sentences:  Maddox's "Discover" columns are occasionally criticized; his essay "Fictional Reality", in particular, has been controversial.Maddox declared science fiction obsolete in his essay "Fictional Reality" and was roundly criticized in the blogosphere, most notably by "Scientific American"'s J.R. Minkel.Maddox wrote that "fiction—all fiction—finally became obsolete as a delivery system for big ideas" as a result of the "scarcity of foreseeable future", citing the decline of author Michael Crichton's work as evidence.