticing him a lot more often, guaranteed