Monthly Archives: August 2022

George Gamow: One Two Three… Infinity

Posted on 10 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s an oldie, not just for first being published in 1947 (see Wikipedia) but also for being one of the first science nonfiction books I ever read, back when I bought this copy in 1969. (Seen here is the Bantam … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Mathematics, Personal history, Physics, Psychology | Leave a comment

Links and Comments: Some Good News, and the FBI

Posted on 9 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Some recent news is actually quite good.

Posted in Links & Comments, Politics, Social Progress | Leave a comment

Longtermism

Posted on 8 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

A key aspect of (good) science fiction is that it takes a long term view, of the species, of the universe, as so few individual people do.

Posted in Human Progress, science fiction | Leave a comment

Paperback Sets: Asimov’s Foundation Novels

Posted on 7 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

I’m going to begin a series of posts capturing photos of some of the many sets of matching paperbacks that appeared in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when I began buying books, that I have acquired (some when published … Continue reading →

Posted in Paperback Sets, science fiction | Leave a comment

Walter Jon Williams: “Surfacing” + 2

Posted on 6 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

This week’s story being consider by the Facebook Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Fiction group, for its reading of the big Gardner Dozois book shown here, is the second story in that book, a 1988 novella by Walter Jon … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, Short Fiction | Leave a comment

Facebook Memes: Conspiracy Theories; Ignorant People

Posted on 5 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Quick post for this afternoon; I’m working a long post about the next story my Facebook reading group will address on Sunday, concerning a novella by Walter Jon Williams, and I’m taking the opportunity while revisiting these older stories by … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Leave a comment

David McRaney, HOW MINDS CHANGE

Posted on 4 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion (Portfolio/Penguin, June 2022, 330pp) Almost a decade ago I discovered two books by David McRaney, YOU ARE NOT SO SMART (2011) and YOU ARE NOW LESS DUMB (2013) that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Psychology | Leave a comment

Abortion Votes and Republicans on Parenting

Posted on 3 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

When I opened Facebook this morning the first 10 items were all about the election results in Kansas (from news sources or friends citing them), in which an attempt to remove protections for abortion *failed* rather dramatically — by 60% … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Evolution, Politics | Leave a comment

Bothsidesism and Media Bias

Posted on 2 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s an odd headline. What could this be about? Slate, Savannah Jacobson, 1 Aug 2022: Why the New York Times’ Post-Roe Abortion Coverage Has Felt a Little Off, subtitled, “It’s the same problem that always plagues the Times.”

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Leave a comment

Randy Olson, HOUSTON, WE HAVE A NARRATIVE

Posted on 1 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

This is an interesting book that I’m disappointed by only because it’s not the book I wanted to read. That is, not the author’s fault. An interesting, useful, book nonetheless. (University of Chicago Press, 2015, trade paperback, 260pp) Olson’s book … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Narrative, Science | Leave a comment