Andy Borowitz, PROFILES IN IGNORANCE: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber (2022)

Posted on Wednesday 16 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

I hesitated reading this book, because I’ve seen and heard for myself over the years the vacuous platitudes of Ronald Reagan, the jejune idiocies of Dan Quayle, the conspiratorial lies of Donald Trump. So what would be gained by reading it…?

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SF Links: Stories and Crashed Spaceships

Posted on Tuesday 15 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Two notable items today from the Tor.com website. About stories; about crashed spaceships (loosely).

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Post-Election Blue, not Red

Posted on Monday 14 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Context; Where we are; Connie Willis; Christian dictatorships; More MAGA than ever; Russian delicacy; Lagniappes.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson, STARRY MESSENGER: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization

Posted on Sunday 13 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Review:

Rather similarly to a couple three other nonfiction books I’ve read lately –- Ari Wallach’s LONGPATH (review here, Jim Al-Khalil’s THE JOY OF SCIENCE (review here), and even Justin Gregg’s IF NIETZSCHE WERE A NARWHAL (review here) -– this book is another basic, entry-level book covering ideas familiar to forward-looking thinkers of all kinds, but especially to scientists and to science fiction readers.

The difference between this and those other books is that Tyson is a major cultural figure, probably the best-known scientist in the nation. He’s done TV shows (Cosmos), he does the lecture circuit, and he has lots (hundreds of thousands? Don’t know exactly) of followers on Twitter. He pokes fun at the bad science in sci-fi movies. (And in the latest Top Gun.)

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Quote of the Day: Recovering from Madness

Posted on Saturday 12 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Charles Mackay was a Scottish poet who lived from 1818 to 1889. He was the author of the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, in 1841.

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Yesterday’s Streetworks

Posted on Friday 11 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Posted yesterday on Facebook. To the extent that there’s a difference, apparently I should have said streetworks, not roadworks. You can look it up.

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Three Interesting Books That I Probably Won’t Read

Posted on Thursday 10 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

About free markets, the fundamentals of biology, and unsustainable growth.

And I probably won’t read them simply because I have so many other books to read, such as the few on a bookcase just to the left of my computer desk. Image turned sideways. (And others all over the house.)

First is this one, seen in a Publishers Weekly review this past week.

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The Day After Election Night, 2022

Posted on Wednesday 9 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Short version: The Republicans won a few races, but there was no ‘red’ landslide as some, not just Republicans, had predicted. Though of course a few key races are going down to the wire, so control of the House and Senate are still up in the air.

My prediction about *this* situation is that, the more Republicans fail to win races they claimed (despite polls) to be certain to win, the more accusations of voter fraud will fly. Only if they won every race would they be happy with “election integrity”.

Again, no attempt here to be comprehensive, just some links that caught my attention today. Continue reading →

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Election Night, 2022

Posted on Tuesday 8 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s election day in America, as they say, and for some reason this one feels especially dire. The first national election since Jan. 6th, and with so many conspiracy mongers anxious to detect voter fraud and declare victory by default. Republican politicians who say they’ll accept the results of the election, only if they win. This is what America has come to.

So let’s wander through some links from recent days.

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Layoff Anniversary

Posted on Monday 7 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Today is the 10th anniversary of my lay-off from the one professional job I’ve ever had, working for the aerospace firm Rocketdyne. November 7, 2012, after 30 years. Details of that life and the aftermath of the layoff on my Personal History pages.

Perhaps it’s worth spending a few minutes reflecting on what’s changed in 10 years. Where was I then, where I am now. (For no particular reason, the photo is from 2017, when I visited the famous Vasquez Rocks, for the first time in my life. The front door of my car is open.) Continue reading →

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