Mark R. Kelly
» Founder in 1997 and site-runner for 20 years of Locus Online (Hugo Award winner in 2002). Founder in 2012 and still site-runner of sfadb.com (Science Fiction Awards Database). Retired in 2012 after 30 years as a software engineer for a certain rocket engine factory.
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» Previous Views from Medina Road (2003-2013)
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Recent Posts
- This Much is Reality… and This Much is Fantasy
- The Anticipation of Unintended Consequences
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- The Overton Window of Deviance
- Shocked, Just Shocked
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- Here’s a New One: Terrain Theory
- A Little Knowledge… Is a Dangerous Thing
- Politics and Psychology
- There Is Always Long Term Progress and Short Term Retreat
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Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly
October Heat Wave, and Dark Skies
We’re a week or more into a heat wave in the Bay Area, and it’s at least the 6th day in a row the temperature here in Oakland has been above 90. Ever since last weekend the forecasters predicted the … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Personal history
Comments Off on October Heat Wave, and Dark Skies
The Myths Americans Live By
A person’s history affects how he views the world; so too does a nation’s history affects its perceived position in the world, and its place in history. And every nation, or at least most nations, think it is very special, … Continue reading
Posted in conservatives, Culture, Human Nature, Politics
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Further Notes from Our Report on the Third Planet
What would alien spectators taking notes on modern American society observe? Society is unsettled, and political compromises are fragile; yet those advocating actual violence are a minority (Adam Lee) Society has developed high principles to overcome tribal conflicts, but while … Continue reading
Posted in conservatives, Culture, Human Nature, Social Progress
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Monochrome and One-Dimensional and Upside Down
Items from Facebook about MAGA conflation; John Kenneth Galbraith; and conservatives’ lack of a sense of humor; How legislators in North Carolina left homes vulnerable; Fact-checking the debate, Vance’s irritation that he was fact-checked, and how Republicans consistently lie and … Continue reading
Posted in conservatives, Psychology
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Skiffy Flix: When Worlds Collide
Next of up my intermittent revisiting of 1950s science fiction movies is this one, one of the more popular and well-regarded of its era. It was produced by George Pal, who also did Destination Moon the previous year, and his … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Skiffy Flix
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Changing the Subject
About last night’s Vice Presidential debate, and how Vance kept changing the subject; How Vance’s contempt for climate change science belies his purported concern for children, and reflects this recent Cory Doctorow column about marshmallow longtermism; How Vance’s conversion to … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Religion
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Cynicism, Lies, Incompetence
Recalling Reagan and his cynicism about the government; And lies about Hurricane Helene response, climate change, and about everything over one 24-hour period; My anticipation of how long it will take for Trump fans to realize how incompetent and moronic … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Human Nature, Lunacy
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Chemophobia
How Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking Silent Spring led to fixing the environment, but also led to an irrational fear of “chemicals” and then the anti-vax movement; Short items about Vance and Wallnau, Trump’s threats of a violent purge of society, how … Continue reading
Posted in Lunacy, Politics, Psychology, Science
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Changing Minds
Today’s theme: a couple items that illustrate when and how people have changed their minds. Erwin Chemerinsky, and Malcolm Gladwell. First, another piece about the new book by Erwin Chemerinsky (last discussed on 31 Aug), this time a review by … Continue reading
Posted in Human Nature, Politics, Psychology, Science
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Three Weeks: Leaving My Life Up to Me
My partner Y left late last night (I had to drive him to SFO well past our usual bedtime) for a three-week trip to China. (Partly business, partly family.) We’ve been together some 23 years, and this will be the … Continue reading
Posted in Personal history
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