Saturday, July 26, 02003
"How can terror management be applied to a marketing context? We hypothesize that subjects who are exposed to material which reminds them of their own impending deaths, such as a news story about a particularly gory murder, will have a heightened interest in purchasing an item which symbolizes their value within their culture. Such items might include status symbols such as a Lexus or designer clothing, or membership in a prestigious organization. For example, an individual who has just read a news story on the web about the latest tragedy may be more likely to click on a banner ad stating, "Click here to find out more about owning a Lexus." A similar effect is expected for advertisements on the obituary page of a newspaper or during a particularly morbid television program, such as "When Animals Attack." An examination of these effects is particularly timely in the United States, where reports of murders have increased considerably in recent years despite the substantial drop in homicide rates nationwide."
It was too much of a cheap shot to add links to those "gory murder", "latest tragedy" or "When Animals Attack" references. Use your own imaginations, Dear Readers.
Posted at 02:18 PM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
A regular troop-leader of the Spies sees some olive-skinned folks driving a 'military SUV' and darned if she didn't do what all of the commercials on TV were telling her. Hot dang, it's terrifying this tripe is being passed off as news.
Apparently Google hasn't reached Maine yet. After about 30 seconds of searching, I found out that Colorado used to have plates with green backgrounds, and darned if it doesn't have an Air Force commerative plate to boot. It turns out Colorado has some sort of academy those Air Force types just flock too. I'm guessing the military SUV was a dreadful Hummer. I can't really explain the 'following the speed limit' bit. Of course, this is all circumstantial, but it makes a lot more sense than terrorists attacking a Cher concert.
Posted at 11:56 AM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
Wednesday, July 23, 02003
My own vacation pictures will be published Any Day Now. Really. Any Day Now.
In the meantime, feast your pretty eyes on a picture of me pitching a tent.
I've been cruising the mental state captured by that picture for, oh, about three years now.
Posted at 11:57 PM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
"But that hasn't helped much, said Derek Jackson, who lives less than a mile from Immanuel's. "Basically, these megachurches come in and impact the environment, watersheds, light pollution and bring tremendous amounts of traffic into the community," Jackson said."
Posted at 07:37 AM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
Tuesday, July 22, 02003
If today's your birthday, head over to the Dancing Sausage for your birthday blessing: "May all your Kissingers be as pasty white as possible.". The good stuff kicks in about half way through. Search for "***".
Posted at 01:59 PM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
Monday, July 21, 02003
An extended quote from William James:
As for me, my bed is made: I am against bigness and greatness in all their forms, and with the invisible molecular forces that work from individual to individual, stealing in through the crannies of the world like so many soft rootlets, or like the capillary oozing of water, and yet rending the hardest monuments of man's pride, if you give them time. The bigger the unit you deal with, the hollower, the more brutal, the more mendacious is the life displayed. So I am against all big organizations as such, national ones first and foremost: against all big successes and big results; and in favor of the eternal forces of truth which always work in the individual and immediately unsuccessful way, under-dogs always, till history comes after they are long dead, and puts them on the top.--You need take no notice of these ebullitions of spleen, which are probably quite unintelligible to any one but myself.
Letter to Mrs. Henry Whitman, June 7th, 1899.
Found via The Mammals song "Industrial Park".
Posted at 07:24 PM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
After renegging on its promise to increase SUV fuel mileage by 25% over five years, Ford manages to drop their fuel efficiency by 38% in a single year.
Posted at 01:25 PM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
Sunday, July 20, 02003
The local Chesapeake Climate Action Network partook in some harmless, albeit useless SUV ticketing yesterday. While the ticketing apparently didn't lead to any of the expected "I'll pound to a pulp anyone that touches my vehicle" quotes, it still leaves local hybrid owners wondering "where's all my love" ?
Next time, CCAN, why don't you give the hybrid owners some recognition..
Posted at 09:50 AM EST [Link][Karma] [Comment]
