I have a confession to make about Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches.

Every time he does one and it makes the news it always seems like it’s coming out of a technothriller.  For example:

Back in 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that the founder of SpaceX and Tesla was figuring out how to launch small satellites into space to create a high-speed network with the capability of reaching everyone on the planet.  This week, SpaceX will take a significant step forward in their mission to turn that dream into a reality. The company will be launching two test satellites on February 21, after initial plans to begin on February 17 were delayed to “perform final checkouts of upgraded fairing.”

It’s called Starlink, and the idea is to put four thousand satellites in orbit in order to create the network. Or, you know, shoot laser beams into the clouds to make weather weapons, or vaporize dictators from orbit, or even put an end to petty human squabbles via Rods from God.  Which is all very Luddite of me, sure.  Elon Musk is almost certainly not planning to send a signal through the network to turn humanity into ravening beasts.  I am aware of this, to be sure.

But still. There are days when the future shock is heavy. “Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense.” Say what you like about technothrillers, but at least they have linear plots.