Born believers: How your brain creates God - science-in-society - 04 February 2009 - New Scientist: "WHILE many institutions collapsed during the Great Depression that began in 1929, one kind did rather well. During this leanest of times, the strictest, most authoritarian churches saw a surge in attendance.
This anomaly was documented in the early 1970s, but only now is science beginning to tell us why. It turns out that human beings have a natural inclination for religious belief, especially during hard times. Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world. It seems that our minds are finely tuned to believe in gods."
Thursday, February 5, 2009
How to control a herd of humans - science-in-society - 04 February 2009 - New Scientist
How to control a herd of humans - science-in-society - 04 February 2009 - New Scientist: "HITLER and Mussolini both had the ability to bend millions of people to their fascist will. Now evidence from psychology and neurology is emerging to explain how tactics like organised marching and propaganda can work to exert mass mind control.
Scott Wiltermuth of Stanford University in California and colleagues have found that activities performed in unison, such as marching or dancing, increase loyalty to the group. 'It makes us feel as though we're part of a larger entity, so we see the group's welfare as being as important as our own,' he says."
Scott Wiltermuth of Stanford University in California and colleagues have found that activities performed in unison, such as marching or dancing, increase loyalty to the group. 'It makes us feel as though we're part of a larger entity, so we see the group's welfare as being as important as our own,' he says."
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Obama's moves on Gitmo
We expected this to happen. President Obama's bold first moves on Guantánamo Bay and military commissions have been met by brazen campaigns of misinformation from those who want to retain disastrous Bush administration policies.
Fox News (the ultimate slime-news) is raising the specter of terrorists living in people's "backyards." Senators are saying that bringing detainees to the U.S. "will endanger American lives." Rush Limbaugh is spreading the totally unsupported claim that 61 already-released detainees have "returned to the battlefield." And, naysayers continue to make claims that our criminal justice system is incapable of prosecuting terrorism suspects.
Fox News (the ultimate slime-news) is raising the specter of terrorists living in people's "backyards." Senators are saying that bringing detainees to the U.S. "will endanger American lives." Rush Limbaugh is spreading the totally unsupported claim that 61 already-released detainees have "returned to the battlefield." And, naysayers continue to make claims that our criminal justice system is incapable of prosecuting terrorism suspects.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Chris Martenson | - The Crash Course -
Chris Martenson | - The Crash Course -: "The Crash Course
Ready to learn everything you need to know about the economy in the shortest amount of time?
The Crash Course is a condensed online version of Chris Martenson's 'End of Money' seminar."
Ready to learn everything you need to know about the economy in the shortest amount of time?
The Crash Course is a condensed online version of Chris Martenson's 'End of Money' seminar."
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard - NYTimes.com
At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard - NYTimes.com: "emphasize hands-on, interactive, collaborative learning."
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Speed up Vista shut down
How to speed up Vista shutdown time
Does it sometimes feel as if it takes forever for your Vista computer to shut down? You can speed it up a bit by editing the registry. As always, back up the registry key first and be careful:
1. Open your registry editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control
2. In the right pane, right click the value WaitToKillServiceTimeout
3. Select Modify
4. Change the value (default is 20000) to a lower number, such as 5000
5. Close the registry editori
NOTE: If you set the timeout value too low (such as 1000 or 3000), some programs may not be able to close in tim
Does it sometimes feel as if it takes forever for your Vista computer to shut down? You can speed it up a bit by editing the registry. As always, back up the registry key first and be careful:
1. Open your registry editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control
2. In the right pane, right click the value WaitToKillServiceTimeout
3. Select Modify
4. Change the value (default is 20000) to a lower number, such as 5000
5. Close the registry editori
NOTE: If you set the timeout value too low (such as 1000 or 3000), some programs may not be able to close in tim
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Raw Story | Obama: 'Science is key to our survival'
The Raw Story | Obama: 'Science is key to our survival': "Obama: 'Science is key to our survival'
RAW STORY
Published: Saturday December 20, 2008
Print This Email This
President-elect promises new focus on technology hand-in-hand with efforts to curb global warming.
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday signaled climate change and genetic research will be among his top priorities when he takes office as he named White House science and technology advisers.
'Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation,' Obama said in a weekly radio and video address.
'It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology.'"
RAW STORY
Published: Saturday December 20, 2008
Print This Email This
President-elect promises new focus on technology hand-in-hand with efforts to curb global warming.
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday signaled climate change and genetic research will be among his top priorities when he takes office as he named White House science and technology advisers.
'Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation,' Obama said in a weekly radio and video address.
'It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology.'"
Friday, December 12, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)