I just came across the first version of this post, one that I wrote over seven years ago. It contained references that are quite dated; large language… Read more “All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace: An Appeal to Our AI Overlords”
Category: Science and Astronomy
It’s Not Easy Being Green: Rene Joly, the First Martian in Court
As we prepare for the latest Martian explorer to land, it begs a question: If we do find life *out there*, what would it mean for our… Read more “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Rene Joly, the First Martian in Court”
The Last Question: How to Reboot the Universe
Before Douglas Adams posited that the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything was 42, Isaac Asimov was pondering the same question. Long… Read more “The Last Question: How to Reboot the Universe”
Got Pandemics – Pt. 2: Which of the Gods, in the Name of Truth, Fixed These Absurd Proportions?
Remember Old Mithridates, the King who couldn’t die by his own poison? Here’s a reminder from poet A.E. Houseman (collected in A Shropshire Lad, 1896): There was… Read more “Got Pandemics – Pt. 2: Which of the Gods, in the Name of Truth, Fixed These Absurd Proportions?”
Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1
First, a few etymologies: Pandemic comes from pandēmos (Greek) = pan ‘all’) + dēmos ‘people’; therefore “all people”, as opposed to epidemic (epi=upon, hence “upon people”). Panacea… Read more “Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1”
Myths of the Moons: Hyperion (Saturn)
Hyperion’s children, his lineage, is impressive. It includes the sun, Helios, the moon, Selene, and the dawn, Eos, all conceived with his sister-consort Euryphaessa, also known as… Read more “Myths of the Moons: Hyperion (Saturn)”
Myths of the Moons: Castration, Cannibalism, and Volcanoes… Oh My! (Saturn)
To say that the Greek gods had daddy issues does them little service; Saturn castrated his father, while his own son, Zeus, left him equally dismembered (in… Read more “Myths of the Moons: Castration, Cannibalism, and Volcanoes… Oh My! (Saturn)”
Myths of the Moons: Iapetus (Saturn)
The Greek Titan Iapetus is probably remembered more for the actions of sons than his own mythos. As one of the primal gods, he was a brother… Read more “Myths of the Moons: Iapetus (Saturn)”
Myths of the Moons: Rhea (Saturn)
Rhea, the mother of the Olympians, and the sister-wife of Saturn (Cronos) is a relatively underdeveloped character in Greco-Roman mythology. She definitely plays an important role in… Read more “Myths of the Moons: Rhea (Saturn)”
Myths of the Moon: Dione (Saturn)
Some of the mythically named moons of our solar system point to huge narratives; for instance, last week we examined Tethys, and there was barely enough space… Read more “Myths of the Moon: Dione (Saturn)”