God, the longer I live the more I feel I need to experience a world-class city. I research ways I might like to broaden my social horizons, and I find things like the Apollo Circle, which would be exactly the sort of thing I’d like … Continue readingYoung, Lonely, and Restless
The part of Twitter I’m in is adjacent to some rather heated debates as to the fundamentals of Russia versus NATO in the Ukraine war, with some of the less-bright pro-Russian types coping about how the tremendous GDP of the Western bloc doesn’t matter for … Continue readingR&D and the Great Power Sweepstakes
There are times in my life when I can’t help but wonder if something’s wrong with me. I have one big week, going out and doing one big activity or event every day, and the only way I can get through it is taking cortisone! … Continue readingThe Dark Matter of Excellence
I know I’ve spent a few days brainstorming for the first Mars mission in my science-fictional alternate history, but already I can’t help but plot out things even further for the timeline of early spaceflight. In particular, after the first Mars landing in 1963, what … Continue readingAn Odyssey to the Outer Solar System?
Years ago I established that in my alternate-historical/science-fictional setting a Russian-led expedition is the first to reach Mars in 1963, 22 years after the first manned spaceflight, and 14 years after the first landing on the Moon. Now that I’ve written up the first flight … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Mars Landing
Saudi Arabia has its vision for Neom, The Line, a futuristic linear city, but I think we can do far better right here in America: why not a Pacific Coast City, a contiguous urban corridor on the immediate coast of California? Coastal California is one … Continue readingLet’s Build Pacific Coast City!
In my post “The Boon of Young Motherhood” I proposed a kind of generational division of labor: sex and babies for the young, career work for the old. After all, fundamentally you can work a job far later in life than you can have a … Continue readingToward a Generational Division of Labor?
Having given some thought to my alternate timeline’s space program recently, I’ve been doing some research on space history in our world. One aspect that stands out to me is how much more capable a super-heavy-lift launcher (like the Saturn V, SLS, or SpaceX Starship) … Continue readingAll I Ask is a Tall Rocket…
I’ve finished writing up my story of the denizens of the Astoria, Oregon boarding house, weighing in at 17,000 words, which I will release sometime later this year; on Christmas Night 1941 they see live on their television the first manned mission to outer space, … Continue readingMy Lunar Program After “Wings of Fire”
You know, I really like plotting out alternate histories of spaceflight (like I did last summer), and I’m having the pleasure again the turn of this new year 2023: for my next story (see my posts here, here, and here). Instead of a manned Moon … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Manned Spaceflight