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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
Weird Fiction Monday: Head Games
It’s time for Weird Fiction Monday, when I post stories that I’ve written — both new and old — for the entertainment (hopefully) of my readers! As always, I note that I haven’t done extensive editing of the tales here, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
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A few intriguing Valancourt Books releases!
Been very busy with work lately, trying to meet some deadlines before the start of the Fall semester. In the meantime, I thought I’d say a few words about a few recent Valancourt Books releases that I read on my … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Cat-turning: the 19th-century scientific cat-dropping craze!
One thing I’ve learn from studying the history of science is that scientists are human beings. Often incredibly weird, weird human beings. For example: in the mid-to-late-1800s, an exciting era in which the foundations of electromagnetic theory were set and … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
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Richard Le Gallienne’s “The Worshipper of the Image” (1899)
I have been arguing for some time that there is much more of a connection between horror and science than is generally appreciated. In fact, I explore this relationship in detail on my Tumblr, Science Chamber of Horrors. Occasionally, however, … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Horror
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Simple fun with polarizers!
There is a lot of interesting optics going on around us every day that we are often unaware of! Some of these can be investigated with very simple and inexpensive tools, if one knows what to look for. For instance: … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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Basil Copper’s The Great White Space
H.P. Lovecraft not only introduced a fundamentally new genre of horror — “cosmic horror” — but inspired generations of writers who have built on his ideas and taken them in interesting new directions. Valancourt Books recently released a new edition … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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My favorite video games of all time (an incomplete list)
It is not much of an exaggeration to say that I’ve been playing video games since the beginning. I was one of those kids who spent tons of time in arcades throwing away quarter after quarter, and our family owned … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment
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R.I.P. Richard Matheson (1926-2013)
Yesterday, I learned via Boing Boing that Richard Matheson, amazing author of speculative fiction, horror, and much more, died at the age of 87. One of my earliest blog posts was a “horror masters” post on Richard Matheson, who I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction
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Ted Kosmatka’s Prophet of Bones
Sometimes a book comes out with an idea so compelling and intriguing and yet so simple that I wonder to myself why someone didn’t think of it ages ago! Such is the case when I first learned about Ted Kosmatka’s … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller
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The Giant’s Shoulders #60, part 1, is out!
The first part of the sixtieth edition of the history of science blog carnival The Giant’s Shoulders is up at The Renaissance Mathematicus! It is a look back at all 59 earlier carnivals (those that still exist!). Check it out! … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Skulls in the Stars 