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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
Unwanted love: An underused horror theme?
H.P. Lovecraft, in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature, remarked that, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” He was, in my opinion, completely correct. … Continue reading
Ramsey Campbell: The Nightmare Man
I thought I’d start my discussion of ‘Masters of Horror’ by talking about my favorite horror author of all time, and perhaps one of the most unappreciated horror authors ever. The shelves of your local bookstores, which no doubt carry … Continue reading
An interesting day
Today has been relatively interesting. First, I received an email that my physics textbook proposal was reasonably received by the publisher and I could have a contract within a month! I’ll post more on that when things are more certain. … Continue reading
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The more things change…
Most people are hopefully aware of the very strong religious right movement to incorporate creationism (the belief that God created the world and everything in it in its present form) in science classes as valid topic of study alongside evolution … Continue reading
Horror Masters: “Themes” of horror fiction writers
I’m planning to write little posts highlighting the works of a lot of the true masters of horror fiction, including a bit about them and what I consider to be their most enjoyable yarns. One aspect that I will address … Continue reading
Some of my favorite swordfights in film
One of the things I love to do is make lists. Often I’m doing this in my mind when I’m driving around town. Today, I got thinking about the best swordfights in movies: the sort of clashes of metal that … Continue reading
An interesting intersection of Lovecraft and relativity theory
My thesis advisor has often lamented the rise of email in society, mainly because the electronic correspondence isn’t as permanent as the written letter, and lots of interesting historical anecdotes can get lost. I delved into one of these recently … Continue reading
A ride on the Shanghai maglev train
I’ve been in a ‘magnet mood’ since I did my big post on the physics Nobel winners a week ago, and I thought it would be nice to show one of the most spectacular applications of magnetism – magnetic levitation … Continue reading
Animal intelligence news, with videos!
I’ve been meaning to write a post on animal intelligence for a couple of weeks, but have been sidetracked by work (and life). A few recent stories kicked off the motivation to write it, first and foremost this story on … Continue reading
Put your keyboard where your mouth is!
No, I’m not referring to some sort of act which would get you arrested in the South. I’m referring to National Novel Writing Month, which is coming up in November. “Personal Demon” reminded me of its impending arrival. The idea, … Continue reading
Skulls in the Stars 