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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
Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race
I’ve described the work of Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) before. He was a highly prolific author who was highly influential in a number of fields, although his overly romantic prose is often ridiculed these days. Nevertheless, Bulwer-Lytton’s work survives to this … Continue reading
Posted in Weird fiction
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Spot the math errors!
Via StumbleUpon, I came across this short text page which lists three mathematical ‘proofs’ which seem to violate common sense, listed below. The first is: The second one is: The third one is: Each of these proofs is (intentionally) wrong! … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics
86 Comments
You know who blogs might have stopped? HITLER!!!
This was just so entertaining I had to comment on it. Via The Huffington Post, we learn that the Nobel winner in literature, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, suggested that blogs might have prevented Hitler’s rise to power in Nazi Germany: … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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Get your ass to… Venus?
Some time ago, I did a post about the sword-and-planet stories centered on the planet Mars, such as Burroughs’ classic John Carter of Mars series. Earth’s other neighbor has also been the inspiration for a significant amount of fantastic fiction, … Continue reading
Posted in Weird fiction
6 Comments
Turning a problem into a solution: aquatic clean energy from vortex-induced vibration?
About a week ago, I came across an intriguing article on telegraph.co.uk, entitled, “Ocean currents can power the world, say scientists.” Such a title is an immediate eyebrow-raiser for me, knowing the propensity of the news media to (a) overhype … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
4 Comments
12 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #6!
We’re less than a half-a-month away from the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #6, to be held at Rigorous Trivialities on December 15th. Entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual! I’ve also initiated … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
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Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Venus series
I’ve talked a bit about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ sword and planet adventures before; in particular, I’ve discussed his ‘Barsoom‘ (Mars) series briefly and did a post on the first two books on his ‘Pellucidar‘ (Hollow Earth) series. In preparation for … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
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The auto industry – a play
I’m workin’ on some spiffy new posts. In the meantime, I note that a commenter, JasonF at Balloon Juice, wrote up the auto industry conundrum as a play in three acts. It’s quite excellent: read it here.
Posted in Politics
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Holiday cards for ‘geeks’
I’m still in holiday mode and not in scienceblogging mode, but I’ll hopefully be back in the swing of things next week. In the meantime, via Americablog, I present ‘Christmas and holiday cards for geeks‘. A sample:
Posted in Silliness
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Happy Turkey Day!
I’m using the day as an opportunity to get some work done on my textbook. We managed to eat our Thanksgiving dinner without kitten interference, as they were too tired to notice. Later, however, the fiancée got up to make … Continue reading
Posted in Animals
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Skulls in the Stars 