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Pope Leo XIV's "Magnifica Humanitas" (on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence) came out in May. I didn't expect it to be a fast read, and I was right. In English, it runs to nearly 38,000 words, not counting footnotes. I still haven't read it, but have glanced through the thing. Now I've started reading, a bit at a time, equipped with a marker: and coffee. Early on, I ran into these thoughts:... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Short excerpts from the new encyclical letter and Summa Theologica, how I see the latest scary new technology and being human.)

I haven't read the encyclical letter yet. It's divided into five chapters plus a conclusion, so I don't expect it'll be a fast read. Vatican News posted an article about it today.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (An excerpt from a Vatican News article about the new encyclical letter, how I see the news, and what I expect to find after reading Magnifica Humanitas.)

Scenic, no. Good farmland, yes. Red River Valley, near the Goose River, looking south. Our second-oldest daughter and her husband live and run their businesses on the homestead where my mother grew up. Our oldest daughter moved there, some years back. That’s another story for another time. The oldest daughter and I enjoy a two hour (roughly) chat each evening: something that wouldn’t be possible without today’s information technology. Yet more topics. Since our conversations are in text format, we make what amounts to a transcript of what we’ve said. Plus, we can easily share material that we’ve read or written; provided it’s under the service’s character limit. Last Saturday, our oldest daughter shared part of a conversation she had with an AI. With her okay, I’m showing part of it here, and adding some of my thoughts. Our Oldest Daughter, Remembering a Life Transition Oldest Daughter's Input: Neuro Compass: Finding Patterns Respect (Neuro Compass, continued) Me: ...

As I said when the Artemis II mission started, this is a big deal. Not an Easter-level big deal, but a big deal nonetheless. Four of us — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — have gone back to the Moon. They set a record, going a few miles farther from Earth than the Apollo 13 crew did back in 1970. But they didn't land. So maybe I should say 'back toward the Moon'.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Written as Artemis II returned from the Moon: how I see going to the Moon and beyond, what is new in this mission, and what is not new.)

"The Milky Way pictured from the International Space Station in a long-duration photograph" (NASA (November 25, 2024)) Today's Artemis II launch is a big deal, even if it's not particularly "newsworthy". As usual, my news feed has been packed with the usual direly dreadful distressful disasters: and that's another topic. I'm actually writing this Tuesday evening, but what I have to say matters: even if the launch is rescheduled. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A few thoughts about the April 1 Artemis II launch, Apollo missions, and wondering what is over the next hill.)

Rockford, Illinois: Central Park Gardens Amusement Park's roller coaster. (ca. 1930) Quite a bit has changed since my childhood. Even more has changed since my father's. Human nature, on the other hand — how and why folks do what they do — details shift, but the basics don't. Like kids taking crazy risks, and adults acting with dubious wisdom.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Maybe the amusement park ride operator had a heart of gold. But the free rides ended for my father when his mother found out.)

The house I grew up in had been remodeled with an apartment on the second floor, and another in the basement. My folks and I lived near a college, so that wasn't unusual. College students often preferred off-campus housing, and I'm drifting off-topic. My father kept his clothes in the basement apartment's closet, on the north side of the bedroom/living room. He'd made bookshelves on the west wall.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Good memories from my childhood, involving an overstuffed arm chair, a desk, books, and time with my dad. Plus hearing a homily inside a stuck elevator.)

My mother's baby grand piano 1 sat in the southwest corner of the living room at 818, the house I grew up in. She taught me the basics: where middle C is, how to hold my hands over the keyboard, that sort of thing. A lifetime later, I know that I could have paid more attention. But I'm glad to have learned what I did. Somewhere along the line she had me learn to play "D'ye ken John Peel?" / "Do you know John Peel?" — a surprise for my father. It was supposed to be a secret. So, of course, as soon as he came home, I blurted out what I was learning. Learning impulse control is a work in progress. But I am getting better.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The piano sat in the southwest corner of the living room at 818, where I grew up. Pianos do not last forever, so now the family is deciding what we do with the old musical instrument.)

Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026. Sewer repair outside work begins.  Last week I talked about incidents, politics, and the news in my home state, Minnesota. This week I'm talking about a comparatively pleasant matter: sewer repair. Before anything else, though: good news , at least for us. Our household's sewer connection is now in good working order, and should stay that way for a long while. A Blocked Sewer Pipe Unavoidable Delay, Pipe Rot A Tip of the hat to Plumber St. Cloud Tuesday, January 27, 2026: Digging in the Cold, Cold Ground Reasonable Precautions Utilities, and Living Where the Edge of Town Used to Be Wednesday, January 28, 2026: Sewer Work (Almost) Done Old Pipes, New Pipes Finishing Touches: Now and Come Spring Back to Routines Something Extra in the Air Finding Morals, Within Reason Health Neighbors Home Maintenance and the Universal Destination of Goods ... More (including more photos) at A Catholic Citizen in America . (G...

I've said it before. This isn't the world I grew up in. Today's focus on safety, for example, feels over-enthusiastic. But then, I'm one of those people who launched rockets in the basement. With the permission and cooperation of my father.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Two paperclips, two matches, a scrap of aluminum foil, and a pin. A happy memory involving a basement and time with Dad.)

Only 3,000 or so of Nova's 3,500 on-site drones were in the air at any one time during the Vatican's "Grace for the World" Saturday evening concert (September 13, 2025). LEDs on those 12-ounce mini-helicopters can display 16,000,000 different colors. I don't know how many the Nova team used during the concert. Colors, I mean. The 3,000 drones airborne with 500 recharging at any given time is pretty clear. However many colors they used, the show made quite an impression on folks in St. Peter's Square.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My response to the first Vatican drone show, a short video by someone attending the concert: and how I see drones, art, and being human.)

One thing I like about families — the one(s) I'm in, at any rate — are the legacies. In my dialect of English a "legacy" is generally money or property handed down from one generation to another. Legacies of that sort matter. My wife and I are in the process of updating our will, I suppose it'll be wills, and that's another topic. But the legacies I'm thinking of aren't worth much, in terms of taxable assets. Although each of us is a unique individual, we also inherit whatever's in the genes of our biological parents: along with the experiences, attitudes, habits, values, and stories of the folks who raised us.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Legacies matter: the values and stories of our families. I note the basics of being a Catholic family: and an interest a great-grandfather and I share.)

San Francisco's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) system wasn't the world's first automated transit system, or even the first in this country. But it was among the first all-new American rapid transit systems designed in the 20th century. BART was also, I gather, among the first with trains that didn't need drivers. Or, rather, didn't need a human at the controls. An Automatic Train Control (ATC) system ran each train, and the network as a whole. 1 Today I'll be taking a quick look at how news media covered a BART accident that wasn't particularly serious, and talk about what happened when a train and its driver didn't communicate — plus whatever else comes to mind. The Fleetingly Famous Fremont Flyer ROBOT TRAIN RUNS AMOK! CHAOS RIDES THE RAILS! The Train That Left Its Human Behind Daft Kids and Open Doors WAIT FOR ME! Seriously? Humans: A Brief Meditation on Kids, Commuters, and Molten Ice Cream More at A Catholic Citizen in America ....

...I could take many routes, talking about what that bunch of crazy college kids did yesterday (October 20, 2024) in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Taking my cue from Sixties sensibilities that I still retain — to an extent — I could ponder the perils which their launch posed to the fragile desert biome. Or I could complain that they didn't focus on some sorta-now, sorta-wow, social protest. Instead.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A 79 second YouTube video of the successful University of Southern California rocket launch of October 20, 2024. Plus a news excerpt and my reaction.)

I've been watching NASASpaceflight's YouTube channel's coverage of the SpaceX Starship sixth test flight. Maybe they don't have the polish of old-school broadcast media, but I thoroughly enjoy what they do. That's partly because they're frankly nerdish. And partly because they actually know what they're talking about. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Watching the SpaceX Starship test flight, November 19, 2024. Why I think it matters, and how I see space exploration.)

Sooner or later, I figure someone will develop a spaceplane that takes off from places like Tampa International Airport, carries passengers and cargo to low Earth orbit, and flies back: either to the airport it came from, or the next stop in its flight schedule. It might be a next-generation version of Dawn Aerospace's Aurora, or an advanced Radian Aerospace model. But it won't be Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon. Developing their two-mode SABRE rocket engine ended up costing too much and taking too long. I'll take a quick look at Skylon. After that, I'll take a longer look at Seattle-based Radian Aerospace's PFV01 spaceplane. PFV01, a prototype of Radian's Aurora spaceplane, is the one that's been making test flights near Abu Dhabi. Closing the Book on Skylon Radian Aerospace PFV01: Another Step Test Flights Living With and Working Around Rules Rocket Sled — — To the Stars More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Reaction Engines Ltd. de...

This isn't what I’ll be talking about this week, but today's (August 27, 2024) planned commercial test flight is — my opinion — a big deal. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A very quick overview of a commercial human spaceflight mission, an excerpt from the news, and an embedded video which may provide live coverage.)

I remember when many folks were getting used to the idea that space travel wasn't just science fiction. Some apparently still haven't gotten the memo, but others have been developing new technologies. Like inflatable space stations. I'll be talking about that, and how I see getting back on the road to the stars. Building Better Habitats: Basket-Weave, and Now: Isotensoids? "...strong, simple, and safe...." Expandable Habitats and Max Space New Technology Built on Old Ideas Perceived Impossibilities and Being Human New Ideas, Old Reactions What a Bishop Didn't Say, and the Wright Brothers' Mother "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." What's Next? More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (New Max Space inflatable space habitat technology may be strong, simple, safe: and less expensive. I look at that, and where we can be going.)

For some reason, I expected Monday's Starliner launch to go ahead on schedule. It didn't, which is probably a good thing. But the delay, and staying up far later than I usually do, waiting for a news conference that I slept through anyway — The long and the short of it is that, instead of focusing on the Starliner spacecraft this week, I decided to start talking about Boeing's reputation, SpaceX, the shift to commercial space travel and exploration; and see where that led me. As usual, I've made a list of links to this week's headings: so feel free to skip ahead to whatever looks most interesting. Or go get a cup of coffee, take a walk, whatever. This post should still be around when you get back. SpaceX Dragon, Working Since 2010; Boeing Starliner, ... Third Starliner Orbital Test Flight, the First With Astronauts "Ad Astra Per Aspera": "To the Stars Through Difficulties" Lilienthal's Letter, a Lunar Plaque, and a Work in Progres...

This isn't what I'm writing about this week, but it's noteworthy:... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (As I write this, Voyager 1 has been outward bound for 46 years, seven months, 18 days and about two hours.)