Monthly Archives: October 2008

Thomas M. Disch’s The M.D.: A Horror Story

Posted on October 12, 2008 by skullsinthestars

My post-doc advisor once suggested that the ultimate sign of a good movie is whether or not it ‘stays’ with you after it’s over. The same can also be said about good fiction, which will end up haunting the reader … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 7 Comments

4 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #4!

Posted on October 11, 2008 by skullsinthestars

The start of a new month means it’s time for a reminder that there’s 4 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #4, to be held on October 15th at Second Order Approximation. Entries can be submitted, as always, through blogcarnival.com. Let’s … Continue reading →

Posted in General science, Science news | Leave a comment

h-index of 12 and 1,000 comments!

Posted on October 10, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Today marked two milestones related to my scientific career. First, according to the Web of Knowledge, my ‘h-index‘ finally hit 12! The h-index (Hirsch number) is a rough measure of both the productivity of a scientist and the impact of … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Valancourt Books continues its evil plot to free me of my money!

Posted on October 10, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while knows that I’m a big fan of Valancourt Books, especially their excellent reprints of classic works by Richard Marsh. Well, I’ve been trying to cut back on my book buying recently, … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | Leave a comment

John McCain: Angry, anti-science miser

Posted on October 9, 2008 by skullsinthestars

As the economic crisis has deepened, McCain’s biggest talking point about the economy has been the proliferation of “earmarks” in government, those state projects that legislators add to Federal budget requests for their home states. For me, a discussion of … Continue reading →

Posted in ... the Hell?, Politics, Science news | 4 Comments

Optical coherence tomography and the art world

Posted on October 8, 2008 by skullsinthestars

In recent years, scientific tools have been increasingly applied to the study of artwork, for numerous reasons: determination of authenticity, determination of provenance, analysis for restoration, or even for finding ‘hidden’ art buried behind or underneath existing masterworks. Some time … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics | 2 Comments

Wonderful views of Earth From Above

Posted on October 7, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Boston.com has a wonderful collection of images from the Earth From Above exhibit, which has been put on display in various cities since 1994 and is coming to NYC. To quote the official website, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s mission was to create … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, General science | Leave a comment

Dracula’s forefathers: Lord Ruthven, Varney and Carmilla

Posted on October 5, 2008 by skullsinthestars

The depiction of the vampire which we see in most of contemporary horror fiction has its roots in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). Of course, vampires have lurked in the shadows of folklore through recorded history, and Stoker drew upon that … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | 8 Comments

Don’t vote! Reverse psychology at its finest

Posted on October 2, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Via Americablog, I found this wonderful video which lays down the importance of voting… by having Hollywood-types encouraging you not to vote! It’s nice to see a video which is entertaining and pointed simultaneously. Posting this video is my way … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments

13 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #4!