[BLOG] Some Friday links

[rfmcdpei]

• Centauri Dreams' Paul Gilster comments upon Brian Stableford's argument that modern science fiction traces its origins to 19th century France.
• The Dragon's Gaze notes a new study suggesting that 0.5% of G dwarf stars and 0.8% of K dwarf stars have very close-orbiting planets.
• At Eastern Approaches, Joe's Biden's reassurance to Poland that NATO would defend Polish frontiers in the case of conflict is noted.
• Far Outliers observes that, at the beginning of the Second World War in the Pacific, Australian defenses in Melanesia were quite weak, additionally commenting on the first Japanese naval deployment south of the equator.
• The Financial Times' World blog notes that, while the Cypriot economy is doing less badly than predicting, the ongoing dependence on Russia is a problem.
• Language Log's Victor Mair is critical of a new system for learning Chinese script.
• Marginal Revolution's Tyler Cowen observes, after the New York Times, that the economy of South Ossetia five years after the Georgian war isn't doing very well.
• Open the Future's Jamais Cascio, reacting to the Crimean crisis, doesn't think much of futurological methods which keep making errors.
• The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer notes Ukraine's exceptional economic dependence on Russia.
• Visiting Toronto, Peter Rukavina quite likes the inexpensive integration of the TTC into Pearson International Airport.
• Towleroad notes that Susanna Atanus, a Republican congressional candidate in Illinois who said autism was God's punishment for same-sex marriage, won the party primary.
• The Volokh Conspiracy's Eugene Kontrovich observes the difficult situation of France, which has contracted to sell helicopter carriers to Russia.
• John Scalzi at Whatever commemorates twenty years of his online presence.
• Window on Eurasia notes that the Russian annexation of Crimea is accelerating the disintegration of the post-Soviet space and warns of a crackdown on Russian civil society.