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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: Politics
It’s a mistake!
Over Christmas, I gave my mom and sister a special gift: My sister and I had recorded Friday Night Videos on several videotapes back in the 80’s, and I still had the tapes. I converted them to DVD and presented … Continue reading
A few (small) bits of happy political news
Two little things happened on the political front today that give some faint hope that the country hasn’t degraded completely into a torture-loving big-brother kleptocracy: Senator Chris Dodd managed to push off via filibuster threat the Senate vote to give … Continue reading
An old, sad story of torture
Through Hullabaloo, I was reminded of an amazing and incredibly tragic correspondence from Germany in the year 1628. Burgomaster Johannes Junius was tried and convicted of witchcraft, and eventually burned at the stake for these crimes. Before his execution, however, … Continue reading
A sign of the decline of western civilization
It’s a common observation amongst the liberal blogosphere that the media in the U.S. doesn’t do a terribly good job, and dumbs down things excessively. So I’m watching 60 Minutes tonight, and they have a segment about New York City’s … Continue reading
Democratic profiles in courage: the Mukasey confirmation
Sarcasm doesn’t translate well to text, so let me say it right out: I’m being sarcastic. Michael Mukasey, the controversial attorney general candidate who refused to classify waterboarding as torture, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday. Let’s allow Democratic … Continue reading
Freedom: It doesn’t mean what Bush thinks it means
Okay, this is simply a bit of a rant, but I can’t help myself. Yesterday, Bush held a press conference with the French president. On being asked about the situation in Iraq, and a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops, … Continue reading
Yes, pirates exist in real-life
There’s been a couple of reports in the past few days about pirates operating off of the Somali coast. Several days ago, a U.S. destroyer pursued and fired upon a hijacked Japanese ship, sinking the pirate skiffs attached to it. … Continue reading
Breathing a huge, sad, sigh of relief
One of the most useful and moving sources of information for understanding the impact of the Iraq war on the civilian population has been Baghdad Burning, a blog by an Iraqi woman and apparently former computer programmer. The last I … Continue reading
And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to…
Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The award was won for their efforts to raise awareness about global warming. There’s a few interesting things to note about this award. First, it was barely a day … Continue reading
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