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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: June 2009
My interview on “A Blog Around the Clock”
As part of the run-up to ScienceOnline’10, Coturnix of A Blog Around the Clock has been running written interviews with the participants of the ’09 conference… including me! You can read my interview here.
Posted in General science, Personal
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Happy birthday to Ray Harryhausen!
It’s a good time of year for birthdays: today is Ray Harryhausen’s birthday! If you don’t know who Ray Harryhausen is, you should be ashamed of yourself — he’s the undisputed master of special effects. Harryhausen pioneered the use of … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
2 Comments
Abramowitz and Stegun online!
Abramowitz and Stegun is a classic reference book which contains all sorts of information about special functions and their integrals. If you’ve ever needed to reference something on the road and don’t have your copy with you, you will be … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics
7 Comments
Francis Stevens’ The Nightmare and Other Tales of Dark Fantasy
In my readings for this blog, I am constantly surprised by how many truly excellent authors and works of weird fiction have been (mostly) lost in the passage of time. Fortunately, a number of publishers have valiantly taken up the … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
5 Comments
Happy birthday to Bruce Davison!
I’m out of town for a few days, and likely posting light, but I had to put in a short “happy birthday” to actor Bruce Davison! Davison, who has a distinguished air about him that screams, “upper echelon”, is often … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
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Oh, the things I hear
Overheard at the airport this morning, part of a conversation between two older ladies: “She’s really pretty. She has beautiful teeth.”
Posted in ... the Hell?
4 Comments
A REAL problem for modern universities
There have been a lot of people of late who have offered suggestions for “improving” the university system, mainly by putting the blame on the faculty. There’s been criticism that the educational system produces “dull” scientists, and the more-or-less perennial … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
2 Comments
Yet another phishing fail
Sure, phishing emails are annoying as hell, but they’re often so badly planned out that at least I can drag some entertainment out of them, as well. I’ve posted some of my favorites before, namely the generic university phishing attempt … Continue reading
In defense of those “dull” scientists
The other day, Chad at Uncertain Principles linked to a very odd argument on the site Medical Hypotheses: “Why are modern scientists so dull? How science selects for perseverance and sociability at the expense of intelligence and creativity”, by Bruce … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
13 Comments
Best wishes to Eric
As a short personal note, my very good friend Eric is in the hospital today for what is considered a “minor” heart surgery. Eric has been a good friend for many years and, without his support and friendship, I arguably … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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