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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. -
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Category Archives: Personal
A decade of history of science!
I’ve picked up a significant number of new followers on the blog lately, and this combined with the wrap-up of the decade seems like a good time to share some of my favorite history of science posts of the past … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Personal, Physics
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Spoiler-filled The Rise of Skywalker thoughts…
Back from China and hoping to get some more blogging done! After some 24 hours of non-stop travel, I got back on the 23rd and decided to stay awake as long as possible by going to see the final movie … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Science fiction
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Meeting Darlene and playing Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm!
Life has had its ups and downs over the past few years, with a number of particularly painful downs. But every once in a while, something really lovely happens that reminds me that the world still has some surprises and … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Fantasy fiction, Personal
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Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, available now!!!
Unexpectedly, it turns out that my new popular science book, Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, has been released earlier than expected! Folks are already getting their copies in the mail! So if you’ve been waiting to order it until it … Continue reading
October reading: A Night in the Lonesome October
So I semi-regularly blog about books on this site, and my usual strategy is to read the book and then write a blog post about it. For October, I’m going to be a little different! Over the month, I’m going … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Personal
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Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics in Five Languages!
Some exciting news to share: it turns out that my upcoming book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics will be translated into five languages so far! In case you missed the lovely cover image before, here it is again, for … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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Dr. SkySkull in China, Part 6: The Temple of Heaven
Part 6 in a long series of posts about my month and a half in China. Part 1 can be read here, Part 2 can be read here, Part 3 can be read here, Part 4 can be read here, and Part 5 can … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
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Dr. SkySkull in China, Part 5: The Great Wall
Part 5 in a long series of posts about my month and a half in China. Part 1 can be read here, Part 2 can be read here, Part 3 can be read here, and Part 4 can be read here. … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
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Vortices in beams of light and vortex coronagraphy
This past Friday, I was invited to give a talk at the monthly meeting of the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club, a lovely organization that has been around since 1954. As a theoretical physicist, I am not that well-versed on astronomy … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal, Physics
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Dr. SkySkull in China, Part 4: the Shandong Museum
Part 3 in a long series of posts about my month and a half in China. Part 1 can be read here, Part 2 can be read here, and Part 3 can be read here. On my first weekend in Jinan, … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
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