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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: April 2012
T.C. McCarthy’s “Exogene”
Most of us are familiar with the Greek myth of Pandora and her eponymous box. In a standard telling, Pandora is given the box by Zeus but is explicitly told never to open it. Pandora’s curiosity gets the better of … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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Physics demonstrations: the Pythagoras cup
The past few weeks I’ve been preparing a lot of entertaining demonstrations of physics principles for a Science and Technology Expo to be held at UNC Charlotte on April 29th. I thought I’d start writing short posts highlighting the various … Continue reading
Posted in Physics demos
20 Comments
The Giant’s Shoulders #46 is out!
Delayed a week due to technical issues, the long-awaited 46th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders history of science blog carnival is up at Providentia! It’s a doozy, featuring things such as: How Jewish leaders reacted to Darwin’s theory of evolution, An … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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An American in Spain, part 5: Seville Cathedral
Part 5 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) Updated some descriptions thanks to commenter VA! When we woke up on Monday morning, the massive … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
4 Comments
“Mathematical Methods” on sale for $62 at Cambridge!
Just a quick note: for those who might have been interested in my textbook, Mathematical Methods for Optical Physics and Engineering, but who found the list price a bit expensive, Cambridge University Press is selling it for 30% off until … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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The Moon-Maker, by Arthur Train and Robert Williams Wood
The 1916 novel The Moon-Maker by Arthur Train and Robert Williams Wood is, even at first glance, an unusual book for a number of reasons. First, it is a science fiction novel written in 1916, long before science fiction had become … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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An American in Spain, part 4: Onward to Seville
Part 4 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) On Sunday, we got up relatively early to catch a train from Madrid to Seville. The train … Continue reading
An American in Spain, part 3: Palaces and parks in Madrid
Part 3 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family! (Part 1, Part 2) As I’ve noted in the past parts of this travelogue, our hotel in Madrid was located very close … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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An American in Spain, part 2: Art and Egypt in Madrid
Part 2 of a photo travelogue of my recent trip to Spain with my wife and her family. Though my wife and I had arrived in Spain smoothly on Thursday the 29th of March, things didn’t go so well for … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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An American in Spain, part 1: Madrid
At the end of March, I had the great opportunity to take a trip to Spain with my wife and her family. My wife’s niece is spending a college semester in Granada, and we traveled out to visit her during … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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