Category Archives: Psychology

Current Affairs, 8 Dec 2022

Posted on Thursday 8 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

How Christian morality plays out; the Respect for Marriage Act and the weeping Republican; the right’s sense of grievance; how the media is disconnected from reality; opposite opinions about the American defense budget.

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A Chilly December Evening

Posted on Thursday 1 December 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Topics for today: A French take on Americans; How a Narcissist Knows Nothing. No photo from either of the two linked items here seemed appropriate, so here is tonight’s sunset. In the aftermath of a rainstorm that lasted from before … Continue reading →

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Reading: Ezra Klein and Pippa Norris

Posted on Sunday 6 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

The Ezra Klein Show is a free, semiweekly podcast by Ezra Klein, co-founder of Vox, and author of Why We’re Polarized (my review here), now podcaster and editorial writer for The New York Times, and an all-around very sharp guy. … Continue reading →

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SF and Literary Topics

Posted on Wednesday 26 October 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick, Top Horror Stories, SF for Beginners, the Storytelling Bias, latest NYTBR SF/F reviews, Mathematical fiction

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Change, Delusions, Reality

Posted on Tuesday 25 October 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

New York Times, Michael H. Keller and David D. Kirkpatrick, 23 Oct 2022 (on front page for 24 Oct 2022): Their America Is Vanishing. Like Trump, They Insist They Were Cheated., subtitled “The white majority is fading, the economy is … Continue reading →

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Voter Suppression, Supply-Side Economics, Empathy; and Links

Posted on Monday 17 October 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Heather Cox Richardson, Facebook, October 16, 2022 (Sunday) Richardson, a political historian, posts several times a week with longish (2 to 3 screens) summaries of recent events, grounded in historical perspective. This one is about the connection between voter suppression … Continue reading →

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Memes and Dreams, Obsessions and Abuse

Posted on Wednesday 28 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Do people really not want to work? Why do people have anxiety dreams about school long after graduating? Plus items and politics and religion.

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Which Books to Read, Dumb Politicians, Politics as a Joke

Posted on Monday 26 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

How do I choose which books to buy, or read? A case example. Also: about dumb politicians, and about politics as a joke. A few times here I’ve discussed my methods and thought processes to identify which books to read, … Continue reading →

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Recent Headlines, 7 Sept 2022

Posted on Wednesday 7 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Busy with things including the heat. For now headlines from the past few days, lightly commented. I’ve skimmed them at best; some I will revisit and comment further. About not following your gut; the past 150 years of human history; … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Human Progress, Links & Comments, Narrative, Psychology, Social Progress | Comments Off on Recent Headlines, 7 Sept 2022

George Gamow: One Two Three… Infinity

Posted on Wednesday 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 | Comments Off on George Gamow: One Two Three… Infinity