Category Archives: science fiction

More About Science Fiction in Modern Society

Posted on Monday 31 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

First, posted on Facebook about our Napa Valley Wine Train trip yesterday. Then, more about the role of science fiction in modern society. The Atlantic, Gal Beckerman, 31 Aug 2026: We Are Living in the Fantasy World of 13-Year-Old Boys, … Continue reading →

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Christian Nationalism, and the Dissipation of Science Fiction Into Popular Culture

Posted on Saturday 29 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The arrogance of Christian Nationalism; How some of science fiction has become absorbed into even literary culture. – – – From a few days ago. NY Times, David French, 20 Aug 2026: JD Vance Has a Mind-Bending Vision for America … Continue reading →

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Is Science Fiction Becoming Obsolete?

Posted on Thursday 27 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Jill Lepore on how Silicon Valley misreads classic science fiction; Kibble: Trumps wants to rename everything; Reich calls Trump petty and incompetent; how the Supreme Court is less and less interested in facts; and about ICE’s new electronic glove torture … Continue reading →

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An SF/F/H Venn Diagram

Posted on Sunday 2 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Further thoughts on the topic of Friday’s post. (Busy weekend.) The first thing to understand about the very broad generalizations I made there is that there is no one type of “science fiction,” no one “fantasy” genre, no one idea … Continue reading →

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Science Fiction and Horror: New Thoughts

Posted on Friday 31 July 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

There is an overlap between science fiction and horror I just realized today; On its 250th anniversary, America looks backward and forward; Brief items about Head Start, Trump the Mafia Boss, Anthony Fauci’s mortal sin (challenging Trump), the new pro-teen … Continue reading →

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Meaning, Purpose, Science, Science Fiction

Posted on Thursday 11 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Kevin Kelly’s take on a meaning of life: be the most improbable person you can be; And my provisional ideas about meaning and purpose; Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar. I mentioned Kevin Kelly yesterday, and so I checked out his blog, his … Continue reading →

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Skiffy Flix: The Thing From Another World

Posted on Sunday 5 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a 1951 black & white science fiction movie set in the Arctic, and it’s one of the most famous of the 1950s science fiction films. (This original version has been eclipsed over the decades by a 1982 remake … Continue reading →

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The New Space Race

Posted on Wednesday 1 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Today’s launch of Artemis II, and my background supporting the space program; A revelation about Bill Warren’s KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES! Noting the popularity of Project Hail Mary; Noting a GoodReads list; Radiohead’s The Gloaming. – – – So America’s … 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.

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