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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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Category Archives: … the Hell?
“FOX fails physics: flaunts fool fumbling facts” on JAYFK!
I don’t do much political blogging anymore, but every now and again something incredibly stupid — and science related — really sticks in my craw and I feel compelled to rant about it. In this case, FOX News interviewed a … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Physics
4 Comments
Twitter “Mock the Movie” tonight: The Sands of Oblivion!
Following in the tradition of MST3k, tonight I’ll be participating in “Mock the Movie”, a new Twitter event that involves watching a lousy sci-fi movie and ridiculing it live on Twitter! To quote from JAYFK: Smart-ass science fiction fans love … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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Spiders and the electric light (1887)
(Digging through my archive of historical papers for short topics to blog about while I’m away on business.) In the modern era, we are very conscious of the impact of humanity on nature — even though we are often very … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Animals, History of science
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A David Brooks meme update!
A couple of weeks ago, I described my participation in a very silly internet meme about conservative pundit David Brooks. In short: Joshua Green, senior editor at The Atlantic, saw the following picture of excited telephoning Brooks and thought it was worth … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal
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A very silly David Brooks meme…
The other day, a photograph appeared on the internet(s) of conservative pundit David Brooks striking a ridiculously enthusiastic pose. The picture in question: Joshua Green, senior editor at The Atlantic, thought this picture was meme-worthy, and solicited creative uses of Brooks’ … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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The Saga of the Scientific Swindler! (1884-1891)
When reading of the achievements of a giant of scientific thought such as Einstein, Feynman or Darwin, it is far too easy to envision the person, and scientists in general, as some sort of being above the worries of daily … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
51 Comments
“Why is water considered ghost-proof?” (1884)
Did the title of this post catch your attention? It caught mine immediately when I came across the identically titled “letter to the editor” in an 1884 issue of Science. As regular readers know, I occasionally like to browse the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
10 Comments
With Open Lab, today was a book trifecta!
I will quickly wear out my welcome with all my self-patting-on-the-back, but I can’t help point out that today was in essence a book trifecta for me! I already mentioned receiving the first copy of my book in my previous … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal
1 Comment
On scientists, cheerleaders, and rockstars
There’s been a lot of talk on scienceblogs over the past few weeks about the usefulness of a pair of science outreach programs: namely, “science cheerleaders” and “rockstars of science”. The original “science cheerleader is Darlene Cavalier, who was inspired … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
24 Comments
Scicurious reports on an overdramatic rattlesnake bite! (1747)
While researching my Franklin posts, I happened upon a very entertaining paper from 1747, in which a man describes in excessively melodramatic detail the effects of a rattlesnake bite upon himself. In the spirit of interblog cooperation, I passed the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
2 Comments
