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
- The Psychology of Trump and His Supporters
- The Clueless Conservative War on Reality
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- 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
- Chris Mooney, THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON SCIENCE
- Who’s Happiest and Why?
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Meta
Category Archives: Politics
The Real Trump Mystery, and My Explanation
Thomas B. Edsall on The Real Trump Mystery, and how base human nature explains this; Fareed Zakaria on how Trump’s economic ideas would stunt growth and spur inflation; Because Trump doesn’t understand money; Short items about Roseanne Barr accusing Democrats … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Economics, Human Nature, Politics, Psychology, Religion
Comments Off on The Real Trump Mystery, and My Explanation
Reality v Fear
If there’s a core lesson to take away from the studies of psychological biases over the past two or three decades, it is this: our minds evolved for survival, not for accurate perception of the real world. We are primed … Continue reading
Posted in Human Nature, Human Progress, Politics, Psychology
Comments Off on Reality v Fear
Francis Collins on Facts (!)
Francis Collins on how facts don’t care how you feel; Short pieces on Trump and golf; how brain damage is linked to religious fundamentalism; how Carlson and Vance are smart guys who play dumb; about Trump’s Truth Social posts; how … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion
Comments Off on Francis Collins on Facts (!)
Alarmism About Culture
A disgruntled French intellectual on “deculturation” sounds a lot like MAGA; Shorter items about how a mother died due to Georgia’s abortion ban; how conservatives see everything they don’t like is a judgement from their God; how Trump supporters are … Continue reading
Posted in conservatives, Culture, Economics, Politics
Comments Off on Alarmism About Culture
Stories Are Not Evidence
How the right “creates stories” to support their worldview (i.e. they’re all about motivated reasoning); Paul Krugman on Trump, tariffs, Stalin, and Lysenko; Items about DeSantis cheating and which party is the party of violence; Items about a brain fever … Continue reading
Education vs. Conservatives
Why should a ‘diverse’ campus include conservatives who are essentially against education? Paul Krugman on the eternal demonization of immigrants by conservatives; Short items about Vance’s fantasies, his aim simply to get media attention, and Trump’s clueless accusations about harsh … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Education, Politics
Comments Off on Education vs. Conservatives
Regression Toward the Tribal
Let’s see now. Here we are in the 21st century. In the past 500 years humankind has shown remarkable progress on two parallel fronts. Along governance: no longer was the divine right of kings (or tribal leaders) recognized; rather, principles … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Epistemology, History, Human Progress, Politics, Science
Comments Off on Regression Toward the Tribal
Fear vs. Hope
An essay about “contrasting views of reality” by the American right and the left; Short items about MAGA and pets; Republicans and raunch; Laura Loomer; Buttigieg explains Trump; Lance Wallnau blames witchcraft; and Trump’s new big lie about crime; And … Continue reading
Posted in Human Nature, Politics, Psychology
Comments Off on Fear vs. Hope
The Debate, Politics, and Science
How Kamala Harris defended fracking and did not properly address climate change; How nothing about science came up in the debate; Short items: How MAGA will fall for anything; how Trumps confessed he’s unprepared; how the GOP has become the … Continue reading
Easily Baited
Last night’s debate between Trump and Harris was certainly more entertaining than the debate a couple months ago between Trump and Biden. NY Times, Opinion, 11 Sep 2024: ‘Trump Brought Darkness; Harris Brought Light’: 14 Writers on Who Won the … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Comments Off on Easily Baited
