Posts by FatFreek 2005

22

AI Generated Art - Impact on Artists

by Simon in

unless you've been hibernating under a rock for the last couple of years, you're probably aware that ai is the new hotness.. chatgpt gets a lot of attention but equally amazing is how capable ai is at generating art.

if you'd been ask to name anything that would be the last holdout for humans, creative arts such as writing, painting, and music would probably be some of the things at the top of the list.. yet those seem to be the things that ai can do best.. it's fascinating to use the tools, but one thing you realize is that they are just combining patterns and shapes, there isn't yet any real "intelligence", artificial or otherwise.. as an example, you can ask it to create a painting in the style or a particular artist, with a whole raft of things you want to include.

it will do a great job on first glance, but can often give people more arms or fingers than is normal, and lamp-posts can grow to different heights, like trees.

FatFreek 2005

Terry, that array of AI artwork is impressive. I wouldn't be ashamed to hang some of it on my wall.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

FatFreek 2005

What I deduce so far in this post is pieces of a large puzzle. Watchtower will do everything in their power to keep any larger revelations to a minimum. The announcement referred to him as a brother -- at the moment of the announcement. But from that moment, nothing. If things proceeded to worsen they are not about to post a running account of all the subsequent crap.

If he (and wife) have been pushed out to a new home address (if that REDDIT post is legit) they're not about to divulge that. If his sons and wives have followed him out the door, same thing since they weren't prominent enough.

6

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

by JohnTron7 in

i saw in the news where a teacher got mad at a student for coming in late during the pledge of allegiance and threw them against a wall and so the student was suing.. this made me want to ask, jehovah's witnesses stand up during the pledge of allegiance along with everyone else.

why is that ok but, it wasn't ok for shadrach , meshach and abednego to bow down to the king's idol ?

if the command had been for everyone who was sitting to stand at attention for the idol, wouldn't that have been the same thing ?

FatFreek 2005

At one of those week-long (perhaps it was two weeks) school for elders I asked a similar question. "Why is it that when a JW John Doe joins the military that he is not disfellowshipped."

The instructor proceeded to explain that, instead, it is announced that John Doe has disassociated himself from the congregation. The two terms are actually synonymous when it comes to how the congregation must shun them. The difference is how the congregation is informed and it is purely legalistic. He proceeded, "can you imagine how quickly Watchtower headquarters would be shut down if they kicked someone out (John Doe is disfellowshipped) for joining the military? We're talking charges of sedition -- conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state. On the other hand, we can announce that John Doe disassociated himself from the congregation. We at headquarters simply listened to John Doe's apparent decision. That's totally on him. We're not responsible, simply informing the congregation about John Doe's voluntary actions."

The year was 1976 and I felt dejected. I felt like our leaders were putting their tails between their legs. Cowards, I felt. I left the org in 1977.

53

1975 on the back burner

by Fisherman in

“1975” still marks 6000 years from the creation of adam in wt calendar.

according to “all scriptures inspired” book, there is a gap between the creation of adam and the creation of eve and her marriage to adam.

it was at that point in time when eve was created that marked the end of the 6th creative day and the beginning of god’s rest, the 7th day as recorded in genesis.

FatFreek 2005

Some 5 years after the embarrassing date of 1975, Watchtower did an about-face with a semi-apology -- noting that "published [by Watchtower] statements that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possiblity. It is to be regretted ..."

Note the passive voice "it is to be regretted" instead of the active voice "we regret". The weak passive voice apology is about as strong as we'll ever hear from Watchtower.

. . . considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated. WT Mar 15, 1980 p 17

Therefore, in my opinion, Watchtower took the year 1975 off the table 43 years ago.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

FatFreek 2005

MeanMrMustard

You are sooooo mean. And thanks for the humor.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

FatFreek 2005

Slim

Two weeks on and still no real information on what happened. Strange!

Thanks for keeping us on track.

773

Breaking News: Anthony Morris III no longer serving on the Governing Body

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

this has been announced on the jw's official website, in the "jw news" section.

this is not a joke.

anthony moron da turd is out as a gluttonous body member!

FatFreek 2005

This response to question from page 4 of this thread so it may have already been answered.

This is a notification that Raymond Victor Franz is no longer a member of the Governing Body and of the Brooklyn Bethel family as of May 22, 1980.Kingdom Ministry, Aug 1980, Announcements

50

1969 Awake on Education - A Sore Spot for Me

by NotBlind in

jw
friends

my father would have started college 49 years ago this week.

about three months earlier, the week he graduated high school, the awake!

magazine came out with some very clear direction to teenagers.

FatFreek 2005

I am 82 years old and well remember that Awake! article. Yes, I was tempted to take our $4,500 equity from our house sale and use it to pioneer the rest of our days. Instead, my uber Dad urged me to cool my heels since I had a young family to support.

I've now been comfortably retired for the past 20 years thanks to that good advice coupled with researching the failed history of the borg -- getting out in 1977.

10

Who Will Conquer the World in the 1970’s?

by FatFreek 2005 in

this quote is from a kingdom ministry, advertising to its members (i was one until 1977) in the year 1970.. "a new circuit assembly program is scheduled to begin in september.

we believe you will find it most informative and upbuilding.

the public talk will be “who will conquer the world in the 1970’s?” kingdom ministry announcements, july 1970, p. 3".

FatFreek 2005

As the 70's decade had begun some 7 months earlier, the theme of the upcoming circuit assembly -- Who Will Conquer the World in the 1970’s? -- made a prophetic worldwide devastation sound so authoritative.

The question to us sheeples left little to the imagination. It wasn't a matter of if it would happen because the utterance came from the most scholarly and reliable source we knew. This source made it easy for our imagination. They lovingly gave us a narrow window of years -- 1970 through 1979 -- in which our prayers would be answered.

The problem for the source, the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses, would be if the year 1980 rolled around and no worldwide devastation had taken place. Then, their profound question which did contain huge prophetic implications could be pounced on by their enemies.

Calling Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses false prophets could therefore be true.

To us faithful followers of this authoritative group of prophets we were left stunned and disappointed. What more about this worldwide conquest during the 1970's decade would be said within subsequent pages of Watchtower publications? What would this loving and scholarly and reliable governing body tell us to heal our wounds.

To those keeping count it has been more than 40 years since the 1980's began. In all those years not a smidgen of ink has darkened Watchtower pages to alibi their way out of the 1970's conquest that never happened.

Yes, their enemies would be correct in their criticism.

10

Who Will Conquer the World in the 1970’s?

by FatFreek 2005 in

this quote is from a kingdom ministry, advertising to its members (i was one until 1977) in the year 1970.. "a new circuit assembly program is scheduled to begin in september.

we believe you will find it most informative and upbuilding.

the public talk will be “who will conquer the world in the 1970’s?” kingdom ministry announcements, july 1970, p. 3".

FatFreek 2005

It would be great to print some of those lapel badges and wear them to the Kingdom Hall or a Regional Convention.

Yes, and at risk of DFing for being apostate.