Category Archives: Uncategorized

Essay: The Real Problem with “The Cold Equations”

Posted on August 30, 2020 by

As part of tomorrow’s episode of A Reader’s History of Science Fiction, I felt the need to write a companion essay analyzing one of the most famous (or perhaps infamous) short stories in the history of the genre: “The Cold … Continue reading →

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The Mars Perseverance Launch Is Tomorrow

Posted on July 29, 2020 by

Space news of the day: NASA’s Perseverance rover (formerly Mars 2020) will launch at 7:50 am EDT tomorrow morning on its mission to Mars. (It was originally supposed to be July 17, but it was delayed due to equipment problems.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

Posted on July 15, 2020 by

I’ve previously reviewed An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, a science educator and YouTube host alongside his brother, John (author of The Fault in our Stars). Hank’s debut novel featured a visit by an enigmatic alien robot named Carl, … Continue reading →

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#3 – The Roots of Sci-Fi in Horror

Posted on May 11, 2020 by

Note: WordPress seems to have a new option for an embedded podcast player, although it still has to be inserted manually. I may continue to tweak the post format once I have a better idea of how it works. Check … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Roots of Sci-Fi in Satire

Posted on April 27, 2020 by

Several books widely regarded as the first science fiction novels date back as far as the sixteenth century, but most of these weren’t dramatic stories at all, but were satirical instead. In this episode, I explore how satire contributed to … Continue reading →

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What Is Science Fiction

Posted on April 13, 2020 by

In this first episode, I explain how I developed the idea of this podcast, what I mean by science fiction, and how this podcast will proceed. A preview for the rest of the series. The cover art is the heart … Continue reading →

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A Challenge to Flat Earthers

Posted on December 22, 2019 by

Is the Earth round? Most people say yes, obviously. But a growing (or at least growing in loudness) number on the internet say no. Flat Earthers are (or seem to be) real, and they seem to have an answer to … Continue reading →

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Movie Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Posted on December 20, 2019 by

Well, here it is: the end* of the Star Wars saga. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is the completion of the nine-film series George Lucas originally promised us in 1978. It took 41 years, selling the series to Disney, … Continue reading →

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Frozen II’s Worrying Embrace of Pseudoscience

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

I wrote in my review that I thought Frozen II was a very well-made movie. However, there was one thing in the story that I strongly disliked and even found inappropriate for children in a weird way. (Not in the … Continue reading →

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The Evolution Debate: Beneficial Mutations

Posted on September 1, 2019 by

In the creationism-evolution debate, one of the most common creationist talking points is that random mutation cannot be the driving force behind evolution, either because it is too unlikely to happen by random chance, or because mutations can’t make any … Continue reading →

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