Category Archives: Discursive Detours

A catch-all category

Good Nutrition, Radioactive Breakfast Cereal

I’d prefer living in an America where doctors never used kids as lab animals, and “feeble-minded” folks who were already locked up were not feared by the powers that be. But I live in a very real America. We had … Continue reading

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WASP-18 b and Other Wonderfully Weird WASP Worlds

When I started writing this, I’d planned on talking about WASP-18 b, a hot Jupiter: how we’ve found water in its atmosphere, and something odd about the planet’s temperature on the edge of its sunlit side. Down the Rabbit Hole: … Continue reading

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ChatGPT, Attorney at Law — or — Trust, but Verify

There are times when I almost regret having successfully avoided a conventionally-successful career. Last weekend was not one of them. Partly because I saw what happens when an otherwise-smart person forgets to think. Big-Time Bungle: Bogus References “ChatGPT: US lawyer … Continue reading

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A Prescription, Disorders, Conformity and Culture

First, the good news. I am not experiencing withdrawal (or, more politely, “discontinuation syndrome”). The not-so-good news is that I’m putting off what I was getting ready for today until next week. This ‘journal’ post is, in part, an explanation: … Continue reading

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International Space Station: Seven More Years

Nations and organizations running the International Space Station agreed to keep supporting it until 2030. That’s what I’ll be talking about this week. Along with why the ISS won’t last forever, plans for either ditching it in the South Pacific … Continue reading

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