thom think

When Prophecy Fails
An early version of cognitive dissonance theory appeared in Leon Festinger’s 1956 book, When Prophecy Fails. This book gave an inside account of belief persistence in members of a UFO doomsday cult, and documented the increased proselytization they exhibited after the leader’s “end of the world” prophecy failed to come true. The prediction of the Earth’s destruction, supposedly sent by aliens to the leader of the group, became a disconfirmed expectancy that caused dissonance between the cognitions, “the world is going to end” and “the world did not end.” Although some members abandoned the group when the prophecy failed, most of the members lessened their dissonance by accepting a new belief, that the planet was spared because of the faith of the group

Any Christians against Obama’s healthcare initiative - you are fighting against God. Jesus commanding his followers to provide health care: ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.’ Matthew 10:8 (NAS)

Can you help Free My Phone?
http://www.freepress.net/node/71201

Major corporations are trying to take over the Internet - in a move that is akin to turning our national Interstate Highway system into private toll roads where only company approved cars are allowed to drive.

I will be donating $35 to the “Free My Phone” effort - and I’m doing it for the kids. The Internet was created and grown up by the American people (through the federal government & major public universities) - so our tax money and our national brain-trust laid the foundation for and built up this great communications network we know as the Internet. And even today - AT&T uses public airwaves and public right-of-ways but they think they are free of public responsibility - and they act as if they own it all.

AT&T’s total disregard for American values or any values of decency needs to be stopped. AT&T aren’t the only cell phone carriers that are treading on the Internet - but they are the most obvious about it. If we can get Congress to require AT&T to follow the law, just like you & I have to, the other carriers will either fall in line or pay the costs of breaking the law.

Don’t be pompous and act like I haven’t studied the feature set or [haven’t] RTFM [in] this situation. It is my job to know the tech inside and out, test it, know it, breathe it, live it and lead my managers & their employees through the technology wilds. […] - and I couldn’t pay my users to use browser-based Gmail given the new implementation of labels

One morning the tigers came in while we were eating breakfast and before my father could grab a weapon they killed him and they killed my mother. My parents didn’t even have time to say anything before they were dead. I was still holding the spoon from the mush I was eating.

“Don’t be afraid,” one of the tigers said. “We’re not going to hurt you. We don’t hurt children. Just sit there where you are and we’ll tell you a story.”

One of the tigers started eating my mother. He bit her arm off and started chewing on it. “What kind of story would you like to hear? I know a good story about a rabbit.”

“I don’t want to hear a story,” I said.

“OK,” the tiger said, and he took a bite out of my father. I sat there for a long time with the spoon in my hand, and then I put it down.

“Those were my folks,” I said finally.

“We’re sorry,” one of the tigers said. “We really are.”

“Yeah,” the other tiger said. “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t have to, if we weren’t absolutely forced to. But this is the only way we can keep alive.”

“We’re just like you,” the other tiger said. “We speak the same language you do. We think the same thoughts, but we’re tigers.”

Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen.

Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.

[S]ince many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.