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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: May 2008
China earthquake and a word about seiches
The tally of death and devastation in China in the aftermath of the earthquake continues to grow; now the official death toll is 22,000, with 14,000 still buried under rubble. In addition, repeated aftershocks are hitting the region. Numerous eyewitness … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Physics, Science news
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Richard Marsh’s The Joss: A Reversion
Richard Marsh was a prolific writer of horror, suspense and mystery stories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I’ve previously blogged about his most famous work, The Beetle: A Mystery, an 1897 horror tale that was so popular … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
4 Comments
How my mind works
So I just got a new laptop from the university last week, and have started the process of moving all my files and software onto it. My old laptop, which still works just fine, I left at my girlfriend’s place … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
4 Comments
Get your ass to Mars!
(Title courtesy of the movie Total Recall.) The planet Mars has always been a source of fascination (as is its sister planet Venus, but that’s another post). As we have seen (here and here), in reality Mars can be quite … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
3 Comments
Measuring neural activity using surface plasmons
In the May 1st issue of Optics Letters, a Korean research group has demonstrated another interesting application of surface plasmon resonances: the optical measurement of neural activity. Though I’m not sure how useful this technique will be in the long … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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A shout-out to Valancourt Books!
Have I mentioned how much I like Valancourt Books? A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed their reprint of a rare Gothic classic, The Animated Skeleton, and even got a nice comment from the publisher/editor of Valancourt. I vowed to … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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H.P. Lovecraft on Superstition
I’m in between blog major blog posts right now, but I thought I’d highlight another very timely essay of H.P. Lovecraft’s, in which he discusses superstition in times of trouble. This can be found in the excellent collection of Lovecraft’s … Continue reading
Posted in Lovecraft
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Another unintentionally funny news title
I went to work out a little while ago and turned on Headline News to catch up. Violence has unfortunately flared in Lebanon again, and a CNN news crew is caught in the middle. CNN likes to update the caption … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?
2 Comments
Waiting for the ILL…
I feel like a kid again. When I was young, I scrupulously saved my ‘proof-of-purchase’ from all my Star Wars figures so that I could get the precious Boba Fett action figure, which could only be purchased through mail order. … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
7 Comments
How high can you fall from?
My friend Personal Demon tipped me off to a potentially historic skydiving event that will be happening in roughly 17 days; Michel Fournier of France will attempt to break the record for the highest freefall. Ascending in a pressurized capsule … Continue reading
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