It seems that this is spring cleaning week. Here’s another piece that I wrote some time ago and simply never got around to publishing. Isaac Asimov’s introduction to “Segregationist”: In the spring of 1967, I received an interesting request. It seems there is a periodical called Abbot tempo, supported by Abbott Laboratories, a respected pharmaceutical … Continue reading Segregationist
Science Fiction
Fictional Morality
I usually write a bunch of posts ahead of time and save them for those occasions when I might be working on a longer series and don’t have the time to write the daily post, or when I’m pressed for time for other reasons. Sometimes those posts get pushed down in the unwritten and half-written … Continue reading Fictional Morality
The Unicorn, the Univac, and Mary Lou
Back in high school I was a very avid reader of the science fiction magazines, and in the fall of 1964 I came across this in the December issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: A contest with a hundred dollar cash prize! I had dreams of becoming a professional writer in those … Continue reading The Unicorn, the Univac, and Mary Lou
Superman
My image of Superman was formed during the years 1957 to 1962 when I was reading the various comic books in which he appeared: Action Comics, Superman, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Adventure, Superboy (those last two were the adventures of Superman when he was a boy) plus World’s Finest, where he teamed up with Batman, … Continue reading Superman
O Little Town of Bethlehem II
As promised, here is the second part of my O Little Town of Bethlehem two-parter. Part I can be found by clicking the link on this sentence. Robert F. Young (June 8, 1915 – June 22, 1986), note the middle initial, was a science fiction writer whose career spanned thirty years, although his day job … Continue reading O Little Town of Bethlehem II
Pluribus and Mary Tyler Moore
While watching the first episode of Vince Gilligan’s television show starring Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus, on Apple TV, I was reminded of a 1968 Mary Tyler Moore movie. I didn’t know anything about Pluribus before I started watching it, but the scene in question was reminiscent of the movie in more ways than one. So I made … Continue reading Pluribus and Mary Tyler Moore
Is the Third Time the Charm?
Quote of the day: There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”—Isaac … Continue reading Is the Third Time the Charm?
The City of the Future
Quote of the day: Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.—Frederick Douglass There was a recent question posed to those WordPress bloggers who … Continue reading The City of the Future
The Feeling of Power
Quote of the day: I am prejudiced against religion because I know the history of religion, and it is the history of human misery and of black crimes.—Isaac Asimov According to an article in Time Magazine, a new study suggests that using AI made doctors less skilled at spotting cancer. Huh. Why the hell were … Continue reading The Feeling of Power
The Satanic Illusion
Quote of the day: The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.—Bertrand Russell I’ve previously mentioned L. Sprague de Camp and his story “A Gun for Dinosaur” that was published back in the 1960s. It revolved around a safari … Continue reading The Satanic Illusion