Joel McKinnon at New Worlds

@seldoncrisis.bsky.social

608 Followers 2334 Following

Futurist climate advocate volunteering with Citizens' Climate Lobby, accessibility expert, musician, podcaster, ancient history nerd, bike and general outdoor enthusiast. https://new-worlds.org https://planetandsky.com https://seldoncrisis.net

A luminous tree formed from a DNA helix branches outward into symbols of life and intelligence—animals, a human figure, a city skyline, and Earth—set against a cosmic background, evoking evolution and humanity’s future.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 digital instrument cluster while parked in a sunny parking lot (mountains and cars visible ahead). The display shows 0 MPH and a record estimated range of 375 mi at 100% charge. Drive Info: Trip 19.6 mi, Timer 0:48 h:m, Average 5.3 mi/kWh. Indicators show READY, regen level Lv 3, outside temp 72°F, and odometer about 22,900 mi.
Head shot of late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel with large white capital letters overlayed stating "I STAND WITH JIMMY KIMMEL"
Hundreds of Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers gather on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for a group photo during lobby day. The iconic dome rises prominently in the background under a clear blue sky, while participants in business attire stand shoulder to shoulder, holding banners and American flags to mark the occasion.
The Wright Flyer on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The historic early aircraft, with its wooden frame and fabric-covered wings, is showcased on a raised platform with interpretive panels in front. The exhibit is well-lit, with other aviation displays visible in the background.
A group of seven people, including a legislative aide, pose together smiling outside the office of Representative Sam Liccardo on Capitol Hill. They stand in front of a wall bearing the congressman’s nameplate and California state flag, dressed in business or professional attire, representing a Citizens’ Climate Lobby advocacy team.
A man in a black suit stands confidently in front of the U.S. Capitol building on a sunny day, holding a folder and wearing a name badge. The iconic dome rises behind him against a clear blue sky. The brick plaza in the foreground casts a long shadow, adding depth to the image.
Banner reading “CCL’s Summer Conference & Lobby Day” with the tagline “When the going gets tough, get to D.C.” A green bar shows the dates “July 21–22, 2025.” Below is “REGISTER: cclusa.org/summer” beside the Citizens’ Climate Lobby logo. In front of a faint U.S. Capitol dome, three young adults (two women, one man) in professional attire walk side by side, smiling and talking.
Two protestors beside the highway. Woman in yellow sweater with sign reading "This house isn't going to clean itself ladies!" and "Vote them out!" with a picture of the US Capitol Bldg and a 50's style woman with a vacuum cleaner. Man beside her has a black t-shirt showing Vladimir Putin raising an infant Donald Trump in his hands. His sign reads "LIAR LOSER FELON FOOL MORON MADMAN KREMLIN TOOL"
Sign at anti-Trump and Musk protest in Half Moon Bay, CA reading "Too Much Crazy for One Sign." Sign behind it reads "Make America Kind Again."
View of central San Miguel de Allende with the famous Parochia church and garden. The church is a unique neogothic structure built of pink limestone, with shady laurel trees in the accompanying garden.
Chart from the Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) showing air accident incidents since 1920. The number of accidents per year shows a steady decrease sign the late 90's and has been hovering around 100 per year for the past few years.
The Vasa "The Swedish ship Vasa. The Vasa was built in the 1620s to take advantage of the very newest in warship technology, a second row of guns." "It was to be a symbol of Sweden's might, and thus was decorated with beautiful statues and carvings. This ship took three years to build and cost roughly 5% of Sweden's GDP." "Unfortunately, the effect of a second row of cannons on seaworthiness was poorly understood. "With great fanfare, the ship set off, experienced its first breeze, and still within full view of the city of Stockholm, capsized and sank." ~ thoseAreSomeWords
White Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE RWD. Exterior shot looking from front driver's side. It's a crossover between sedan and wagon with four doors and a slanted rear hatch. Wheels have geometric patterned caps.
Chart showing Earth's mammals by total biomass. The top half shows a breakdown by animal species categories showing a massive dominance by humans and domesticated animals, especially a huge amount from cattle. Only small segments are covered by wild terrestrial mammals and wild marine mammals. These are shown in greater detail in the bottom half of the chart.
Referenced Works and Further Reading: Humanism and Asimov: Wikipedia: Humanism The Gaia Hypothesis: James Lovelock’s work on Earth as a sentient system. Sentientism Resources: Jamie Woodhouse’s Sentientism Website Sentientism Podcast Jonina Turzi on Human Relationship with Animals Sentientism on Reddit Ethics and AI: Books mentioned: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson Seldon Crisis: Aurora and Hope Iain M. Banks' Culture Series AI Ethics Overview Global Biomass of Animals Advocacy for Climate and Sentient Beings: Effective Altruism Citizens' Climate Lobby
A futuristic sci fi scene with a giant machine introducing green foliage upon a dark and rocky landscape. Two flying machines move to and fro in the air above the ground. The title displayed in the dark gray sky is "greet the dawn!"
A cracked plain extends from the foreground into a desolate barren plain. The sky is lightly covered with this clouds and the sun has set. There are no words displayed.
A barren world in space. There are tendrils of atmosphere reaching into the dark blue sky above the horizon, with a single bright star with a halo in the top left. The words "pain in my heart" stand above the planet.
A frozen snowy forest scene with a cold freezing lake in the foreground, a dark pine tree covered with snow, and a cold blue sky. The words "now it grows colder" are upon the lake.
An idyllic sunset on a coast with rough waves splashing against black rocks with palm trees silhouetted against an orange and cloudy sky. The words "she flows into my valleys" hang above.
A volcano erupts on a molten plain. Smoke and ash fills the sky. Bright orange lava flows down the side of the mountain. The words "make the ground shake" cover the plain.
A large gray and black boulder hurtles through space, shedding bits of itself as it rushes on its way. The words "one world... grows larger..." are above.
A heavily cratered planetary surface with a distant sun above the horizon in a black sky. The words "lovers world and sky" stand in white against black.
A dark red desert landscape covered in rippled dunes beneath an orange sky, with the words, 'cross the glistening sands...
The stylized face of a woman - like a theater mask - surrounded by curving patterns, hangs above the bowed head of a man with a broadly spherical body. Stars shine between them. Across the body of the man are the title words, PLANET & SKY, a cosmic love story.
Two characters in a futuristic setting, inspired by the descriptions of Golan Trevize and Janov Pelorat. The character resembling Kyle Soler stands with a youthful, determined demeanor, sharp features, and is dressed in a dark space uniform with a brightly colored sash across his chest, symbolizing adventure. Beside him, the character inspired by Sean Astin portrays a kind-faced, older gentleman with white hair and a beard, wearing a scholarly robe indicative of his academic background as a historian. The background fuses advanced technology with ancient artifacts, highlighting their journey across time and the dynamic partnership between the characters, showcasing their contrasting yet complementary natures.
The atmosphere of the once vibrant Planet is stripped away by the impersonal forces of the cosmos. Sky is powerless to remain.
The planet is in its youthful, dynamic phase with powerful storms, and volcanism. I should have asked it to add some meteoric bombardment. as well. Again, it includes a whole planet representation in the distance, an odd, but somehow helpful way of imagining the scenario.
Two scientist-astronauts set off across a barren planet toward an anomaly they are investigating. The image of the planet as a whole is in the distance, all beneath a starry sky with a sun rising or setting above the horizon.
"Planet and Sky," a theatrical anomaly, begins not with a curtain rise, but with a literal meteor shower inside the auditorium, defying all health and safety conventions. The actors, rather than traditional human performers, are a troupe of remarkably well-trained capybaras, whose costumes are masterpieces of interstellar fashion, complete with miniature black holes as hats. The dialogue, eschewing any known language, is entirely in Morse code, tapped out by a chorus of synchronized typewriters, creating a rhythm that's oddly hypnotic. One would expect this to be confusing, but the capybaras’ expressive tail-wagging provides surprisingly clear subtext. The plot twist reveals that the planet and sky are actually in a couples therapy session, moderated by a giant papier-mâché puppet of Carl Sagan, adding an educational twist to the proceedings. The musical score, expected to be orchestral, is instead a single continuous note played on a kazoo by an unseen performer perched in the ...
Dame Dawn breaks like a sultry secret in this town, shrouded in her favorite chiffon number. We call her Fog, and she likes to dance with the Golden Gate before anyone else is awake. She’s here, then she’s not, see? Just a lady playing hard to get. It's all part of the allure that is San Francisco in May. By mid-morning, the sun begins to elbow its way onto the scene, like a brassy broad who won’t take no for an answer. She's a warm number, but not too warm. This ain't no Southern belle; we're talking low to mid-60s here. That's Fahrenheit, kid, not a detective’s age. The breeze off the bay - it's got a bite. A kind of chill that cuts through your trench coat, reminding you that summer’s still a promise, not a fact. By afternoon, the sun has the spotlight. The city gleams beneath her, the cable cars clanging their way up the hills, the sea lions barking approval from Pier 39. Evening comes with a tip of the hat, and our lady Fog slips back in, pulling the shroud of night with her..