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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
SOS: Save Our (favorite) Shows!
The fiancée pointed out to me today that one of our new favorite shows, Life on Mars, will not be surviving to season 2. This is a real shame; though it was a remake of a classic UK show, we’d … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
8 Comments
Some blogroll updates…
I finally got around to adding a few additional blogs to my blogroll, and thought I’d acknowledge them: White Coat Underground. I met PalMD at ScienceOnline09 and, in addition to him being one of those people I immediately liked and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
8 Comments
Is it worse, or better, than a creationist on the school board?
Once again the folks at The Onion have demonstrated their satirical genius! They ‘report’ on an Arkham, MA school board member who is pushing to add the unspeakable, sanity-shattering dark arts to the curriculum: “Fools!” said West, his clenched fist … Continue reading
Posted in Lovecraft, Silliness
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Faraday brings light and magnetism together (1845)
The more I read of Michael Faraday’s work, the more I am in awe of the scientist’s insights and abilities. As evidence of the remarkable intuition he had regarding the forces of nature, consider the following passage: I have long … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics, Physics
14 Comments
Michael Faraday, scientific rock-star!
I’ve been planning another post on the scientific discoveries of Michael Faraday, but in the process of researching his work on so-called Faraday rotation, I came across a wonderful story which is too charming not to share! By 1844, Faraday … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
4 Comments
Faking tilt-shift photography, via Photoshop
I recently took another look at my post on depth of focus and depth of field, and noticed to my chagrin that the link to the original ‘miniworld’ pics, which show how a real scene can be made to look … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
2 Comments
Adventures in iRiff-ery!
I’ve been a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 for years. If you’re not familiar, the show consisted of a human host and two wisecracking (puppet) robots ridiculing bad science fiction, fantasy, and horror films, and was generally a … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment
7 Comments
Bobby Jindal hates lifesaving research!
This one’s been bugging me all day, and although others have tackled it admirably, I wanted to give my perspective, and an amateur would-be vulcanologist. In the Republican response to President Obama’s speech last night, in which he strongly defended … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Science news
3 Comments
E is for Edward, who birthday was today…
Via The Greenbelt, I see that today was the birthday of macabre artist Edward Gorey (1925-2000), who produced such bizarre and twisted classics such as The Gashlycrumb Tinies and The Curious Sofa. It is an interesting coincidence since I just … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
9 Comments
A. Merritt’s Dwellers in the Mirage
Abraham Merritt (1888-1943) was one of the greats of pulp fiction, although up until recently his work was largely forgotten. Recently, two of his novels were reprinted, The Moon Pool (1919) and The Metal Monster (1920), both of which I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Weird fiction
7 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 