Category Archives: science fiction

The Understanding of Human Nature, and Its Relationship to Science Fiction

Posted on Monday 19 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a draft of another essay trying to summarize my take on science fiction and my provisional conclusions on the topics I’ve been reading about over the past couple decades.

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The Broadest Possible Terms

Posted on Sunday 18 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s return to yesterday’s item from OnlySky, which strikes me as a way to expand one of my key themes. In fact, perhaps we can build one of my hierarchies to begin with the most basic conception of what science … Continue reading →

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Fox News Admits They Were Wrong; Reviews by Michael Dirda

Posted on Tuesday 23 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

First, a follow up to my Media Literacy post three days ago. Stop the Presses! Something amazing has happened! Salon, Amanda Marcotte, 23 May 2023: Fox News falls for another hoax, as the Dominion defamation settlement pays off, subtitled “The … Continue reading →

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Intuitive TV and Movie Physics

Posted on Wednesday 26 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Remember this? Remind you of anything? This is the logo that would appear at the end of a Universe Pictures movie in the 1930s.

Posted in Astronomy, Physics, science fiction | Comments Off on Intuitive TV and Movie Physics

About New Books by Phil Plait and Jamie Green

Posted on Wednesday 19 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Phil Plait’s Under Alien Skies Jamie Green’s The Possibility of Life And a Facebook cartoon about the cynicism of anti-intellectuals Phil Plait on John Scalzi’s blog today, about his new book Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe, … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Book Notes, Cosmology, Lunacy, science fiction | Comments Off on About New Books by Phil Plait and Jamie Green

SF and AI in MSM

Posted on Sunday 5 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Items about Isaac Asimov and AI, Adrian Tchaikovsky and octopuses and AI, SF magazines and AI-generated stories. The Atlantic, Jeremy Dauber, 3 Mar 2023: What Isaac Asimov Can Teach Us About AI, subtitled “The science-fiction writer imagined artificial intelligence—and what … Continue reading →

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Two Philosophical Bits

Posted on Friday 24 February 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Are you the same person you were last week? How long should you shop?

Posted in Philosophy, science fiction | Comments Off on Two Philosophical Bits

Dacher Keltner, AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

Posted on Tuesday 7 February 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a book about the subjective experience of awe, and how being aware of everyday examples of awe can make your life more meaningful and fulfilling; yet how (in my take) it’s about the emotion, triggered by both the … Continue reading →

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Feelings vs. Data, Political Items, and Awe

Posted on Saturday 28 January 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Today Paul Krugman counters feelings with facts, this time about the economy; also, items about DeSantis, red state murders, Truth Social ads. And a new book about awe.

Posted in Economics, Science, science fiction | Comments Off on Feelings vs. Data, Political Items, and Awe

Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress, OBSERVER

Posted on Sunday 22 January 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

(The Story Plant, January 2023, 380pp) This is a hard science fiction thriller that impressed me in many ways, though I’m not a regular reader of thrillers per se and perhaps am not in a position to judge the book … Continue reading →

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