Category Archives: Science

Ignoring Evidence vs Paying Attention

Posted on Thursday 6 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The hottest day on Earth, as scientists have anticipated; David French on the mindset of MAGA America As the scientists have been predicting for decades. NY Times, 6 Jul 2023: Heat Records Are Broken Around the Globe as Earth Warms, … Continue reading →

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Summer Solstice; Reality and Illusions

Posted on Friday 23 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The summer solstice is a consequence of basic facts about the Earth and the solar system, which apparently few people understand; Another example of how debates are usually pointless, including political debates; Another take on the false idea that people … Continue reading →

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Debate Is Not the Way to Do Science

Posted on Thursday 22 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Because debate is all about winning an argument toward a preconceived conclusion, not trying to identify truth. Vox, 22 Jun 2023: Joe Rogan wants a “debate” on vaccine science. Don’t give it to him., subtitled “How to have better conversations … Continue reading →

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Today’s Examples of Tribal Loyalty

Posted on Thursday 15 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Examples today of: Defunding the IRS, mostly to benefit the wealthy; Tax cuts, benefiting mostly the wealthy; A party of law & order anxious to pardon its member for crimes against law & order; Defenses of Trump that are a … Continue reading →

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Law vs. Science, Climate Change vs. Insurance

Posted on Friday 9 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about the Supreme Court’s redefinition of “wetlands,” despite the science of hydrology; Two items about the effects of climate change, including how some insurance companies are refusing new homeowner policies.

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Einstein, Vigilante Justice, the Gin and Tonic Workout

Posted on Wednesday 7 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Albert Einstein and what he didn’t say; More on Republican support for vigilante justice; How a drink or two enables an intense workout. NY Times, Benyamin Cohen (a specialist on Einstein), 4 Jun 2023: Einstein and a Theory of Disinformation … Continue reading →

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Ted Chiang, Carl Sagan, Peter Singer

Posted on Monday 5 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Ten Chiang characterizes the current examples of “artificial intelligence” as “applied statistics”; How Carl Sagan was wrong about the “reptilian brain”, in The Dragons of Eden; And an interview with Peter Singer, the controversial philosopher, author of The Expanding Circle … Continue reading →

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The Holocene and Other Calendars

Posted on Sunday 4 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a concept I’ve heard of, fascinating and beneficial in ways, problematic in others. Wikipedia: Holocene Calendar

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Climate Change, Founding Fathers, UFOs and Scientific Literacy

Posted on Saturday 3 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Topics today: Insurance companies, whose business depends on understanding risks, are taking steps to acknowledge climate change and its threats, even if many ordinary people still don’t “believe” in climate change; How the “founding fathers” were woke, compared to the … Continue reading →

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Last Questions and Possible Answers, 2

Posted on Friday 2 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a sequel to a post I did back in March, Last Questions and Possible Answers, 1, in which I considered the John Brockman book The Last Unknowns, in which he gathers deep unanswered questions about “the universe, the … Continue reading →

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