Category Archives: science fiction

The New Space Race

Posted on Wednesday 1 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

So America’s latest moon rocket launched this afternoon, a relief to those of us who witnessed a space shuttle explode on launch some 40 years ago, and have watched every launch since then with trepidation. I’ve always followed America’s space … Continue reading →

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Can I? Must I?

Posted on Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

RFK Jr. illustrates the hypocritical standards of conservative motivated thinking: “Can I believe it?” (one example is fine) vs. “Must I believe it?” (no amount of evidence will do); David Brin ridicules NASA’s new plan to build a Lunar base; … Continue reading →

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Latter Day Skiffy Flix: STTNG: Encounter at Farpoint

Posted on Thursday 19 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple evenings ago I rewatched the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, called “Encounter at Farpoint,” for the first time since I watched it as the series premiere back in 1987. Some background and context. I was … Continue reading →

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The Most Dangerous Vision

Posted on Sunday 15 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A brief post today, after a long afternoon/evening watching the Oscars. (On the West Coast, what with pre-shows, it ran from mid-afternoon to nearly 8pm.) So instead of linking news or opinion items today, let me note a nascent thought … Continue reading →

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Trek and Woke, Perception and Reality, Art and Truth

Posted on Saturday 17 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Stephen Miller accuses the new Trek series of being woke, with my comments on how the original Trek series was extremely woke, especially for its era; An interview with Anil Seth about deep reality and whether it’s built by human … Continue reading →

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Nominalism, and Some Cool Maps

Posted on Saturday 13 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

The idea of nominalism, from a 77-year-old book, that seems to have inspired MAGA’s arrested moral development; Apocalyptic speculation in science fiction and in speculative maps; Brief items about Trump’s whitewashing of American history, teaching students how to think, and … Continue reading →

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And How Science Fiction Is Both a Symptom and a Solution

Posted on Monday 13 October 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Further thoughts on how science fiction informs current social ills; Republican doublethink about “No Kings” rallies; Columbus Day, and Trump’s veneration of Columbus vs the realities of history; Heather Cox Richardson’s perspective on Columbus, and the origin of Columbus Day. … Continue reading →

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How All This Is Reflected in Science Fiction

Posted on Sunday 12 October 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

The three themes of my essay; Items about the Pope, Trump firing black officials, MAGA’s presumption of carrying out the “Lord’s work,” how the Trump administration has quietly reinstated many of the CDC staffers it recently fire, how Trump thinks … Continue reading →

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How This Is All About Science Fiction

Posted on Friday 10 October 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

This blog isn’t about conservatives and the religious; it’s about people believing things that aren’t true, about tribalism and hypocrisy, and how human nature reduces everything into binaries. With numerous examples; And about how Trump didn’t win the Nobel Peace … Continue reading →

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Margaret Atwood: THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Posted on Thursday 4 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

(Houghton Mifflin, Feb. 1986, hardcover, 311pp) This is the US first edition hardcover, which I bought when it came out (it’s the first printing too), though the book was published in Canada the year before, in 1985. It’s 40 years … Continue reading →

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