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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: Physics
The Invisible Death, by Victor Rousseau
Originally posted on Skulls in the Stars:
Will I ever run out of vintage science fiction stories about invisibility to write about? I hope so, because otherwise my book draft will never be polished off. Some authors of weird fiction…
Posted in Invisibility, Science fiction
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Invisibility is an April 2023 must-read book for NBIC!
I learned about this a few weeks ago, but forgot to post about it here! My upcoming book on Invisibility was selected as a “must-read book” for April 2023 for The Next Big Idea Club! The Next Big Idea Club … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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Valley of Invisible Men, by Edmond Hamilton
My upcoming book on Invisibility includes an Invisibibliography of all the invisibility stories I found before finishing the draft. As the following story indicates, there are still more to be found… I am amazed that I can still find even … Continue reading
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The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz, by Jules Verne
Originally posted on Skulls in the Stars:
My book on the history and physics of invisibility is off to the publisher for final approval, though there’s still some little stuff I want to add, including a comprehensive bibliography of stories…
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Sinister Barrier, by Eric Frank Russell
Originally posted on Skulls in the Stars:
Writing a book about the history and science of invisibility has led me to read things that I would otherwise never have encountered, including a whole slew of science fiction tales about invisibility…
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For Love, by Algis Budrys
Okay, we’re only about two weeks away until the release of my latest popular science book, Invisibility: The history and science of How Not to Be Seen! In the run-up, I thought I’d reblog my old series of posts on … Continue reading
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The first copy of Invisibility has arrived!
I just wanted to post a short note to say that I’ve received the first copy of my book on the history and science of invisibility, and it looks great! I’m very excited for people to get a chance to … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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Existential Physics, by Sabine Hossenfelder
Time to get back into a little combination book blogging/science blogging! Let’s talk a little bit about Existential Physics by Sabine Hossenfelder, published in 2022. I read this book recently due to somewhat curious circumstances. My friend Mark at my … Continue reading
Optics, rain, and car headlights
One of the fun things about being a physicist is that occasionally you end up pondering some sort of everyday phenomenon that you’ve never thought about before and realize that you can explain it with some elementary physics! Some time … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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“Invisibility” recognized in Publishers Weekly!
Just a short note: my editor pointed out to me that my book made the “top ten” list of Spring 2023 science books at Publishers Weekly! Saving the relevant part of the page for my own personal record: This is … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Personal
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