Cheer up, chockfull. Students still overwhelmingly prefer physical books to electronic devices when it comes to serious study and recreational reading. One downside of device availability, however, is that it presents sources of distraction that reduce the amount of reading time. Well, ok, that's a bit off-topic but at least it's somewhat tangential, I hope.
Cheer up, chockfull. Students still overwhelmingly prefer physical books to electronic devices when it comes to serious study and recreational reading. One downside of device availability, however, is that it presents sources of distraction that reduce the amount of reading time. Well, ok, that's a bit off-topic but at least it's somewhat tangential, I hope.
yes it is a slow transition. much of it will be decided just by the amount of space it takes up to store multiple books. probably over the next 50 years.
I still prefer actual books over electronic books - although I do think the convenience and space-saving factors of e-books are a huge plus...for fiction, general literature, stuff on writing, music, drawing, philosophy, history and such I will get on Kindle (my wife is a big proponent of going to the library-and I’ll probably get into that when I retire) ...but certain books on art, illustrated books on science , history, warfare as well as select commentaries and systematic theologies I prefer them in hardback editions.
While I do think the Internet is a rich resource of information like how-to videos - I don’t get into the social media thing - don’t have Facebook, Twitter, etc...I get it what Chockfull was saying - some folks get online and come across like they’ve figured out the true interpretation of the Bible, or the inside scoop on whatever it is they’re talking about.
I mostly look up movie reviews, Wikipedia plot spoilers (so I’m ahead of the game when I go to a show - darn my slow processor ) and of course keep up on what’s happening in the news - both kinds - real and fake
All technology has side-effects, and not all results are bad- and some are the price for the advantages. Yes, I think the printing press was one of the most catalytic pieces of technology ever invented, and the internet is another. Both offer great advantages, and those come with consequences, also.
Sure- the printing press allowed knowledge to be passed along in a book with far greater efficiency. That meant that learned people could learn more, and that was expected. What some people never saw coming was the idea that the uneducated would want to read, and not always to become educated. I mean, look at books from the early 20th century. They include references to Latin without translating them and other literate references. That isn't because the authors were trying to be pretentious. They were educated and thought that only those with advanced degrees would read their stuff. Bullinger certainly seemed to think so, to name a reference we'd all recognize. Hislop's book drops references also. Some public domain books from that time are in PDF online- and may be difficult reads UNINTENTIONALLY for those very reasons. I think it's wonderful that information can travel more freely.
On the other hands, A) some people want information restricted and their voices to be the only ones heard; and
B) when voices are unrestricted, every tinfoil-hat wearer can publish a book.
So, those are seen as different problems- which is worse depends where on the spectrum you are.
So, yes, a few decades ago, the foolish, naive and unstable could look for answers in a library and read the most ridiculous hogwash and embrace it. Nowadays, the foolish, naive and unstable can go online for the most ridiculous hogwash and embrace it. On the other hand, there's perfectly useful information that's easy to find. A Bible student has lots of resources online. Anyone learning to cook can find a recipe with a few clicks, and learning lots of things can be done with a few more clicks. Want to practice a foreign language? You just need the right website.
So, yes, it's a double-edged sword. Any fool can make videos and put forth he's some great one. In the long term, however, remember that this fool's competing not only with legitimate sources of information live and online, but he's also competing with the other fools. Ex-twi fools are bottom-feeders who wouldn't have made it in cons outside of twi. So, they can only really appeal to ex-twi, and that audience is aging out. The twi and ex-twi population is not replacing its numbers with new converts nor kids staying in the groups. For every one who is, there's several people who just plain die of old age. So, they're competing for a continually-shrinking audience. This problem will resolve itself progressively, and in the long run.
In modern culture, twi is a quaint footnote. As time progresses, that will apply moreso until it dwindles away. Ex-twi fools are no different in that respect. They won't make groups that will appeal to a big audience nor last. The biggest ones will work locally for years or a decade, then pass their peak and begin fading slowly or quickly. This is a problem that affects a few handfuls of people for now, and will affect almost nobody fairly soon.
Despite early claims, from as far back as HG Wells' "world brain" essays in 1936, that a worldwide shared resource of knowledge such as the internet would create peace, harmony and a common interpretation of reality, it appears that quite the opposite has happened. With the increased voice afforded by social media, knowledge has been increasingly decentralized, and competing narratives have emerged.
Recently we were discussing Gutenberg on a different thread, as he was at least one of the inventor's of the printing press, which is widely known to be responsible for literacy among the common people during the Renaissance period. This article came up:
Which actually talks about some of the less than above-the-board tactics of Gutenberg while he was innovating. If you control what people read you control what they think. In modern society however, the printed word is rapidly becoming obsolete, in favor of Kindle (kind of printed word), wikipedia, web content, and now even more recently we have the further degradation of the attention span where people can't even read for an hour non-stop,
So what is the substitute learning method for our society today?
YouTube, Facebook Live, Snapchat, Instagram
Libraries are obsolete, the only thing happening there in modern society is homeless people having a place to stay during the day and other people checking out music CD's to duplicate. Libraries are no longer the learning centers of our society. What is?
YouTube channels. So available. So free. All it takes is any modern phone that usually easily can reverse into "selfie" mode, and an upload button. Geez we don't even have to purchase printing presses any more to control the populace.
All you need to start a ministry today is a 501c application and a YouTube channel. I think today spirituality is people less focused than ever before, more distracted, and with their own personal "YouTube minister".
So all of you former Way International big shots, don't fret. Even when you get kicked out via Machiavellian tactics over some meaningless nonsense, all is not lost. You too can continue to control what people think, flip the script, not cave in to the tactics. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (although how someone could misconstrue that into a caste system with bestowed and retained titles by man is mind boggling).
So see, you too can become a
YouTube Evangelist
Called of God, these men and women face tremendous odds. A lifetime of Christian service? A million year contract to clear the planet?
Psssshaaaaawwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!
These YouTube evangelists must face much more. They have to:
Look presentable (with a casual option if that's too hard)
Set up a tripod that can hold their iPhone
Sound condescending
Invent some other elaborate scheme to interpret a 2000 year old tome that nobody else has thought of.
Do it week after week without boring themselves to death.
No small accomplishment. So let's hear it for all the YouTube evangelists out there. They need love. They need attention. They need discussion.
Chock, here in DC, libraries are still very, very popular, as centers of learning. I used to live in Tompkins County, NY. I think Forbes Magazine(?) claimed a few months ago, that people in Ithaca, were the best read people in the USA. Although I haven't lived in the Ithaca area, for decades, I still read a lot. I can go anywhere, with a book. Books make me think; sometimes they make me weep, or laugh.
Chock, here in DC, libraries are still very, very popular, as centers of learning. I used to live in Tompkins County, NY. I think Forbes Magazine(?) claimed a few months ago, that people in Ithaca, were the best read people in the USA. Although I haven't lived in the Ithaca area, for decades, I still read a lot. I can go anywhere, with a book. Books make me think; sometimes they make me weep, or laugh.
I like physical books too especially on airplanes. This way pesky stewardesses don't watch when I am reading or not over my shoulder. The paperback exchange program at airports is cool.
The main point of this thread is that Gutenberg made it available and cheap to get into the publishing business. He apparently took advantage of that.
Likewise, these Way splinter groups, the latest of which is the R&R resist questions and do what you've always done by yourself ministry, are taking advantage of free resources in our society on YouTube to build a "ministry" or fake 501c that has a select few elites and a video camera.
Because that's all it takes to grab a splinter and jump off the faith boat. And the Way Int. is not the faith boat. Jesus Christ is.
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waysider
Cheer up, chockfull. Students still overwhelmingly prefer physical books to electronic devices when it comes to serious study and recreational reading. One downside of device availability, however, is that it presents sources of distraction that reduce the amount of reading time. Well, ok, that's a bit off-topic but at least it's somewhat tangential, I hope.
one quick reference.
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chockfull
yes it is a slow transition. much of it will be decided just by the amount of space it takes up to store multiple books. probably over the next 50 years.
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T-Bone
I still prefer actual books over electronic books - although I do think the convenience and space-saving factors of e-books are a huge plus...for fiction, general literature, stuff on writing, music, drawing, philosophy, history and such I will get on Kindle (my wife is a big proponent of going to the library-and I’ll probably get into that when I retire) ...but certain books on art, illustrated books on science , history, warfare as well as select commentaries and systematic theologies I prefer them in hardback editions.
While I do think the Internet is a rich resource of information like how-to videos - I don’t get into the social media thing - don’t have Facebook, Twitter, etc...I get it what Chockfull was saying - some folks get online and come across like they’ve figured out the true interpretation of the Bible, or the inside scoop on whatever it is they’re talking about.
I mostly look up movie reviews, Wikipedia plot spoilers (so I’m ahead of the game when I go to a show - darn my slow processor
) and of course keep up on what’s happening in the news - both kinds - real and fake 
Edited by T-BoneClarity
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WordWolf
All technology has side-effects, and not all results are bad- and some are the price for the advantages. Yes, I think the printing press was one of the most catalytic pieces of technology ever invented, and the internet is another. Both offer great advantages, and those come with consequences, also.
Sure- the printing press allowed knowledge to be passed along in a book with far greater efficiency. That meant that learned people could learn more, and that was expected. What some people never saw coming was the idea that the uneducated would want to read, and not always to become educated. I mean, look at books from the early 20th century. They include references to Latin without translating them and other literate references. That isn't because the authors were trying to be pretentious. They were educated and thought that only those with advanced degrees would read their stuff. Bullinger certainly seemed to think so, to name a reference we'd all recognize. Hislop's book drops references also. Some public domain books from that time are in PDF online- and may be difficult reads UNINTENTIONALLY for those very reasons. I think it's wonderful that information can travel more freely.
On the other hands, A) some people want information restricted and their voices to be the only ones heard; and
B) when voices are unrestricted, every tinfoil-hat wearer can publish a book.
So, those are seen as different problems- which is worse depends where on the spectrum you are.
So, yes, a few decades ago, the foolish, naive and unstable could look for answers in a library and read the most ridiculous hogwash and embrace it. Nowadays, the foolish, naive and unstable can go online for the most ridiculous hogwash and embrace it. On the other hand, there's perfectly useful information that's easy to find. A Bible student has lots of resources online. Anyone learning to cook can find a recipe with a few clicks, and learning lots of things can be done with a few more clicks. Want to practice a foreign language? You just need the right website.
So, yes, it's a double-edged sword. Any fool can make videos and put forth he's some great one. In the long term, however, remember that this fool's competing not only with legitimate sources of information live and online, but he's also competing with the other fools. Ex-twi fools are bottom-feeders who wouldn't have made it in cons outside of twi. So, they can only really appeal to ex-twi, and that audience is aging out. The twi and ex-twi population is not replacing its numbers with new converts nor kids staying in the groups. For every one who is, there's several people who just plain die of old age. So, they're competing for a continually-shrinking audience. This problem will resolve itself progressively, and in the long run.
In modern culture, twi is a quaint footnote. As time progresses, that will apply moreso until it dwindles away. Ex-twi fools are no different in that respect. They won't make groups that will appeal to a big audience nor last. The biggest ones will work locally for years or a decade, then pass their peak and begin fading slowly or quickly. This is a problem that affects a few handfuls of people for now, and will affect almost nobody fairly soon.
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T-Bone
And as a follow up to WordWolf’s line of thought:
you can’t teach an old TWI fool new dogma.
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Bolshevik
Interesting in light of a recent booted poster.
https://www.livescience.com/62506-flat-earth-convention.html
Despite early claims, from as far back as HG Wells' "world brain" essays in 1936, that a worldwide shared resource of knowledge such as the internet would create peace, harmony and a common interpretation of reality, it appears that quite the opposite has happened. With the increased voice afforded by social media, knowledge has been increasingly decentralized, and competing narratives have emerged.
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Grace Valerie Claire
Chock, here in DC, libraries are still very, very popular, as centers of learning. I used to live in Tompkins County, NY. I think Forbes Magazine(?) claimed a few months ago, that people in Ithaca, were the best read people in the USA. Although I haven't lived in the Ithaca area, for decades, I still read a lot. I can go anywhere, with a book. Books make me think; sometimes they make me weep, or laugh.
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chockfull
I like physical books too especially on airplanes. This way pesky stewardesses don't watch when I am reading or not over my shoulder. The paperback exchange program at airports is cool.
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chockfull
The main point of this thread is that Gutenberg made it available and cheap to get into the publishing business. He apparently took advantage of that.
Likewise, these Way splinter groups, the latest of which is the R&R resist questions and do what you've always done by yourself ministry, are taking advantage of free resources in our society on YouTube to build a "ministry" or fake 501c that has a select few elites and a video camera.
Because that's all it takes to grab a splinter and jump off the faith boat. And the Way Int. is not the faith boat. Jesus Christ is.
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