great minds? really?

I just read the post on ulutootkia. Before u read this pls go read yiting's latest two posts.





And i realised that such chain mails(even some smses) are very very very effective at convincing people simply by citing a credible source. which is actually what i do in my gp essays, so my arguments look pro.

I received that email which yiting received long time ago. It was slightly different, but then again people like to change things abit before forwarding them on. But the main quotation of a Cambridge researcher stays.

Most people will read these things, think it's interesting, and forward them on. not me. Frankly, u can call me a freak if u want to, whenever i receive such emails, i always double check their citations before i believe them. I don't know of anyone else who is bo liao enough to do that, but to me, it ensures i can only useful info registered into my head.(sorry, my brain sucks, can't hold much things, so need to ration.)

But these checks r useful. Because just like my essays, the quotations are all fake. There is no cambridge researcher who has ever stepped up to claim that particular research work, or show the rest of his/her research to anyone. It could be that the researcher is very humble and shy, but this is rarely the case. So in simple words, the claim is fake.



Let me cite another example. You people might have seen this in ur email or sms inbox before.

Subject: Important News from Dubai Gov.

Dear All, If you receive a phone call on your mobile from any person, saying that, he or she is a company engineer, or telling that they're checking your mobile line, and you have to press # 90 or #09 or any other number.

End this call immediately without pressing any numbers. There is a fraud company using a device that once you press #90 or #09 they can access your 'SIM' card and make calls at your expense.

Forward this message to as many friends as you can, to stop it.

All mobile users pay attention if you receive a phone call and your mobile phone displays (XALAN) on the screen don't answer the call, END THE CALL IMMEDIATELY, if you answer the call, your phone will be infected by a virus.

This virus will erase all IMEI and IMSI information from both your phone and your SIM card, which will make your phone unable to connect with the telephone network. You will have to buy a new phone. This information has been confirmed by both Motorola and Nokia. There are over 3 Million mobile phones being infected by this virus in all around the world now.

You can also check this news in the CNN web site.

I know ellen received an sms like this, but then i've long received this email before she did. This one cites motorola and nokia, huge handphone giants which everybody believes in. It also cites the very reliable CNN website. And being my usual self, i checked it out.

And the final info? Both nokia and motorola label this as a hoax, and a search of the CNN website turns up no stories of such a virus. The origins of this virus dates back to 1999, when it first appeared on the internet. It cautioned cell phone users to beware of answering calls from "UNAVAILABLE." In 2002 the hoax was revived for another run, that time cautioning mobile chatters against taking calls from "ACE-?". In 2005 it came back once again, in that instance to warn the cell-enabled to not accept calls from XALAN.

There is no such threat. No mobile phone viruses capable of infecting cell phones and erasing SIM cards have yet been discovered.


Moral of the story? Most people just read, see the name of an authoritative source confirming the story, and believe it. No one really bothers to check. Your cambridge examiners are probably like that too. And so? Spam sources and studies from authoritative sources that support your argument. Your gp might rock! haha kidding. don't try. later ur gp screw up u come and blame me. don't hor, i am hereby not responsible for any damages that may result from following my unwise remarks. yup ok.

And anyway, it's a fact that people usually believe these chain things as long as they don't attempt to weed money out of them. The Australian Psychological Society(APS) has published a report on how people easily fall for chain messgaes as long as they see that the mail has been forwarded to many people. They assume that if many people receive it, it's bound not to be a hoax. so there you are.












HAHA, for all those who still fell for and believed my last paragraph, please raise your hand and slap yourself! learn pls! And according to a cambridge researcher, i'm part of the 55% of people who have a strange mind =S

lalala, damn long post man.