Category Archives: Technology

The Flaw of Math, or Perhaps Just the Limits of Human Cognition

Posted on 2 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Veritasium on math’s fatal flaw, or perhaps just a limitation on the extent humans can understand reality; Considering why cars are built to be able to break the law; A cartoon about religious folks who believe the Bible was written … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Mathematics, Religion, Technology | Comments Off

Readings: Carl Sagan; Maggie Jackson

Posted on 14 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A 1987 Carl Sagan lecture, just published in 2022, about the protocols of science and government and the need to acknowledge uncertainty; A NYT opinion piece by Maggie Jackson about uncertainty and how to manage it; R.E.M.’s “Leave” Quillette, Steven … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Psychology, Science, Technology | Leave a comment

Household and Hospital Matters

Posted on 8 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

About Donald A. Norman and a mysterious error message on our stove the other evening; About a mysterious message on our TV, another problem solved by Google; About a hospital visit that didn’t go well.

Posted in Personal history, Technology | Leave a comment

Moving Toward One Kind of Science-Fictional Future

Posted on 25 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Working from home vs. commuting, a slow social trend we thought might be temporary, but which may be inevitable, and for the good. I have a laptop connected to two big monitors, but otherwise this photo is apt. My cat … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Human Progress, Technology | Leave a comment

Red Herrings, and AI’s effect on Capitalism

Posted on 14 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items today How Big Oil uses “red herring” issues to deflect attention away from the big issue Ted Chiang on the potential corrosive effect of AI on capitalism Plus, a brief reflection on the SF writers who’ve had things … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Technology | Leave a comment

Theory of Mind, UFOs, and Music

Posted on 6 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Three items today. Do Chatbots have a “theory of mind”? Probably not. Why fascination about UFOs has lingered; my own brief fascination with them when I was 13; and David Brin’s current take on them; How music does not “mean” … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Science, Technology | Leave a comment

Another Chatbot Shoe Drops

Posted on 25 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The latest about chatbots, why they would be biased one way or another, and how there is now a conservative version of them; and recalling Conservapedia. Our story so far:

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Lunacy, Technology | Leave a comment

Harari on the Dangers of AI

Posted on 24 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Also: reflecting on Arthur C. Clarke and John Brockman, wondering if there is a permanent limit to human cultural education. NY Times, Yuval Noah Harari, Tristan Harris, and Aza Raskin, 24 March 2023: You Can Have the Blue Pill or … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthur C. Clarke, Culture, Technology | Leave a comment

SF and AI in MSM

Posted on 5 March 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Items about Isaac Asimov and AI, Adrian Tchaikovsky and octopuses and AI, SF magazines and AI-generated stories. The Atlantic, Jeremy Dauber, 3 Mar 2023: What Isaac Asimov Can Teach Us About AI, subtitled “The science-fiction writer imagined artificial intelligence—and what … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, Technology | Leave a comment

More About the 747

Posted on 6 February 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

For decades the Boeing 747 was the largest passenger airliner in the world, and it debuted (in 1968) just a few years before I had occasion to take a plane flight anywhere, or pay attention to different kinds of planes. … Continue reading →