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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
In the footsteps of Mythos… (updated)
Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) is one of the most influential horror authors people have never heard of. He was a direct inspiration to most of the leading horror voices of this generation, including Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell.
Posted in Cemetery, Fantasy fiction, Lovecraft
6 Comments
What created the Khmer Rouge? (updated)
One of my major irritations in life is feeling like I know better than supposed ‘experts’ in a particular job or field of study — even though I know absolutely nothing about the job or field in question. A few … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
4 Comments
The best bad films that ever were
I recently was wandering through the local Borders and found that they’ve finally released the 1980’s Flash Gordon in a nice DVD box set. I’ve loved this film since my college days, when I would get together with a number … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
17 Comments
Don’t read those bloggers… they’re unclean!
Steve Benen at The Carpetbagger Report notes that, over the weekend, Michael Skube, a professor of journalism at Elon University, wrote an op-ed in the LA Times blasting blogs: There was something appealing about this argument — one that no … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
3 Comments
The Bird and the Dinosaur — a parable
Two men sat at a table working on a large jigsaw puzzle. After some effort, they succeeded in putting together a small collection of pieces into the image of an eye. “From the shape of the eye,” said the first … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
2 Comments
A ‘bizzare star’, an incomplete explanation
NASA just announced the discovery of a previously unnoticed astronomical phenomenon, a star exhibiting ‘comet-like’ behavior (H/T Personal Demon). This can be read about both on NASA’s web page as well as through CNN. A large star in its death … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
2 Comments
William Hope Hodgson’s The Night Land
There are a number of classic works of weird fantasy and horror which have been lost from the mainstream but are well worth a look. One of these is William Hope Hodgson’s The Night Land. Hodgson (1877-1918) was a colorful … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy fiction
11 Comments
The cult of (anti-)personality
A few years back, a friend of mine recommended the movie The Mothman Prophesies, which happens to star Richard Gere (more on that film in another post). Beyond really enjoying the film, I decided that I really liked Richard Gere … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
4 Comments
Educate or Bust
Welcome to my new weblog! The title of this post refers to the title of an unpublished Robert E. Howard story, and also sounds like a perfect way to describe my goals here. I’m a professor of physics who has … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
4 Comments
