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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: Silliness
More travel…
I’m heading out of town again today, for a work-related meeting. I’m not enthusiastic, especially after the catastrophe which was my return trip from the holidays. With that in mind, I see that Tom Tomorrow has relinked to one of … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Silliness
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A Patrick Swayze Christmas, by MST3K
I’ve got to continue the holiday tradition I started last Christmas; I therefore present, “A Patrick Swayze Christmas”: In the spirit of the season, I offer sincere best wishes and ‘get well soon’ to Patrick Swayze, who has been fighting … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Silliness
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Holiday cards for ‘geeks’
I’m still in holiday mode and not in scienceblogging mode, but I’ll hopefully be back in the swing of things next week. In the meantime, via Americablog, I present ‘Christmas and holiday cards for geeks‘. A sample:
Posted in Silliness
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The perfect metaphor for the D’s response to Lieberman
Of course, we’re all familiar with how boldly the Democrats stood up to Joe Lieberman, the man who campaigned not only for the Republican presidential candidate but also numerous down-ticket Republicans. In the end, the Democrats welcomed him back with … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Silliness
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Best. Ballpoint pen. Ever.
For those who don’t read Swans on Tea (and if you like fun physics-y blogs, you really should), I have to link to this post concerning product reviews on Amazon.co.uk. People have taken to heart the absurdity of being able … Continue reading
The Bee Gees as a tool in cardiac resuscitation?
Via CNN, we learn an interesting little factoid: the 103 beats per minute rhythm of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”, and its catchy, memorable tune, can be used by CPR practitioners to properly time their chest compressions! A small study … Continue reading
Posted in Science news, Silliness
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‘Ultima’ creator takes the ultimate ride!
This is quite cool: Richard Garriott, the millionaire creator of the Ultima series of fantasy role-playing videogames, is now in orbit! Garriott is one of the board members of Space Adventures Ltd., the space tourism company which has been sending … Continue reading
The Leavenworth Underground City Mystery (Updated)
(Update: For those who are interested, there’s an article in pdf form describing the underground in more detail at LV Mag, the magazine of Life in Leavenworth County.) I’ve been busy with departmental stuff the past few days, so posting … Continue reading
Posted in Silliness
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It’s just a flesh wound! My knight-liness is confirmed…
Via The Greenbelt, I learned about and took another one of those silly but oddly compelling internet quizzes: this one asks, “Which Chess Piece are You?” In my case, I scored as The King’s Knight, which makes me sound like … Continue reading
Posted in Silliness
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An old, old die…
As long as I’ve got dice on my mind, I should point out this glass 20-sided die that dates back to 2nd century Rome: But $17,925 for it? I have old Dungeons and Dragons dice that look to be in … Continue reading
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