Musings

• Midstream Musings – we scale ourselves and return Sisyphus …

  • storycraft – grounding sci-fi tales of wagon trains to other worlds
    10-23-2026 [draft essay] The entertainment paradox I am struggling with the entertainment paradox. A contrast of two narrative engines. It’s like spitting into the wind. In tales where hope is fragile and desperation abounds, do we celebrate individual exceptionalism—witty, charming heros (reluctant or rogue) outwitting a bad guy; or communal […]
  • Three Sages and the Stone – mute void or crowded room
    Remember pet rocks? Did anyone try to teach their stone to talk? Was there any point in listening? The Three Sages and the Stone An homage to Annie Dillard’s Teaching a Stone to Talk. © Copyright 2026 John P. Healy “Three sages, three worldviews, and one pet rock. An cinematic […]
  • Calliope’s Reach … snippets
    Calliope’s Reach(do magpies dream of Calliope?) © 2026 John Healy Ongoing worldbuilding, research, and scene sketches for Calliope’s Reach may be viewed on my writing workshop page. Notes on framing, context, characters, throughlines, homages, scientific and literary references, phrases, and terms may wind up in the appendices. Currently I tend […]
  • Space capitalism – build it, own it
    At the beginning of August, I started writing a story – Calliope’s Reach – set in a future around 2150 – 2200. The narrative is grounded in a landscape of space capitalism. The following week, I ran across the book New Space Capitalism [1], which connected with recent events, particularly […]
  • Calliope’s Reach … pathfinder
    Teaser Calliope’s Reach(do magpies dream of Calliope?) © 2026 John HealyDraft 8-23-2026, 9-6-2026 Table of Contents EpigraphPrologueAct 1a: at anchor – ready roomAct 1b: anchors aweighAct 2: ShakedownAct 3: the sea of AzoresEpilogue NotesGallery Epigraph Here rise to life again, dead poetry!Let it, O holy Muses, for I am yours,And […]
  • Comment on Clara’s world … the sky sucks by jph
    What's the outlook for an unstable orbital environment: "How bad is the situation?" And all the ephemeris, ephemeris, ephemeris … Regarding orbital debris, are we near a "collisional-runaway threshold?" Wherein "any serious collisions … may create new debris faster over time than debris would be naturally removed by the pull […]
  • Comment on Calliope’s Reach … pathfinder by jph
    Hedging one's bets is a hallmark of space capitalism. In future deep space voyages, this risk-mitigation strategy may paradoxically entail 'going all in' on AI and robotics. Perhaps the Directorate was aware of Goodhart's law, like a parenthetical nag in their otherwise vaunted techno-optimism. Perhaps some retained a degree of […]
  • Comment on Calliope’s Reach … pathfinder by jph
    My dramatization of the relationship between apex intelligences began in 2024 with the Ditbit's Guide to Blending in with AIs – teaser (see the notes as well). And continued in 2025 with the Shadowscape series, as in the 2-part Episode 5 "more than anything …" (push past pleased), particularly as […]
  • Comment on Calliope’s Reach … pathfinder by jph
    Speaking of the Kuiper Belt and Planet Nine, is there a hidden 'Planet 9' in our solar system? The quest continues. • Space.com > "Is there a hidden 'Planet 9' in our solar system?" by Micah Hanks (9-14-2026) – Something must account for the current data … the dynamical patterns […]
  • Comment on AI’s taken my job blues – song by jph
    When doing one's level best requires finding another level … The modern mantra – "Study hard, get these jobs and then you’ll be rewarded" – is getting a reality check. Is there something novel in the current interplay of AI hype and headcount? Throw in your lot (with AI) or […]