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The author of Skulls in the Stars is an associate 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. -
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Monthly Archives: August 2009
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Adaptive optics, adaptive mimicry, and adaptive freeloading
Binocular adaptive optics simulator: the future of vision assessment now! (or the end of phoropters?) At Optics Confidential, Pablo Artal discusses his own research on adaptive optics, which could in the end finally change the 100-year old use of the … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The other meaning of “dimension” and its use in physics
Thanks to the advent of relativity theory, and string theory in recent decades, there’s a lot of talk in physics about space having extra, unseen dimensions — up to 11 spacetime dimensions in one version of string theory! These days, … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
12 Comments
Happy birthday to G.W. Bailey!
I was watching The Closer the other night, and I was observing again how much I like the character of Lt. Provenza, and the actor G.W. Bailey who plays him. In a nice bit of synchronicity, it turns out that … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Sleepwalking, dark energy — and urine!
Did sleepwalking once serve as an adaptive function? For most people, sleepwalking seems like an annoying — if not downright dangerous — disorder. William at The Quantum Lobe Chronicles explores whether or not this behavior might have served an important … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
3 Comments
Why I left experimental particle physics – a meandering story
Some time ago, I promised that I would tell the story of my transition from experimental particle physics to theoretical optics. With a lot of busy stuff going on at work and my research blogging efforts mired in some rather … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal, Physics
15 Comments
Roger Ebert on ‘death panels’ and the power of a phrase
If you don’t read Roger Ebert’s blog, you probably should. In recent years (and probably before that, but before blogs) he’s been writing some of the most thoughtful posts I’ve seen on a range of topics, from politics to science … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Politics
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The Giant’s Shoulders #14 is up!
The fourteenth edition of The Giant’s Shoulders is up at The Dispersal of Darwin! It’s a little tardy, but it’s got a lot of entries, and they’re all great! Many thanks to Michael for putting it together and hosting … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Knuckle-walking, nanostars, and novel fuel cells
(Cross-posted at ResearchBlogging.org News.) Bipedalism: From the ground up or trees down? Chimpanzees and gorillas both walk on their knuckles, but do so in subtle but significantly different ways. Brian at Laelaps discusses recent research on this subject, and its … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The New York Times on celiac disease
Via my postdoc advisor (who has been suggesting enough good stuff lately that I should probably just turn the blog over to him), The New York Times has posted a very nice article on living with celiac disease, “The Expense … Continue reading
Posted in Health
5 Comments
Johnston McCulley’s The Bat Strikes Again and Again!
Name this scene: Yet he was one man working alone against the crooks and the corrupt politicians who went hand in glove with the evil forces of the underworld. For that reason he must become a figure of sinister import … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Mystery/thriller
4 Comments
