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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. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
Birdwatching WIN!
My new camera came through for me big time! We’ve been pretty convinced that our avian houseguests (wreathguests?) are house finches, but I hadn’t been able to get a picture to confirm it until this afternoon. The papa bird was … Continue reading
The Italian earthquake, predictions, and selective perception
In the wake of the truly horrific Italian earthquake on Monday come reports that an Italian seismologist predicted an impending major event but his warnings were ignored. From the NYT Blog, A local news Web site in the region where … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
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Bertram Mitford’s Renshaw Fanning’s Quest
Bertram Mitford (1855-1914) could be said to have been the darker cousin to H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925). Both authors wrote adventure novels set in the perilous wilds of Africa, but Mitford seems to have used that setting, and his own … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
9 Comments
10 days left until The Giant’s Shoulders #10!
Tick tock, tick tock… There are 10 days left until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #10, to be held on April 16th at Stochastic Scribbles. Entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual!
Posted in General science, Science news
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The pitter-patter of little feet ON the house…
Well, we’ve got a bird family! A couple of weeks ago, the fiancée noticed that birds had started building a nest in the wreath on the front door of the house. We started to take it down before they settled … Continue reading
Posted in Animals
4 Comments
Karl Marx to get his own show on MSNBC
Just announced earlier today on Olbermann’s show: Philosopher, political economist, historian, sociologist, humanist, political theorist, and revolutionary Karl Marx joins MSNBC as host of “Karl’s Komments,” premiering on Monday, April 6. “Karl’s Komments” will air weekdays, 6-7 p.m. ET. The … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
2 Comments
Why no press on Y(4140)?
Earlier this month, I came across a healthy number of articles on the observation at Fermilab of a single top quark, produced by interactions involving the weak nuclear force. As a scientist who dabbled in particle physics in graduate school, … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
10 Comments
Surprising fact about… Louisa May Alcott!
One of the fun things about studying pulp horror stories is learning unexpected trivia about the authors. Just as often, though, the trivia learned is that a famous author ever indulged in such “sensationalist” writings! As a case in point, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
5 Comments
Optics basics: Young’s double slit experiment
As I’ve so far been restricting my ‘optics basics’ posts to discussions of fundamental concepts related to optics, it might seem strange at first glance to dedicate a post to a single optical experiment. What will hopefully become clear, however, … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Optics basics
48 Comments
OpenLab 2009 submissions open…
I keep forgetting to note this, but submissions for The Open Laboratory 2009 are now being accepted and can be nominated at this link: The Open Laboratory is a printed collection of the ‘best’ science blog writing of the year, … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, General science
9 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 