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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Ukraine Travelogue, part 5: beautiful Kiev
I’m going to wrap up my discussion of the Ukraine with a collection of pictures, some panoramas, from its capital and largest city, Kiev. Lots of big pictures below the fold… (Note: some of the pics have been ‘squashed’ to … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Quantum computing creeps forward
Researchers at Yale have apparently managed to take an important step forward in the development of quantum computers: they’ve gotten atoms to talk to each other coherently over a long distance. What is ‘quantum computing’? To understand this, we begin … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
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Founding father follies
While in Amsterdam, my girlfriend and I got into a political discussion with my post-doc advisor about the founding fathers of the United States. Basically, my advisor argued that the founding fathers (FFs) are treated essentially as religious figures, and … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
6 Comments
Darn! No alien invasion… yet!
I’m terribly disappointed. Last week, a story out of Peru had all the hallmarks of a good alien invasion story — a mysterious meteorite crashes near a small town in Peru, and local residents start to fall ill. (‘Personal Demon’ … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
2 Comments
Ukraine Travelogue, part 4: Building to impress
One thing that strikes you about traveling in Eastern Europe is that everything seems BIG. Buildings, monuments, and other things are not only built large, but somehow conspicuously large. For instance, here’s a photograph of one of the government buildings … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Heroes returns! and driving shows into the ground
Rejoice, one and all, for Heroes returns on Monday with its season premiere. Truth be told, I’m only in the process now, on my trip to San Jose, of watching the DVDs of season one. Although many, many people whose … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
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Ukraine Travelogue, part 3: This one blew my mind (updated)
So I was sitting in my Kiev hotel, watching local television, and I came across the following television show: This is undoubtedly a Ukrainian/Russian television show. Does it look familiar at all?
Posted in Entertainment, Travel
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I know your secret, Belasco!!!
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that today is the late Roddy McDowell’s birthday. This wonderful actor played his best role, in my mind, as a cowardly actor/vampire slayer in Fright Night. Most people will probably remember … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
4 Comments
The Terror
Well, I’m back home for a couple more hours, then I head off to another meeting in California for a few more days. In the meantime, I thought I’d quickly comment on one of the best horror novels I’ve read … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Ukraine Travelogue, part 2: People can surprise you
So I forgot the cable which powers my battery charger. I’m wandering the Ukraine, I’m low on power, and there’s lots of stuff to take pictures of that I’ll likely never see again.
Posted in Travel
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Skulls in the Stars 