Mike’s Blog Round-Up

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." -- Philip K. Dick
By driftglass — May 31, 2026

On this day in 1990, the second of Paul Verhoeven's so-called "Triple Dutch" science fiction trilogy hit theaters in the United States. The first was "RoboCop". The third was "Starship Troopers". And in the middle was "Total Recall". It's a very loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 30-page short story, We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. Verhoeven transformed that premise into a massive box-office hit and helped cement Arnold Schwarzenegger's status as an action superstar by proving he could headline a reality-bending blockbuster as easily as a conventional action movie. The movie -- which languished in development hell for 16 years -- managed to be a boffo action-adventure hit, a provocative story about capitalism and corporate power, and a faithful carrier of Dick's signature paranoid 'What is reality?' sensibility.

Today's video: Top ten P.K. Dick adaptations. Your mileage may vary.

Public Notice: "A new low" — watchdog sounds off on Trump's J6 slush fund.

The Mahablog: Trump Is a Losing Loser Who Loses.

The Status Kuo: “I don’t really care, do U?”

Attention dinosaur nerds! Largest Ever Dinosaur Discovered in Southeast Asia Was a Real Doozy.

Round Up by driftglass of the Professional Left Podcast and Science Fiction University

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