Author Archives: skullsinthestars

John Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes

Posted on November 6, 2008 by skullsinthestars

John Wyndham either didn’t like the world much or worried about it a lot! In a previous post, I discussed his classic horror/sci-fi novel The Day of the Triffids (1951), in which a meteor shower leaves most of the world … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror, Weird fiction | 1 Comment

Victory

Posted on November 5, 2008 by skullsinthestars

I think I may sleep easier, for the first time in a while. “President Obama”… sounds nice. Update: I drove into work blaring Duran Duran songs, which seemed quite appropriate to me, especially “New Moon on Monday”:

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Henry Kuttner’s Elak of Atlantis

Posted on November 3, 2008 by skullsinthestars

I’m a complete sucker for sword-and-sorcery fantasy, and actually I’ve written a significant amount of it for my own amusement. Of course, the true master, and really the originator of the genre, is Robert E. Howard, whose Conan stories are … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy fiction, Robert E. Howard | 2 Comments

12 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #5!

Posted on November 3, 2008 by skullsinthestars

It’s time again to remind folks that the deadline for entries for the next edition of The Giant’s Shoulders are due in 12 days! This edition will be held at Podblack Blog on November 15th. Entries can be submitted through … Continue reading →

Posted in General science, Science news | 1 Comment

Happy Halloween! Some stories to go to bed with…

Posted on October 31, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Though I listed some good Halloween reading a few days ago, I couldn’t resist suggesting a few more! I’m sure most people will be heading to bed soon, so here’s a few bedtime-themed stories to think about while falling asleep. … Continue reading →

Posted in Horror | Leave a comment

Optics basics: Inverse problems

Posted on October 31, 2008 by skullsinthestars

In previous posts, I’ve talked at some length about computed tomography (CT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Each of these is a technique for determining information about the internal structure of an object, such as the human body, from exterior … Continue reading →

Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Optics basics | 6 Comments

Aaaagh! Attack of the work-week!

Posted on October 30, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Just a brief apology about the lack of science posts this week. Work has been crazy: on top of trying to catch up on all the class stuff I ignored while I was at the OSA meeting last week, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Bertram Mitford’s The Sign of the Spider

Posted on October 30, 2008 by skullsinthestars

It’s hard to find out information about author Bertram Mitford (1855-1914). Even Wikipedia doesn’t have information about him, instead redirecting to another Bertram Mitford who wrote about Japan. He was, like H. Rider Haggard, a writer of adventure stories set … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure fiction, Horror | 7 Comments

I voted! Early!

Posted on October 29, 2008 by skullsinthestars

Well, it took 1 1/2 hours, but I got my early voting in! And I didn’t get tricked by the abysmal design of the NC ballot. For me, the occasion was chock full of symbolism and happy coincidences. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Politics | 2 Comments

Halloween Treats, 2008