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 (2010-2013)
» Blogspot Views from Medina Road (2003-2010)-
Recent Posts
- Academic Freedom, Good Citizens, and Moving Forward
- Cory Doctorow on Project 2025 and Long Knives
- The Psychology of Trump and His Supporters
- The Clueless Conservative War on Reality
- Conservatives, Conspiracies, and Reality
- Credulity, Innumeracy, and Alarmism
- Timothy Ferris, COMING OF AGE IN THE MILKY WAY
- Three Perspectives on Trump’s First 100 Days
- Edward O. Wilson: LETTERS TO A YOUNG SCIENTIST
- Trump 100
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Meta
Category Archives: Culture
Assorted Links, early March
Politics, The Crazies, Science and Culture, Religion Jeff VanderMeer (and a coauthor) on DeSantis and students in Florida; David French on cancel culture and the now two Overton Windows; Amanda Marcotte on Republican hypocrisy; MTG’s confused timeline; bills to outlaw … Continue reading
Mehdi Hasan on Arguing
Two interviews with and a book by Mehdi Hasan, about how to argue, and win arguments, using emotional connections over facts and figures, critical thinking skills, with the difficulty in conducting “good-faith” arguments with the right. How some victims of … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture
Comments Off on Mehdi Hasan on Arguing
Leftover February Links, 2
Science, Culture, Politics A 3-D map of near space, and errors in film and TV science fiction, and a novel; 11 recent scientific breakthroughs; a Lunar time zone. When reading went silent. Ron DeSantis’ freedom crackdown, and a question about … Continue reading
Leftover February Links, 1
Politics, Science, Culture, Religion GOP, NYT and Biden; Evolution, Aliens and Balloons; Movie Credits, Awards; He Gets Us, Indoctrination Camps, Education
Red and Blue and Diversity
About a fringe notion to split the US into separate nations of red and blue states; and about the range of human nature and the value of diversity. Haven’t run this item yet; it seemed so fringe, a couple days … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Morality, Politics, Psychology
Comments Off on Red and Blue and Diversity
What We Learned from This Morning’s Newspaper
Items today concern the US military budget, the Chinese balloon, flooding in Houston, Richard Powers on a real battle for trees, and the passing of the 747. All items from today’s paper (the New York Times).
Varieties of Fantasy, and Book Notes
Today’s three topics: A conservative’s take on a fantasy novel; A Le Guin fantasy novel; And insights into books by Heinlein and Brockman.
Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Religion
Comments Off on Varieties of Fantasy, and Book Notes
A Crisp, Sunny January Day
Topics for today: Why China’s decline in population is a good thing; Yuval Noah Harari on identity; Moral panic and the right-wing mind; How climate change has been covered in textbooks since the 1970s.
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Psychology, Religion, Science
Comments Off on A Crisp, Sunny January Day
Alcohol and Civilization, and other recent items
How civilization might have been driven by the desire for alcohol; about the NYT interviewing Republicans; the perspective on conspiratorial thinking from an American living in Britain; paranoia and the GOP; DeSantis’ war on “wokeness”; Paul Waldman on 6 things … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Human Progress, Psychology
Comments Off on Alcohol and Civilization, and other recent items
Optimism About America, and other recent items
David Brooks on how America is on the right track; Ezra Klein on the fractured Republican Party; and items about gas stoves, red states and their blue cities, the partisan divide in COVID deaths, and how politics doesn’t do nuance.
