Author Archives: skullsinthestars

Old School Dungeons & Dragons: Part 15

Posted on May 24, 2020

Time for another roundup of my twitter threads on old school Dungeons & Dragons products! Let’s jump right in: The Complete Fighter’s Handbook (1989), by Aaron Allston. I haven’t yet touched any of the “handbook” supplements that were made for … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy fiction, role-playing games | 1 Comment

The Anniversary of the Laser at Cambridge University Press – Part 2!

Posted on April 30, 2020

As promised, here’s the link to part 2 of my two-part series of posts at Cambridge University Press on the 60th anniversary of the laser! This post features a discussion of the basic ideas of how a laser works, like … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics, Physics | Leave a comment

The Anniversary of the Laser at Cambridge University Press – Part 1!

Posted on April 28, 2020

On May 16, 1960, Theodore Maiman of Hughes Research Laboratories was the first person to create the now ubiquitous and important source of light that we know as the LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. This year … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Optics | Leave a comment

The first news report of the laser (1960)

Posted on April 18, 2020

So this year is the 60 year anniversary of the invention of the laser, which was finally accomplished by Theodore Maiman on May 16, 1960 (mark your calendar!).  I recently wrote a blog post about the physics and history of … Continue reading →

Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Optics | 2 Comments

Old School Dungeons & Dragons: Part 14

Posted on April 7, 2020

Okay, time for a round of Old School Dungeons & Dragons, taken from my twitter posts! Things are moving a little slower due to the craziness of the world distracting me, but let’s look at a few classic items! Cardmaster … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Fantasy fiction, role-playing games | 2 Comments

Forgotten Milestones in the History of Optics: video!

Posted on March 29, 2020

Okay, here’s one more classic video from my regular seminar series: Forgotten Milestones in the History of Optics! This was one of the earliest semi-popular seminars I put together. More videos and posts to come!

Posted in History of science, Optics | 1 Comment

How Not To Be Seen: the video!

Posted on March 21, 2020

Continuing my series of uploaded videos, tonight I recorded a version of my How Not To Be Seen: The history and science of invisibility seminar, which I’ve given and revised for probably close to ten years now!  I’ve shared links … Continue reading →

Posted in Invisibility, Optics | Leave a comment