Naja, da steht schon ziemlich groß "Caschys Blog" oben auf der Seite. Ganz davon abgesehen, dass die Website auch nicht so wahnsinnig unbekannt ist.

For the second concern i like the two Hainish Circle books i have read, "The dispossessed" and "The left hand of darkness". They mention that something like earth exists, but it's not even a plot point, it's just another planet. But then again these books are social commentar / thought experiment first and foremost, they just happen to be in a Sci-Fi setting.