-
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
Fabry, Perot, and their wonderful interferometer (1897, 1899)
This is my entry for the fifth edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, to be held at Podblack Blog on November 15th. By the late 1800s, physicists had begun a serious study of the structure of the atom. The best tool … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics, Physics
12 Comments
History of science at ScienceOnline ’09!
I should mention that I’ve been asked to help lead a discussion at ScienceOnline ’09 about the History of Science and blogging, along with the excellent bloggers Scicurious, Brian Switek, and John McKay. ScienceOnline ’09 is the third-annual scienceblogging conference, … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
3 Comments
A brief political observation
I went to Best Buy to buy my DVD copy of the fourth Indiana Jones movie, and I passed a major intersection where McCain supporters were standing with “Honk for McCain” signs. On my way out and back, I was … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
4 Comments
‘Ultima’ creator takes the ultimate ride!
This is quite cool: Richard Garriott, the millionaire creator of the Ultima series of fantasy role-playing videogames, is now in orbit! Garriott is one of the board members of Space Adventures Ltd., the space tourism company which has been sending … Continue reading
Thomas M. Disch’s The M.D.: A Horror Story
My post-doc advisor once suggested that the ultimate sign of a good movie is whether or not it ‘stays’ with you after it’s over. The same can also be said about good fiction, which will end up haunting the reader … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
7 Comments
4 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #4!
The start of a new month means it’s time for a reminder that there’s 4 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #4, to be held on October 15th at Second Order Approximation. Entries can be submitted, as always, through blogcarnival.com. Let’s … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
h-index of 12 and 1,000 comments!
Today marked two milestones related to my scientific career. First, according to the Web of Knowledge, my ‘h-index‘ finally hit 12! The h-index (Hirsch number) is a rough measure of both the productivity of a scientist and the impact of … Continue reading
Valancourt Books continues its evil plot to free me of my money!
Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while knows that I’m a big fan of Valancourt Books, especially their excellent reprints of classic works by Richard Marsh. Well, I’ve been trying to cut back on my book buying recently, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
Leave a comment
John McCain: Angry, anti-science miser
As the economic crisis has deepened, McCain’s biggest talking point about the economy has been the proliferation of “earmarks” in government, those state projects that legislators add to Federal budget requests for their home states. For me, a discussion of … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Politics, Science news
4 Comments
Optical coherence tomography and the art world
In recent years, scientific tools have been increasingly applied to the study of artwork, for numerous reasons: determination of authenticity, determination of provenance, analysis for restoration, or even for finding ‘hidden’ art buried behind or underneath existing masterworks. Some time … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
2 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 