Posts by Markfromcali

22

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

by d in

jw
friends

i was reading aldous huxley's brave new world and thinking,this is what society is becoming.especially since nowadays people want to be distracted with the use of the internet and social networking sites such as facebook and twitter.i like how it says " what we desire will destroy us" because in the grand scheme of things.

it most likely will and that is a very disturbing thoought.it is shocking how he wrote the book in 1932 and it was written during the 1920's, all of what he is sayiing is becoming a scary reality..

Markfromcali

One example: how about a college student using their own high GPA and subjective experience as evidence to disprove research about the mental activity of college students as a group? Evidently they are not entirely clear on the concept of statistics.

Attention span is an obvious one, and then there is the need for attention (which I know some of us has seen on this board) as well as separation anxiety by having to constantly be connected, two amongst other much more insightful observations Jaron Lanier has made in You Are Not a Gadget. Program or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff is a good easy read, and though I haven't finished it Boxed In: The Culture of TV by Mark Crispin Miller looks to be good.

182

Please share a quote that you enjoy...

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose--.

a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.. mary shelley.

Markfromcali

From Napoleon Dynamite:

Kip: Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter.

Pedro: Vote for me, and all your wildest dreams will come true.

6

Court orders Jammie Thomas to pay RIAA $1.92 million

by Yizuman in

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10268199-93.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 .

ammie thomas-rasset was found guilty of willful copyright infringement on thursday in a minneapolis federal court and must pay the recording industry $1.92 million.. in a surprise decision, the jury imposed damages against thomas-rasset, who was originally accused to sharing more than 1,700 songs, at a whopping $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she was ultimately found guilty of illegally sharing... in 2007, the recording industry association of america claimed in a lawsuit that thomas-rasset pilfered 1,700 songs.

the riaa eventually culled that number down to a representative sample of 24.. thomas-rasset lost a previous trial in october 2007 when a jury rendered a $222,000 verdict against the minnesota native.

Markfromcali

I guess it's down to $1.5 mil now from that article last Thursday? Anyway just an occasion to post this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM8PT1eAvY

6

at the beach with the anointed

by joelingeorgia in

jw
friends

how many of you have been to the beach with one of the anointed and the son of one of the anointed (different annointed)?.

Markfromcali

I would think the oil would bake you to a golden crisp..

3

Mind Control related info

by Markfromcali in

jw
friends

so i thought it'd be nice to have a thread that would have it all in one place, here's an interesting bit about it showing up in architecture:.

when we walk into a gothic cathedral, for example, we invite the building to inspire us.

we understand and accept that the huge, pointed arches symbolically reach to the heavens ... when we enter, the external world disappears and we are transported into another.

Markfromcali

After talking about using scents like potpourri at Victorias Secret, roasted chicken at Publix markets and augmented new car smell at dealerships, Rushkoff writes: (in 1999)

By todays standards, such efforts are considered primitive. According to a new class of scent analysts, who presented their findings to the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Association of Chemoreception Sciences, the above odors can be dismissed as mere "ambient scents." Because these scents are already associated with the products they are meant to sell (even potpourri is associated with a woman's lingerie drawer), they depend on simple olfactory association. True scent coercion involves changing human behavior through pure olfactory stimulation using scents that work directly on the synaptic structures of the brain, not on the conscious mind. Studies by these chemoreception scientists have demonstrated that casinos purposefully scented with new, receptor-specific chemicals derived from plant extracts, insect venoms, and animal hormones boast a forty-five percent increase in slot-machine use. Other studies have shown that a person believes less time has passed when he waits for service in a chemically scented environment than if he waits in an unscented one. The molecular compositions and exact neural functions of these scents are well-guarded industry secrets.

8

New book out

by mouthy in

"to thine own self be true" by catherine de boer.. in it is the stories of two ex jw's.it cost's $106.00 .

but i believe you may get it from the library...( or on amazon.

Markfromcali

can create or reclaim their identity through the telling of their stories.

If you can create your identity then that is not who you are, (unless it's actually a subroutine in the old story) which implies you're not your story. Of course just telling someone this doesn't automatically allow them to have that perspective, but I only mention this because it's easy to get lost in the stories. It is of course tremendously valuable to know those narratives especially if you're going to work with people dealing with this kind of issue, but the very basic truth that you don't have to be enmeshed with any story, new or old can be completely missed.

1

Are there many 3D models of scientific theory?

by Markfromcali in

jw
friends

not sure if there are many scientists here or those who are theoretically oriented, but i'm just wondering if there's much out there, regardless of discipline that illustrates things beyond a 2d chart on paper.

for example here's just a basic outline of how something related to mind control might be put together: the vertical axis (z in cartesian coordinates) could be used for different levels of influence, anywhere from use of language and social factors to sensory stuff, maybe direct brain stim even.

one axis on the horizontal plane (y) could illustrate breadth, that being the different types of situations anywhere from religious, political, commercial contexts.

Markfromcali

For that matter, as far as psychology goes is there a developmental theory out there that just uses who, where and when to put it in plain language?

45

What Are "Feel Good" Songs That You Like?

by minimus in

jw
friends

"i love you more today than yesterday" by the one hit spiral staircase always makes me feel good when i hear it!.

what's a "feel good" song that makes you smile or brightens up your day?.

Markfromcali

I don't know what's out there these days but I know Shelby sings the oldies pretty good! What's that one, Build Me Up Buttercup?

Also an instrumental one, Homeward Bound I think it is by Patrick O'Hearn..

18

Is exposing young children to religion a form of child abuse?

by Giordano in

is religious indoctrination an assault on children, an assault on their capacity for individuation, curiosity, self-validation, and critical thinking skills?.

can a child with no religious training and traditions and no religious rules grow up to be an ethical person?.

.

Markfromcali

Well put it this way, is the parental figure a role model in terms of qualities like critical thinking and responsibility, and someone that encourages such? Or is it about telling kids what to think rather than how to think and live?

18

Is exposing young children to religion a form of child abuse?

by Giordano in

is religious indoctrination an assault on children, an assault on their capacity for individuation, curiosity, self-validation, and critical thinking skills?.

can a child with no religious training and traditions and no religious rules grow up to be an ethical person?.

.

Markfromcali

Well it's interesting to point out the word fundamental there, that is, fundamentalism in context of religion. I think a lot of it stems from a lack of psychological awareness in human development, I mean it's not as if we're used to seeing people that are very knowledgeable about that even in the mainstream and there are many stages in a childs development that gradually moves toward individuation and independence, including what values they may want to have for themselves when they become responsible enough. Furthermore if you insist that there is only one possible set of good values (not to mention anything beyond value driven consciousness) then even if you are not interested in religion at all you will be indoctrinating your child in a black and white, fundamentalist way - so I think it's important to recognize that psychological dynamic apart from religion.