Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Math and Beauty

Posted on Friday 19 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Big Think’s Ethan Siegel on the Fibonacci sequence; Big Think’s Adam Frank on biological and technological information flow; Shorter items on inflation and human irrationality; how calls for securing the border are political theater; how anti-science (vaccine “hesitancy”) is rising; … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Math and Beauty

40,000 Stars in the Evening

Posted on Thursday 18 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

An article about what “fandom” means today, and my brief reflections on science fiction fandom; Fringe items about blaming the devil, why only Christians should hold political offices, book banning, what Trump’s “best people” have said about him, and an … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Music, Politics | Comments Off on 40,000 Stars in the Evening

Einstein’s Rules; Arranging Books; Who Owns the Moon

Posted on Wednesday 17 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today let’s do three substantial topics, and push items about politics and religion to the end. To the fringe. Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life; A peculiar Guardian article about arranging “curated” books; Adam Lee on religious taboos and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Religion | Comments Off on Einstein’s Rules; Arranging Books; Who Owns the Moon

Orion, and Tribal Politics

Posted on Tuesday 16 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

What Orion would look like if we had better eyes; The Iowa landslide for Trump reveals evangelicals for who they really are; The country needs a dictator; Sobbing woman begs Trump to save her; Conspiracy-monger set the fires himself; Nikki … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, Politics | Comments Off on Orion, and Tribal Politics

After Science and Democracy, Perhaps the World is Regressing to a Mean

Posted on Monday 15 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Latest examples of Republican values: letting migrants in Texas drown; and how Trump wants his followers in Iowa to vote even if it costs them their lives; How Trump voters prefer a strongman, never mind democracy and law and order; … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics | Comments Off on After Science and Democracy, Perhaps the World is Regressing to a Mean

Readings: Carl Sagan; Maggie Jackson

Posted on Sunday 14 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A 1987 Carl Sagan lecture, just published in 2022, about the protocols of science and government and the need to acknowledge uncertainty; A NYT opinion piece by Maggie Jackson about uncertainty and how to manage it; R.E.M.’s “Leave” Quillette, Steven … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Psychology, Science, Technology | Comments Off on Readings: Carl Sagan; Maggie Jackson

At the Edge of the Continent

Posted on Saturday 13 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today my partner and I finished setting up my chic new curved widescreen monitor (a Christmas present), replacing the two standard-sized monitors I was using before. This new monitor (technically a “gaming” monitor) shows roughly the equivalent of three of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Music, Personal history, Politics | Comments Off on At the Edge of the Continent

Backing Into Philosophy: Stipulations

Posted on Friday 12 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

I do have another batch of links about current events, but I’ll save them for this weekend and instead spend tonight’s blog post jotting down thoughts about philosophy. I mentioned back on Jan 6th that one of my resolutions for … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal history, Philosophy | Comments Off on Backing Into Philosophy: Stipulations

Take Another Trip Around the Sun

Posted on Thursday 11 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s try to drill through accumulated links, if only briefly, and then move on to other things. Among many items, these themes: Republicans and “God gave us Trump” and America’s “collective pathology”; Adam Lee on the idea that conspiracy theorists … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Take Another Trip Around the Sun

A Dream of Oceans, and Sunken Cities

Posted on Wednesday 10 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Still enamored by R.E.M., which is why I’ve chosen another of their lyrics for today’s post title. Today: more items about trying to understand the modern world. How false information might be the top global risk in 2024; An example … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Music, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on A Dream of Oceans, and Sunken Cities