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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. -
Category Archives: Personal
My moment of glory on Twitter
The destruction of Twitter at such a fast rate that you can pretty much watch it collapse in real time is a bit melancholy for me. Though I’m happy to see Billionaire Baby demonstrate clearly his level of actual competence, … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal, Silliness
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An intro to Mastodon from a relative newcomer!
“So your favorite social media site has been taken over by a bumbling fascist-friendly narcissist.” Mine, too. With Twitter under new management that leaves me very pessimistic about its future as a viable communications site, I’ve been taking a look … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal
6 Comments
“Invisibility” has a cover and a release date!
Of course, my publisher never tells me these things, but the cover for my next popular science book, on the history and physics of invisibility, has been made public and the book has a release date! It was a challenge … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Invisibility, Personal
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Missed my blogiversary again!
Well, it turns out I missed a big anniversary for my blog — again! August 14th marks 15 years of me blogging, which is pretty amazing considering this was really just going to be a minor thing that I experimented … Continue reading
RIP Mandarin, 2010-2021
This past Friday, a beloved member of my extended kitty family, Mandarin, was helped on his way to the next life. Mandarin was diagnosed early this year with a rare and untreatable brain tumor. Beth did everything possible to make … Continue reading
Some photos of the Beaver Moon Lunar Eclipse of 2021
Did you know that there was a near-total lunar eclipse this morning that could be viewed through most of Canada and the United States? This “Beaver Moon lunar eclipse” was near its peak around 4:00 am EST, and once I … Continue reading
A short hiatus
In the wake of my 14 year blog anniversary, I’ve also been hit with one of the biggest episodes of depression I’ve ever experienced. Going to take a bit of time to see if I can hopefully get myself back … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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A short blogiversary note!
Hi folks! I have been rather busy with work and book writing so I haven’t been posting much, but I haven’t given up and will hopefully be back with more interesting stuff soon! (Especially once I get my book draft … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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Personally Speaking… about Falling Felines!
Hi all, I’ve been rather busy with work lately and haven’t had much time to blog. I’ve got a lot to write about, and no time to do it! In the meantime, however, I gave a talk at my university … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Personal, Physics
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Some photos of the conjunction!
You may have heard that yesterday there was a rare planetary conjunction, in which Jupiter and Saturn appear very close together in the sky! Well, the planets will still be close for several days, and I thought I would go … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Physics
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Skulls in the Stars 