It's been a good week for liberals. The Supreme Court once again, in dismissing a ludicrous lawsuit, decided not to tank Obamacare, and in a historic decision, recognized the right of same sex couples to marry. By any measure, the court has moved the country forward in a progressive way this week. Now a caution. … Continue reading Great decisions by the court; now a caution
Month: June 2015
What is the crucial element of a story?
I've been reading a lot of science fiction short stories lately. As an aspiring author, one of the things I've been trying to pay attention to are what the properties are of the stories I end up enjoying. And, just as important, what are the properties of the stories I don't enjoy, particularly the ones I end … Continue reading What is the crucial element of a story?
First Peoples documentary series to air on PBS starting Wednesday
I've posted before on prehistorical societies, and the fact that, for virtually all of human history, including the history of our particular sub-species: Homo sapiens, we lived in nomadic hunter gatherer tribes. The evidence points to anatomically modern humans first appearing in Africa over 200,000 years ago, and that much of what we consider normal human society: … Continue reading First Peoples documentary series to air on PBS starting Wednesday
Quantum computing will not rescue Moore’s Law
I found this video on quantum computing educational. It confirmed some things that I've been pondering about quantum computing for a while, notably its limitations, which are discussed after about the five minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_IaVepNDT4 The strength of quantum computing is that it makes use of superpositions, the fact that quantum particles can be in multiple … Continue reading Quantum computing will not rescue Moore’s Law
Literary “rules” I wish science fiction and fantasy books would break more often.
Read any book on writing, or take a creative writing course, and there are certain pieces of advice that you are almost certain to encounter. In many cases, the advice is good, but some have a tendency to take these tools of the craft and turn them into rigid rules. And just about any rigid rule … Continue reading Literary “rules” I wish science fiction and fantasy books would break more often.
How about a presidential candidate science debate?
Can't say I'm too optimistic that this will actually take place, but any pressure on the presidential candidates can't hurt: How About a Science Debate? : Political Wire. ScienceDebate is ramping up efforts to host a live presidential debate on science policy in 2016. Their goal is to get candidates on the record on issues such as … Continue reading How about a presidential candidate science debate?
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