Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Obsolescence of White Nationalism

Posted on October 15, 2018 by jlredford

I was sitting in a conference room the other day, meeting with a company that wanted to supply a component for a new chip we’re working on.  These days most chips are assembled from big pieces from other firms.   It’s … Continue reading →

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Immigration and the Nobel Science Prizes

Posted on August 22, 2018 by jlredford

It’s hard to take the current Administration’s stance on immigration seriously.   Their policies are deliberately cruel, as in family separations, and clearly motivated by bigotry.  In response, people have pointed to the 80 million US immigrants and their huge contributions … Continue reading →

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SF Inventors

Posted on May 31, 2018 by jlredford

Unlike other groups that I’ve written about (Beautiful Inventors, Political Inventors, Criminal Inventors and Movie Inventors), science fiction authors are known for their interest in technology.   You would think, then, that a lot of them would have made real-life contributions, … Continue reading →

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Mad Science #4: Geo-Engineering With Nukes

Posted on May 19, 2018 by jlredford

Nuclear devices, what are they good for?  Almost nothing, it turns out.   They’re close to useless as weapons, since the goal of war is domination, not destruction.  The nuclear powers have been in dozens of wars since 1945, and have … Continue reading →

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Who Is the Most Corrupt US Businessman?

Posted on April 30, 2018 by jlredford

Paul Waldman of the Washington Post was recently writing about the raid on the office of Donald Trump’s fixer, Michael Cohen, which is likely to uncover lots of shady dealings.  Waldman wrote “He [Trump] may well be the single most … Continue reading →

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Google Is Getting Creepy

Posted on March 27, 2018 by jlredford

Facebook has always been creepy, of course, with its reliance on selling your personality to advertisers.  People are shocked, shocked, that this would be used for political ends by Cambridge Analytica and other manipulators, but that’s basic to what they … Continue reading →

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Who Are the Best-Selling SF Authors?

Posted on February 27, 2018 by jlredford

There doesn’t seem to be a direct way to answer this.   Book sales data appears to be kept very private between authors and publishers, probably for the same reason that you never tell anyone your income.  In any case, books … Continue reading →

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“2001” Was Completely Wrong

Posted on January 30, 2018 by jlredford

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the best SF movie ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I actually saw it when it first came out, and have seen it many times since then.  I think I’ve also read everything … Continue reading →

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Mad Science #3: Land Mine Follies

Posted on January 15, 2018 by jlredford

Two stories of mad science this time about this vicious class of weapons, and one about how they ought to be done: Radioactive Nazi Land Mines Like Mad Science #1, the first story comes from Atomic Adventures (2017) by James … Continue reading →

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Is STEM Recruitment Working?

Posted on December 31, 2017 by jlredford

The technical world, that of math, science, and engineering, has been trying for decades to get more young people interested in it.   It collectively sponsors TV programs, high school contests, and scholarships.   Politicians are constantly touting the benefits of STEM … Continue reading →

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