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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
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
Breathing a huge, sad, sigh of relief
One of the most useful and moving sources of information for understanding the impact of the Iraq war on the civilian population has been Baghdad Burning, a blog by an Iraqi woman and apparently former computer programmer. The last I … Continue reading
Kitty in da water!
I’ve been planning to do a post about animal intelligence, with videos, but that’s taking a while to put together. (Kinda like putting together my physics Nobel post.) In the meantime, I present two cute animal videos I took in … Continue reading
